Browser user inter face for client workstation

• US 6,816,880 B1
• Filed: 03/26/1998
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aspect Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Concerto Software Incorporated (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Inventors: Strandberg, Malcom B., Cambray, John, Smith, B. Scott, Stent, Robert J., Gillis, W. James Jr., Curreri, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Kang, Paul H.
• Application Number:
  US09/048,630
• Time in Patent Office: 2,420 Days
• Field of Search: 345/330, 348/15, 370/389, 370/401, 709/204, 709/202, 709/228, 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A web browser based client workstation receives web browser based information and displays the web browser based information in a web page browser format. The web browser based information may include operation critical application information which is interactively displayed and utilized to perform an operation critical application from the client workstation. The operation critical application may include a telephony application. The web browser based client workstation may include a script wizard for allowing a user to generate non-proprietary, industry standard, active objects to handle one or more applications. The client workstation may also include at least one host connection active object to handle information exchange between the web browser based client workstation and a host computer/database. Persistent data to be utilized by the client workstation may be stored within the workstation for later reuse without access to a server computer. The client workstation may execute HTML code which may be generated on the client workstation for control of an application by the workstation. The client workstation may also include web browser based scripting information for providing one or more script pages which can be logically related and called one after the other based upon an answer or response to a predetermined message text on a previous script page. The client workstation may be coupled to a server computer which includes at least one proxy server. The proxy server facilitates access to data external to the server computer. Data from multiple sources can be requested through the proxy server and displayed generally simultaneously on one web page of the web browser based client workstation.

Claims

1. A system including a web browser based operation critical client workstation, comprising:

a server computer including at least a web server, for servicing a plurality of connected web browser based client workstations in a client/server architecture; and

at least one client workstation, coupled to said server computer, said at least one client workstation including a web page browser user interface, for receiving web browser based information including at least an operation critical application from said server computer and for displaying said information in a web page browser format, wherein said web page browser user interface is an exclusive interface for said operation critical application at said at least one client workstation, wherein a failure of said operation critical application results in an inability of said at least one client workstation to perform an essential purpose, and wherein said operation critical application is a zero install application on said at least one client workstation.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said operation critical application includes a telephony application.

3. The system of claim 2 in said telephony application includes in inbound telephone call servicing application.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein said telephony application includes an outbound telephone call servicing application.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein said telephony application includes an inbound and an outbound telephone call servicing application.

6. The system of claim 2 wherein said at least one client workstation includes an agent supervisor workstation.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said operation critical application information includes application audio information and application display animation information.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said web page browser type interface further includes at least one java script which is dynamically downloaded from said server.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least one client workstation does not include any substantial parts of said operation critical application after said web page browser type interface has been closed.

10. A telephony system including a web browser based operation critical call center agent workstation, said system comprising:

a server computer including at least a web server, for servicing a plurality of connected telephony system web browser based client workstations in a client/server architecture;

at least one telephony system web browser based call center agent workstation coupled to said server computer, said at least telephony system web browser based call center agent workstation responsive to said web server and including a web page browser user interface for receiving web browser based information including an operation critical application and for displaying said web browser based information in a web page browser format, wherein said web page browser user interface is an exclusive interface for said operation critical application at said at least one telephony system web browser based call center agent workstation, wherein a failure of said operation critical application results in an inability of said at least one telephony system web browser based call center agent workstation to perform an essential purpose, wherein said operation critical application is a zero install on said at least one telephony system web browser based call center agent workstation; and

said telephony system further including a web page format web page authoring application including a script wizard, for allowing a user to generate at least one non-propriety, industry standard telephone active object to handle a telephony application, and a host communication wizard, for allowing the user to generate at least one host connection active object to handle information exchange between said at least one telephony system web browser based call center agent workstation and an external source of data.

11. A web browser based operation critical client workstation comprising:

at least one client workstation, coupled to a server computer in a client/server architecture, said at least one client workstation including a web page browser user interface for receiving web browser based information including an operation critical application and for displaying said information in a web page browser format, wherein said web page user interface is an exclusive interface for said operation critical application at said at least one web browser based operation critical client workstation, the failure of said operation critical application resulting in an inability of said at least one client workstation to perform said essential purpose; and

wherein said operation critical application is a zero install application on said at least one client workstation.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said operation critical application includes a telephony application.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein said web browser based operation critical client workstation stores persistent data to be used by said workstation in said workstation, for later reuse without accessing said server computer.

14. A web browser based client workstation with persistent data store comprising:

at least one client workstation coupled to a server computer in a client/server architecture, said at least one client workstation including a web page browser user interface for receiving web based information including operation critical application data and persistent data and for displaying said information in a web page browser format, said at least one client workstation including a data store for storing persistent data to be reused by a plurality of web pages displayed on said at least one client workstation and to perform said operation critical application from web page browser user interface without re-accessing said server computer, wherein a failure of said operation critical application results in an inability of said client workstation to perform said essential purpose.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said persistent data is stored in data sets in said persistent data store.

16. A telephony system including a web browser based operation critical agent workstation, said system comprising:

a server computer including at least a web server, for servicing a plurality of connected web browser based agent workstations in a client/server relationship;

at least one telephony system web browser based agent workstation coupled to said server computer, said at least telephony system web browser based agent workstation responsive to said web server and including a web page browser user interface for receiving web browser based information including an operation critical application from said server computer and for displaying said information in a web page browser format, wherein said web page browser user interface is an exclusive interface for said operation critical application at said at least one telephony system web browser based agent workstation; and

wherein said operation critical application is a zero install application on said at least one telephony system web browser based agent workstation, and wherein said web browser based information received by said at least agent workstation includes web browser based scripting information, for providing at least one script page to be displayed on said web browser based agent workstation, for providing information to be communicated to a telephony system customer, and said script page for allowing an agent at said web browser agent workstation to input information regarding said telephony system customer in at least one location in said at least one script page displayed on said web browser call center agent workstation.

17. The system of claim 16 further including a plurality of said script pages, at least two of which can be arranged in a logical branch structure, wherein at least a first one of said plurality of script pages includes a predetermined message text comprising at least one question having at least two possible responses, and wherein said agent workstation causes a branch to at least a second script page based on an agent'"'"'s indication of a response to said at least one question in said predetermined message text of said first script page.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said logical branch to at least one script page arranged in a logical branch structure is conditioned upon at least one of persistent data received from an application server, data received from a host or at least one answer to said at least one question.

19. A telephony system including a web browser based operation critical agent workstation, said system comprising:

a server computer including at least a web server, for servicing a plurality of connected web browser based agent workstations in a client/server architecture;

at least one telephony system web browser based agent workstation coupled to said web server of said server computer, said at least telephony system web browser based agent workstation including a web page browser user interface for receiving web browser based information including a telephony operation critical application from said server computer and for displaying said web browser based information in a web page browser format, wherein said web page browser user interface is an exclusive interface for said telephony operation critical application at said at least one telephony system web browser based agent workstation, wherein a failure of said telephony operation critical application results in an inability of said at least one telephony system web browser based agent workstation to perform an essential purpose;

said at least one telephony system web browser based agent workstation including a script wizard, for allowing a user to generate at least one non-propriety, industry standard telephony active object, and a host communication wizard, for allowing the user to generate at least one host connection active object to handle information exchange between said at least one telephony system web browser based agent workstation and a host computer; and

wherein said telephony operation critical application information includes display of web browser based information for allowing said at least one web browser based agent workstation to control both voice and data relative to at least one telephony call and wherein said telephony operation critical application is a zero install application on said at least one telephony system web browser based agent workstation.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said web browser based client workstation can access data from multiple sources generally simultaneously, said data to be generally simultaneously displayed on one web page of said web browser based client workstation.

21. A web browser based operation critical client workstation comprising:

at least one client workstation, coupled to a server computer in a client/server architecture, said at least one client workstation including a web page browser user interface for receiving web based information including an operation critical application and for displaying said information in a web page browser format, wherein web page browser user interface an exclusive interface for said operation critical application wherein a failure of said operation critical application results in an inability of said web browser based operation critical client workstation to perform an essential purpose;

said server computer also including at least one proxy server, coupled to a source of information external to said server computer, for facilitating access to said data external to said server computer by rerouting tcp/ip protocol communication received from Java applets on said at least one client workstation to at least one application server including said external data; and

wherein said at least one client workstation includes at least one web browser based web page for communicating with said proxy server of said server computer, for requesting information of said proxy server which is external to said server computer, and for receiving said external information from said data source external from said server computer through said proxy server, and wherein said operation critical application is a zero install application on said at least one client workstation.

22. A system including a web browser based operation critical client workstation with persistent data store, said system comprising:

at least one client workstation coupled to a server computer in a client/server architecture, said server computer including at least one web server, said at least one client workstation including a web page browser user interface for receiving web browser based information including an operation critical application from said web server and for displaying said information in a web page browser format, wherein said web page browser user interface is an exclusive interface for said operation critical application at said at least one client workstation, wherein a failure of said operation critical application results in an inability of said at least one client workstation to perform said essential purpose; and

said at least one client workstation including a persistent data store, for receiving and storing data to be utilized by at least one web page displayed by said at least one client workstation, wherein said operation critical application is a zero install application on said client workstation.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said at least one client workstation includes a web page cache, for storing at least one web page of information previously received from said server computer.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein said web page cache is responsive to said persistent data store, for retrieving data to be utilized by said web page.

25. A system including a web browser based operation critical client workstation, comprising:

at least one client workstation coupled to a server computer in a client/server architecture, said server computer including at least one web server, said at least one client workstation including a web page browser user interface for receiving web browser based information including an operation critical application from said web server and for displaying said web browser based information in a web page browser format, wherein web page browser user interface is an exclusive interface for said operation critical application at said at least one client workstation, wherein a failure of said operation critical application results in an inability of said at least one client workstation to perform said essential purpose; and

said web browser based information displayed in a web page browser format on said at least one client workstation including at least one client workstation side active object, said active object for initiating and controlling an operation without intervention of said server computer, wherein said operation critical application is a zero install application on said at least one client workstation.