Internet protocol call-in centers and establishing remote agents
First Claim
1. A method for establishing a home agent from an Internet-connected call center, comprising steps of:
- (a) placing a first Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call from a first origination point from a call-center managing computer to a PC at the home agent'"'"'s location remote from the call-center managing computer, thereby establishing an Internet connection maintaining the active IPNT call;
(b) receiving a second IPNT call from a from a second origination point at the call-center managing computer; and
(c) substituting the second call from the second origination point for the first call from the first origination point as the active IPNT call over the same Internet connection between the managing computer and the PC, without tearing down the first call from the first origination point.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An IPNT call center is provided wherein agent'"'"'s computers may be locally-connected to a managing computer on a local area network, or remote agents may act over the Internet with the managing computer. The managing computer establishes an IPNT call with each remote agent on duty, and then routes incoming IPNT calls to the remote agents by substituting an incoming call for an existing call without closing the existing call, thereby avoiding the necessity of establishing a new call with the remote computer for each call routed to the remote agent. In some embodiments the IPNT system is a part of a multimedia call center, wherein incoming calls may be either IPNT or plain old telephony service (POTS), and calls are routed to agents according to a set of business rules without regard to type.
131 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A method for establishing a home agent from an Internet-connected call center, comprising steps of:
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(a) placing a first Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call from a first origination point from a call-center managing computer to a PC at the home agent'"'"'s location remote from the call-center managing computer, thereby establishing an Internet connection maintaining the active IPNT call;
(b) receiving a second IPNT call from a from a second origination point at the call-center managing computer; and
(c) substituting the second call from the second origination point for the first call from the first origination point as the active IPNT call over the same Internet connection between the managing computer and the PC, without tearing down the first call from the first origination point. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. An Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call center, comprising:
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a managing computer having a connection to a wide area network (WAN); and
a plurality of home agent stations at remote locations from the managing computer, a PC at each of the home agent stations also connected to the Internet;
wherein the managing computer is adapted to establish a first IPNT call from a first origination point to one of the remote home agent stations over the WAN, thereby establishing a first WAN connection between the home agent and the managing computer, to receive a second IPNT call from a second origination point while the first call is open, and to substitute the second call for the first call over the first WAN connection, without tearing down the first call from the first origination point, thereby connecting the home agent with the client placing the second call. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification