Telephony control system with intelligent call routing

• US 7,269,253 B1
• Filed: 03/23/2006
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Patent Armory Inc. (Jeffrey M. Gross)
• Original Assignee: Steven Mark Hoffberg, Toby Heller, Wai Wu
• Inventors: Wu, Wai, Heller, Toby, Hoffberg, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US11/387,305
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.02, 379/265.06, 379/265.11, 379/265.12, 379/266.01, 379/309
• US Class Current: 379/265.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/12 Counting circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/36 Memories
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution

Abstract

A communications system and method, wherein a plurality of communications are received, each having associated classification information, information representing characteristics of at least three potential targets are stored; and an optimum target for each communication based on the communication classification, and target characteristics is determined in a combinatorial optimization. The optimization preferably comprises a cost benefit optimization. Predicted availability of a target may be another optimization factor.

Claims

1. A communications control system comprising:

(a) an input for receiving information representing a plurality of characteristics of a respective communication;

(b) a data structure representing characteristics of at least three potential communication targets; and

(c) a processor, for determining a target for a respective communication, based on a combinatorial optimization of available targets, said processor analyzing said received information and said data structure, and outputting the determined available target for association with the respective communication.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor evaluates a best solution to a cost-utility function.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor simultaneously determines optimum targets for a plurality of respective communications.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of characteristics correspond to target characteristics of said data structure.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said data structure comprises, for each available target, a representation of a plurality of skill weights.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said optimization may be extrinsically perturbed to provide discrimination in control of call routing.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein a cost function is provided for each target, said processor optimizing a cost benefit of a routing.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said received information comprises a communication classification vector, a plurality of said communication classification vectors being simultaneously processed by said processor to determine, with respect to each respective communication, an optimum target.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein each respective target has an associated cost, and a set of utility attributes, said received information comprising a set of likely requirements, wherein said processor optimally assigns an available target to a respective communication in a cost-effective manner such that the likely requirements are satisfied by the utility attributes of the assigned available target.

10. A communications method comprising:

(a) receiving a plurality of communications, each having associated classification information;

(b) storing information representing characteristics of at least three potential targets; and

(c) determining, in a combinatorial optimization, an optimum target for each communication based on the communication classification, and target characteristics.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein a data structure representing attribute weights with respect to the communication classification is applied to determine an optimum target selection.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of perturbing the determining step to provide discriminatory targeting.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein said determining step comprises providing a cost function for each target, and optimizing a cost benefit through said determining.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein said determining step determines an optimal cost-effective targeting for a plurality of simultaneous communications.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the information representing characteristics of a plurality of potential targets comprises a representation of a plurality of skill weights.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein each potential target has an associated cost and a set of utility attributes, and the associated classification information represents a set of likely requirements, wherein said determining step optimally assigns a likely available target to a respective communication in a cost-effective manner such that the likely requirements are satisfied by the utility attributes of the assigned potential target.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein said combinatorial optimization is sensitive to a predicted availability of a target.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein said combinatorial optimization optimizes a cost-benefit.

19. The method according to claim 10, wherein a single processor performs said determining and controls a communication with a respective optimum target.

20. A computer readable storage medium, containing program codes for controlling a programmable processor to perform the method according to claim 10.

21. A communications method comprising:

(a) storing multiparametric vectors corresponding to characteristics of a plurality of communications sources;

(b) storing multiparametric vectors corresponding to characteristics of at least three possible communications targets;

(c) defining at least one optimization criteria; and

(c) determining, in a non-trivial combinatorial optimization, a maximum utility pairing of a communications source and a communications target in accordance with the at least one optimization criteria, vectors corresponding to characteristics of a plurality of communications sources, and vectors corresponding to characteristics of at least three possible communications targets.