Multi-protocol agent telephone system

• US 7,466,686 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2001
• Issued: 12/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Cayman
• Original Assignee: Firstpoint Contact Technologies, LLC (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hollatz, Michael C., Dezonno, Anthony J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad; Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong; Blanche
• Application Number:
  US09/997,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20030103489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,573 Days
• Field of Search: 370/351, 370/466, 370/400
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5133 Operator terminal details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network

Abstract

An agent telephone system for use in a transaction processing system, where the transaction processing system is configured to couple an incoming telephone call with an agent of the agent telephone system and to route the incoming telephone call over one of a plurality of communication networks, where the communication networks utilize differing communication protocols. The agent telephone system includes a microprocessor and a memory operatively coupled to the microprocessor. An agent microphone and agent speaker are included for transmission and reception of audio information, respectively. The agent telephone system includes a conversion device configured to operatively couple the agent microphone and the agent speaker to the microprocessor, and an input multiplexer operatively coupled to the microprocessor, where the microprocessor is configured to control selection of one of a plurality of input lines of the multiplexer. A plurality of network interfaces are configured to operatively couple a selected communication network to the corresponding input line of the multiplexer so as to permit communication between the caller and the agent of the agent telephone system over the selected communication network.

Claims

1. In a system, an agent telephone system coupled to an automatic call distributor and an external switch, the automatic call distributor configured to provide communication paths for an incoming telephone call from the external switch to the agent telephone system and to route the incoming telephone call over one of a plurality of communication networks connected between the automatic call distributor and the agent telephone system, the plurality of communication networks utilizing different communication protocols, the agent telephone system comprising:

a microprocessor;

memory operatively coupled to the microprocessor;

an agent microphone and agent speaker for transmission and reception of audio information, respectively;

a conversion device operatively coupled to the agent microphone and to the agent speaker, and the conversion device also operatively coupled to the microprocessor;

an input switch multiplexer operatively coupled to the microprocessor, wherein the microprocessor controls selection of one of a plurality of input lines of the switch multiplexer;

a plurality of network interfaces each connected to a respective one of the plurality of input lines of the switch multiplexer, each of the plurality of network interfaces also connected to one of the plurality of communication networks, so as to establish communication between a caller of the incoming telephone call from the external switch and an agent of the agent telephone system through the automatic call distributor over one of the plurality of communication networks; and

wherein the agent telephone system establishes communication between the caller and the agent over a first communication network of the plurality of communication networks and then detects a failure of the first communication network, the failure causing disconnection of the incoming telephone call between the agent telephone system and the automatic call distributor resulting in a partially disconnected call, the microprocessor, in response to the disconnection, issues a control signal to the switch multiplexer to route the partially disconnected call through a second communication network of the plurality of communication networks so as to re-establish communication between the caller and the agent, the first and second communication networks utilizing different communication protocols.

2. The agent telephone system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of communication networks are selected from the group consisting of an Ethernet network, USB network, H.323 protocol network, SIP network, MGCP network, VoFR network, VoATM network, TDM network, T1 network, PSTN network, POTS network, 2G wireless network, 2.5G wireless network, and 3G wireless network.

3. The agent telephone system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of network interfaces are selected from the group consisting of an Ethernet network interface, USB network interface, H.323 protocol network interface, SIP network interface, MGCP network interface, VoFR network interface, VoATM network interface, TDM network interface, T1 network interface, PSTN network interface, POTS network interface, 2G wireless network interface, 2.5G wireless network interface, and 3G wireless network interface.

4. The agent telephone system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the communication networks is a packet-switched based network.

5. The agent telephone system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the communication networks is a circuit-switched based network.

6. The agent telephone system according to claim 1 wherein the agent telephone system detects the failure of the first communication network by loss of a link status indication.

7. The agent telephone system according to claim 1 wherein the agent telephone system detects a failure of the first communication network by loss of a keep-alive indication.

8. The agent telephone system according to claim 1 wherein each incoming call from the automatic call distributor has an assigned call indicator and the agent telephone system indicates to the agent whether a subsequent incoming telephone call is a new call or is a reconnection of a prior disconnection.

9. The agent telephone system according to claim 1 further including a communication network defined by a computer having a sound card therein, the computer operatively coupled between the automatic call distributor and an agent telephone, the sound card configured to digitize voice communication.

10. The agent telephone system according to claim 1 further including a communication network defined by a computer having a USB circuit therein, the computer operatively coupled between the automatic call distributor and an agent telephone, the USB circuit configured to facilitate transmission and reception of serial data.

11. A method for providing communication paths for an incoming call from an external switch to an agent telephone system through an automatic call distributor, the automatic call distributor coupled to the external switch and the agent telephone system, the automatic call distributor configured to route the incoming telephone call from the external switch to the agent telephone system over one of a plurality of communication networks connected between the automatic call distributor and the agent telephone system, each communication network having a corresponding network interface and utilizing different communication protocols, the method comprising the steps of:

providing the agent telephone system with a microprocessor, and operatively coupling the microprocessor to a memory;

providing the agent telephone system with at least one transducer configured to transmit and receive audio information, and operatively coupling the at least one transducer to the microprocessor through a conversion device;

providing the agent telephone system with a switch multiplexer and operatively coupling the switch multiplexer to the microprocessor, the switch multiplexer having a plurality of input lines and the plurality of input lines having a plurality of network interfaces, each of the plurality of network interfaces also connects to one of the plurality of communication networks;

controlling, by the microprocessor, selection of one of the plurality of input lines of the switch multiplexer, so as to establish communication between a caller of the incoming telephone call from the external switch and an agent of the agent telephone system through the automatic call distributor over one of the plurality of communication networks;

establishing, by the agent telephone system, communication between the caller and the agent over a first communication network of the plurality of communication networks; and

detecting. by the agent telephone system, a failure of the first communication network, said failure causing disconnection of the incoming telephone call between the agent telephone system and the automatic call distributor resulting in a partially disconnected call, and

issuing, by the microprocessor. a control signal, in response to the disconnection, to the switch multiplexer to route the partially disconnected call through a second communication network of the plurality of communication networks so as to reestablish communication between the caller and the agent, the first and second communication network utilizing different communication protocol.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein at least one of the plurality of communication networks are selected from the group consisting of an Ethernet network, USB network, H.323 protocol network, SIP network, MGCP network, VoFR network, VoATM network, TDM network, Ti network, PSTN network, POTS network, 2G wireless network, 2.5G wireless network, and 3G wireless network.

14. The method according to claim 11 wherein at least one of the communication networks is a packet-switched based network.

15. The method according to claim 11 wherein at least one of the communication networks is a circuit-switched based network.

16. The method according to claim 11 wherein the agent telephone system detects the failure of the first communication network by detecting a loss of a link status indication.

17. The method according to claim 11 wherein the agent telephone system detects the failure of the communication network by detecting a loss of a keep-alive indication.

18. The method according to claim 11 wherein the agent telephone system accepts a next incoming call from the automatic call distributor as a reconnection of the disconnection.

19. The method according to claim 11 further including a display operatively coupled to the microprocessor.

20. The method according to claim 11 further including a communication network defined by a computer having a sound card therein, the computer operatively coupled between the automatic call distributor and an agent telephone, the sound card configured to digitize voice communication.

21. The method according to claim 11 further including a communication network defined by a computer having a USB circuit therein, the computer operatively coupled between the automatic call distributor and an agent telephone, the USB circuit configured to facilitate transmission and reception of serial data.

13. The method 11 wherein at least one of the plurality of network interfaces are selected from the group consisting of an Ethernet network interface, USB network interface, H.323protocol network interface, SIP network interface, MGCP network interface, VoFR network interface, VoATM network interface, TDM network interface, T1 network interface, PSTN network interface, POTS network interface, 2G wireless network interface, 2.5G wireless network interface, and 3G wireless network interface.