Method and apparatus for processing a telephone call

• US 6,871,212 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2001
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aspect Communications Corporation (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Aspect Communications Corporation (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sinha, Gautam, Mack, Michael L., Khouri, Joseph F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, CHUONG T
• Application Number:
  US09/855,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20010021948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,408 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709/207, 709/200, 370/352, 370/401, 370/345.2, 379/90.01, 379/93.14, 379/93.17, 379/265.09, 379/265.01, 379/265.11, 379/93.23
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5231 with call back arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

A system is provided for establishing a connection between a telephone agent and a computer user. A request is received from the user requesting a return call by an agent. The request is received through a web server and includes an identifier associated with the web page is transmitted to an agent that will contact the user. This allows the agent to view the web page that was being viewed by the user when the request was entered. A telephone connection is then established between the user and the agent. An agent can be selected based on the content of the web page being viewed by the user at the time the request for agent contact is entered. Additionally, for an incoming call, a web page can be generated that contains information about the incoming call. An identifier associated with the generated web page is transmitted to an agent that will answer the call. The agent then accesses the web page using the received identifier.

Claims

1. A method of processing a telephone call from a caller, the method including:

receiving the telephone call;

identifying a telephone number associated with the telephone call;

retrieving information associated with the caller from a database based on the telephone number;

generating code, at a telephony server, for a web page that contains the information associated with the caller, wherein the web page is associated with an identifier; and

transmitting the identifier associated with the web page to an agent selected to answer the telephone call.

2. The method of claim 1, including displaying the web page to the agent.

3. The method of claim 1, including establishing a connection between the caller and the agent.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier associated with the web page is a uniform resource locater (URL).

5. The method of claim 1, including selecting the agent to answer the received telephone call before transmitting the identifier associated with the web page.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the agent is selected based on the information associated with the caller.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the web page includes an interactive web page that enables the agent to access additional information.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the identifier associated with the web page is communicated to an agent desktop application that retrieves and displays the web page.

9. A system for processing a telephone call from a caller, the system including:

a receiving mechanism to receive the telephone call;

an identification mechanism to identify a telephone number associated with the telephone call;

a retrieval mechanism to retrieve information associated with the caller from a database based on the telephone number;

a web page generating mechanism to generate code, at a telephony server, for a web page that contains the information associated with the caller, wherein the web page is associated with an identifier; and

a transmission mechanism to transmit the identifier associated with the web page to an agent selected to answer the telephone call.

10. The system of claim 9, including a display mechanism for displaying the web page to the selected agent.

11. The system of claim 9 including a connection device to establish a connection between the caller and the selected agent.

12. The system of claim 9 including a selection mechanism to select the agent to answer the telephone call.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the selection mechanism selects the agent based on the retrieved information that is associated with the caller.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the display mechanism displays an interactive web page that enables the selected agent to access additional information.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the transmission mechanism communicates the identifier associated with the web page to an agent desktop application that retrieves and displays the web page.

16. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions that, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to:

receive a telephone call from a caller;

identify a telephone number associated with die telephone call;

retrieve information associated with the caller from a database based on the telephone number;

generate code, at a telephony server, for a web page that contains the information associated with the caller, wherein the web page is associated with an identifier; and

transmit the identifier associated with the web page to an agent selected to answer the telephone call.

17. A system to process a telephone call from a caller, the system including:

a first means for receiving the telephone call;

a second means for identifying a telephone number associated with the received telephone call;

a third means for retrieving information associated with the caller from a database based on the identified telephone number;

a fourth means for generating codes at a telephony server, for a web page that contains the information associated with the caller, wherein the web page is associated with an identifier; and

a fifth means for transmitting the identifier associated with the web page to an agent selected to answer the telephone call.