Network-centric self-administered call center with intelligent mobile agent terminals

• US 6,785,380 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2001
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: Ribera, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US09/871,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20020181693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.02, 379/265.04, 379/265.05, 379/265.06, 379/265.12, 379/266.01, 709/201, 709/202, 709/229, 709/250
• US Class Current: 379/265.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

A communication processing system includes a network having a number of agent terminals associated therewith and one or more processing elements enabled to support a distributed system deployment protocol. The distributed system deployment protocol is utilized in the system to configure one or more of the agent terminals for communication with customer terminals via the processing element(s) in order to provide designated services. The agent and customer terminals are also preferably enabled in accordance with the protocol such that configuration of these terminals to support and to utilize call center services is implementable without requiring the use of disk-based memory at the terminals.

Claims

1. A communication processing system, comprising:

a network having a plurality of agent terminals associated therewith; and

at least one processing element associated with the network and being enabled to support a distributed system deployment protocol, the protocol being utilizable in the system to configure a given one of the agent terminals for communication with at least one customer terminal via the processing element in order to provide a designated service, the given agent terminal also being enabled in accordance with the protocol such that configuration of the given terminal to provide the service is implementable without requiring the use of disk-based memory at the given terminal.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the distributed system deployment protocol comprises a Jini protocol.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing element comprises a web channel manager element coupled to the customer terminal over the Internet.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing element comprises a computer-telephony integration controller coupled to the customer terminal via a communication network element.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing element comprises at least a portion of a call center switch.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the agent terminal comprises a mobile processing device having no disk-based memory.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the distributed system deployment protocol comprises a discovery protocol that allows a given one of the terminals to receive information from the system upon connection thereto so as to allow it to implement at least a portion of the service.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the distributed system deployment protocol comprises a join protocol through which a given one of the terminals can register with a lookup service to provide a particular type of service supported by the given terminal.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the distributed system deployment protocol comprises a lookup protocol through which a given one of the terminals can identify elements of the system able to provide particular types of services.

10. An apparatus for use in a communication processing system, the apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing information associated with a distributed system deployment protocol; and

a processor coupled to the memory and being operative to support at least a portion of the distributed system deployment protocol, the protocol being utilizable in the system to configure a terminal for communication with at least one other entity of the system via a processing element of the system in order to provide a designated service, the terminal also being enabled in accordance with the protocol to provide the service without requiring the use of disk-based memory at the terminal.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the memory and processor are implemented in the terminal.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the memory and processor are implemented in the processing element.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the distributed system deployment protocol comprises a Jini protocol.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the processing element comprises a web channel manager element coupled to a customer terminal over the Internet.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the processing element comprises a computer-telephony integration controller coupled to a customer terminal via a communication network element.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the processing element comprises at least a portion of a call center switch.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the terminal is an agent terminal comprising a mobile processing device having no disk-based memory.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the distributed system deployment protocol comprises a discovery protocol that allows the terminal to receive information from the system upon connection thereto so as to allow it to implement at least a portion of the service.

19. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the distributed system deployment protocol comprises a join protocol through which the terminal can register with a lookup service to provide a particular type of service supported by the terminal.

20. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the distributed system deployment protocol comprises a lookup protocol through which the terminal can identify elements of the system able to provide particular types of services.

21. A method for use in a communication processing system having a processing element associated with a network of the system and enabled to support a distributed system deployment protocol, the method comprising the step of utilizing the protocol in the system to configure a given agent terminal for communication with at least one customer terminal via the processing element in order to provide a designated service, the given agent terminal also being enabled in accordance with the protocol such that configuration of the given agent terminal to provide the service is implementable without requiring the use of disk-based memory at the given agent terminal.

22. A machine-readable storage medium storing one or more programs for use in a communication processing system, the communication processing system comprising a processing element associated with a network of the system and enabled to support a distributed system deployment protocol, wherein the one or more programs when executed by a processor implement the step of configuring a given agent terminal for communication with at least one customer terminal via the processing element in order to provide a designated service, the given agent terminal also being enabled in accordance with the protocol such that configuration of the given agent terminal to provide the service is implementable without requiring the use of disk-based memory at the given agent terminal.