Virtual interaction queuing using internet protocols

• US 7,245,711 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Issued: 07/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: Margolis, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Quynh H.
• Application Number:
  US10/177,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20030235287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,849 Days
• Field of Search: 379/209.01, 379/265.01, 379/265.09, 379/265.1, 379/265.11, 379/266.01, 379/309
• US Class Current: 379/209.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5231 with call back arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0048 where the text-based messaging service is a Short Message Service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13152 Callback
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13173 Busy signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/64 Distributing or queueing

Abstract

A method and system for processing a call when a call recipient is unavailable by using virtual interaction queuing techniques over IP networks are disclosed. The method includes queuing the call in a queue associated with a call center, obtaining a messaging preference of the caller, disconnecting the call, generating at least one IP-based message for the caller according to the caller'"'"'s messaging preference, and transmitting the at least one IP-based message to the caller over an IP network, so as to begin a virtual interaction between the caller and the call center after the call is disconnected.

Claims

1. A method of processing a call from a caller when a call recipient is unavailable, the method comprising:

queuing the call in a queue associated with a call center;

obtaining a messaging preference of the caller;

disconnecting the call;

generating at least one IP (internet protocol)-based message for the caller according to the callers messaging preference; and

transmitting the at least one IP-based message to the caller over an IP network, so as to begin a virtual interaction between the caller and the call center after the call is disconnected and prior to a callback being placed,

wherein the messaging preference of the caller is created by the caller independently from the call center.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving presence Information of the caller over the IP network;

generating at least one new IP-based message for the caller based on the received presence information; and

transmitting the at least one new IP-based message to the caller over the IP network.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether a callback condition has been satisfied; and

placing the callback when The callback condition has been satisfied.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining step includes:

determining an availability of the call recipient;

determining an availability of the caller based on at least one of the caller'"'"'s messaging preference and the callers presence information; and

determining if the availability of the caller takes a higher priority over the caller'"'"'s messaging preference of a later callback.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response of the caller to the transmitted at least one IP-based message over the IP network during the vital interaction between the caller and the call center.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one IP-based message is in the form of at least one of the following:

an e-mail, a web page, a pop-up window, a VoIP (Voice over IP) form, and an instant message form.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one IP-based message carries at least one of the following:

advertisement, information on an availability of the call recipient, information on a status of a callback, and a menu of options for the caller'"'"'s selection.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the caller'"'"'s messaging preference is obtained using at least one of the following:

an e-mail, a web page. an IVR (interactive voice response), and SIP (Session Initiation Protocol).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the messaging preference includes at least one of the following:

an availability of the caller, a media capability of the caller, a purpose of the call, and priority information pertaining to presence/availability of the call recipient and the caller'"'"'s preferences of a callback.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a callback request from the caller is re-routed to another agent or target destination or is terminated based on information carried through at least one IP-based message.

11. A system for processing a call from a caller when a call recipient is unavailable, the system comprising:

a call router queuing the call in a queue associated with a call center and then disconnecting the call; and

an IP (internet protocol)-based message handler generating at least one IP-based message for the caller according to a messaging preference of the caller over an IP network, so as to begin a virtual interaction between the caller and the call center after the call is disconnected and prior to a callback being placed,

wherein the messaging preference of the caller is created by the caller independently from the call center.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a virtual interaction scheduler receiving presence information associated with the caller and scheduling IP-based messages to be sent to the caller based on the presence information and the messaging preference of the caller.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the virtual interaction scheduler determines whether a callback condition has been satisfied and controls an operation of placing the callback when the callback condition has been satisfied.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the scheduler determines whether a callback condition has been satisfied based on the following:

an availability of the call recipient;

an availability of the caller based on at least one of the caller'"'"'s messaging preference and the caller'"'"'s presence information; and

whether the availability of the caller takes a higher priority over the caller'"'"'s messaging preference of a later callback.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the IP-based message handler receives responses from the caller to the IP-based messages over the IP network and processes the responses.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one IP-based message is in the form of at least one of the following:

an e-mail, a web page, a pop-up window, a VoIP (Voice over IP) form, and an instant message form.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one IP-based message carries at least one of the following:

advertisement, information on an availability of the call recipient, information on a status of a callback, and a menu of options for the caller'"'"'s selection.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the caller'"'"'s messaging preference is obtained using at least one of the following:

an e-mail, a web page, an IVR (interactive voice response), and SIP (Session Initiation Protocol).

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the messaging preference includes at least one at the following:

an availability of the caller, a media capability of the caller, a purpose of the call, and priority information pertaining to presence/availability of the call recipient and the caller'"'"'s preferences of a callback.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the call router includes an outbound call muter for re-routing a callback request from the caller to another agent or target destination or for terminating the callback request based on information carried through at least one IP-based message.

21. A computer-readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions for:

queuing the call in a queue associated with a call center;

obtaining a messaging preference of the caller;

disconnecting the call;

generating at least one IP (internet protocol)-based message for the caller according to the caller'"'"'s messaging preference; and

transmitting the at least one IP-based message to the caller over an IP network, so as to begin a virtual interaction between the caller and the call center after the call is disconnected and prior to a callback being placed,

wherein the messaging preference of the caller is created by the caller independently from the call center.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising computer-executable instructions for:

receiving the caller'"'"'s presence information over the IP network;

generating at least one new IP-based message tar the caller based on the received presence information; and

transmitting the at least one new IP-based message to the caller over the IP network.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, further comprising computer-executable instructions for:

determining whether a callback condition has been satisfied; and

placing the callback when the callback condition has been satisfied.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the computer-executable instructions for determining whether a callback condition has been satisfied make the determination based on the following:

an availability of the call recipient;

an availability of the caller based on at least one of the caller'"'"'s messaging preference and the caller'"'"'s presence information; and

whether the availability of the caller takes a higher priority over the caller'"'"'s messaging preference of a later callback.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising computer-executable instructions for:

receiving a response of the caller to the transmitted at least one IP-based message over the IP network during the virtual interaction between the caller and the call center.

26. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the at least one IP-based message is In the form of at least one of the following:

an e-mail, a web page, a pop-up window, a VoIP (Voice over IP) form, and an instant message form.

27. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the at least one IP-based message carries at least one of the following:

advertisement, information on an availability of the call recipient, information on a status of a callback, and a menu of options for the caller'"'"'s selection.

28. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the caller'"'"'s messaging preference is obtained using at least one of the following:

an e-mail, a web page, an IVR (interactive voice response), and SIP (Session Initiation Protocol).

29. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the messaging preference includes at least one of the following:

an availability of the caller, a media capability of the caller, a purpose of the call, and priority information pertaining to presence/availability of the call recipient and the caller'"'"'s preferences of a callback.

30. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising computer-executable instructions for:

re-routing a callback request from the caller to another agent or a target destination or terminating the callback request based on information carried through at least one IP-based message.