SIP ACD multi-tenant mechanism that facilitates multiple levels of partitions or tenants

• US 7,764,779 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2005
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Cayman
• Original Assignee: Aspect Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Hollatz, Mike, Peters, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): DEANE JR, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US11/124,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20060251236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501-26514, 37926601-2661, 379/309, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/265.01
• 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 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• 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

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for routing a SIP INVITE by a contact distributor that provides contact distribution services to a plurality of independent contact distribution services tenants. The method includes the steps of routing the SIP INVITE to a SIP proxy server of the contact distributor, the SIP proxy server identifying a tenant associated with the SIP INVITE of the plurality of independent contact distribution services tenants and the SIP proxy server routing the SIP INVITE to a resource of the contact distributor based upon the identified tenant.

Claims

1. A method of routing a SIP INVITE by a single contact distributor that provides contact distribution services to each of a plurality of independent contact distribution services tenants who have subscribed with the contact distributor for client support services, such method comprising the steps of:

routing the SIP INVITE to a SIP proxy server of the contact distributor;

the SIP proxy obtaining information about the SIP INVITE from a header of the SIP INVITE including tenant identifying information;

the SIP proxy server identifying a tenant uniquely associated with the SIP INVITE of the plurality of independent contact distribution services tenants by searching a routing table, the table having a SIP Address of Record field and an associated destination field containing a destination address associated with one of the plurality of tenants, for an Address of Record that matches the SIP INVITE tenant identifying information; and

the SIP proxy server routing the SIP INVITE to a destination resource of the contact distributor based upon the identified tenant and the associated destination field.

2. The method of routing a SIP INVITE as in claim 1 wherein the step of identifying the tenant further comprises matching a field of the SIP INVITE with a content of a lookup table based upon at least one of source information and destination information within the SIP INVITE header.

3. The method of routing a contact as in claim 1 wherein the destination resource is a proxy server which identifies a sub tenant destination address associated with the identified tenant and which routes the SIP INVITE thereto.

4. The method of routing a contact as in claim 3 wherein the step of identifying the tenant further comprises comparing an addressee field of the SIP INVITE with a group of addresses assigned to the tenant and determining that the addressee field of the SIP INVITE is included within the group.

5. The method of routing a contact as in claim 1 wherein the step of routing the SIP INVITE to the resource of the contact distributor further comprises routing the SIP INVITE to an agent of the contact distributor.

6. The method of routing a contact as in claim 1 wherein the step of routing the SIP INVITE to the resource of the contact distributor further comprises routing the SIP INVITE to an automatic voice response unit of the contact distributor.

7. The method of routing a contact as in claim 1 wherein the step of routing the SIP INVITE to a resource of the contact distributor further comprises routing the SIP INVITE to a sub-tenant proxy server of the contact server user.

8. The method of routing a contact as in claim 7 further comprising determining a contact type within the sub-tenant server.

9. The method of routing a contact as in claim 8 wherein the step of determining a contact type within the sub-tenant server further comprises matching a field of a SIP INVITE with an entry of a sub-tenant lookup table.

10. The method of routing a contact as in claim 8 wherein the step of matching a field of a SIP INVITE with an entry of a sub-tenant lookup table further comprises matching a addressee field of the SIP INVITE with entries of the sub-tenant lookup table.

11. The method of routing a contact as in claim 8 wherein the step of matching a field of a SIP INVITE with an entry of a sub-tenant lookup table further comprises matching a source field of the SIP INVITE with entries of the sub-tenant lookup table.

12. An apparatus for routing a SIP INVITE within a contact distributor that provides contact distribution services to each of a plurality of independent contact distribution services tenants who have subscribed with the contact distributor for client support services, such apparatus comprising:

means for routing the SIP INVITE to a SIP proxy server of the contact distributor;

means within the SIP proxy server for obtaining source information about the SIP INVITE source from a header of the SIP INVITE including tenant identifying information;

means within the SIP proxy server for identifying a tenant uniquely associated with the SIP INVITE of the plurality of independent contact distribution services tenants by searching a routing table, the table having a SIP Address of Record field and an associated destination field for each record, for an address of record that matches the source SIP INVITE tenant identifying information; and

means within the SIP proxy server for routing the SIP INVITE to a destination resource of the contact distributor based upon the identified tenant and the associated destination field.

13. The apparatus for routing a SIP INVITE as in claim 12 wherein the means for identifying the tenant further comprises means for matching a field of the SIP INVITE with a content of a lookup table.

14. The apparatus for routing a contact as in claim 13 wherein each tenant of the plurality of tenants has a different address of record, and wherein the destination resource is a proxy server which identifies a sub-tenant destination address associated with the identified tenant and which routes the SIP INVITE thereto.

15. The apparatus for routing a contact as in claim 14 wherein the means for identifying the tenant further comprises means for comparing an addressee field of the SIP INVITE with a group of addresses assigned to the tenant and determining that the addressee field of the SIP INVITE is included within the group.

16. The apparatus for routing a contact as in claim 12 wherein means for of routing the SIP INVITE to the resource of the contact distributor further comprises means for routing the SIP INVITE to an agent of the contact distributor.

17. The apparatus for routing a contact as in claim 12 wherein the means for routing the SIP INVITE to the resource of the contact distributor further comprises means for routing the SIP INVITE to an automatic voice response unit of the contact distributor.

18. The apparatus for routing a contact as in claim 12 wherein the means for routing the SIP INVITE to a resource of the contact distributor further comprises means for routing the SIP INVITE to a sub-tenant proxy server of the contact server user.

19. The apparatus for routing a contact as in claim 18 further comprising means for determining a contact type within the sub-tenant server.

20. The apparatus for routing a contact as in claim 19 wherein the means for determining a contact type within the sub-tenant server further comprises means for matching a field of a SIP INVITE with an entry of a sub-tenant lookup table.

21. The apparatus for routing a contact as in claim 19 wherein the means for matching a field of a SIP INVITE with an entry of a sub-tenant lookup table further comprises means for matching a addressee field of the SIP INVITE with entries of the sub-tenant lookup table.

22. The apparatus for routing a contact as in claim 19 wherein the means for matching a field of a SIP INVITE with an entry of a sub-tenant lookup table further comprises means for matching a source field of the SIP INVITE with entries of the sub-tenant lookup table.

23. An apparatus for routing a SIP INVITE within a contact distributor that provides contact distribution services to each of a plurality of independent contact distribution services tenants who have subscribed with the contact distributor for client services, such apparatus comprising:

a SIP proxy server that obtains information about the SIP INVITE from a header of the SIP INVITE including tenant identifying information that uniquely identifies a tenant associated with the SIP INVITE of the plurality of independent contact distribution services tenants; and

a lookup table within the SIP proxy server, having a SIP Address of Record field and an associated destination field associated with the of the plurality of tenants, and tenant field identifying the associated tenant, for matching the obtained SIP INVITE tenant identifying information with an Address of Record and for routing the SIP INVITE to a destination resource of the contact distributor based upon the identified tenant and the destination field associated with the matched Address of Record.

24. The apparatus for routing a SIP INVITE as in claim 23 wherein the lookup table further comprises a first entry having a first field with an address of record that contains a communication system address associated with the tenant.

25. The apparatus for routing a SIP INVITE as in claim 24 wherein the first entry further comprises a second field with a Universal Resource Indicator of a destination for the SIP INVITE.

26. The apparatus for routing a SIP INVITE as in claim 25 wherein the destination Universal Resource Indicator of first entry further comprises a second entry within the lookup table.

27. The apparatus for routing a SIP INVITE as in claim 24 wherein the second entry further comprises a first field with a call type identifier that matches a characteristic of the SIP INVITE.

28. The apparatus for routing a SIP INVITE as in claim 24 wherein the second entry further comprises a second field with a Universal Resource Indicator of a User Agent of the resource.

29. The apparatus for routing a SIP INVITE as in claim 28 wherein the User Agent further comprises an application within a terminal of an agent of the contact distributor.

30. The apparatus for routing a SIP INVITE as in claim 28 wherein the User Agent further comprises an application within an Interactive Voice Response unit of the contact distributor.

31. A method of routing a contact within a contact services provider that provides contact services to each of a plurality of independent contact service users, such method comprising the steps of:

routing the contact to a SIP proxy server, the contact having a SIP INVITE including a header with information about the SIP INVITE including contact service user identifying information;

detecting a type of the contact that is to be directed to a contact service user of the plurality of contact service users within the proxy server based upon a content of the contact by searching a routing table, the routing table having a SIP Address of Record field and an associated destination field and an associated contact type indicator, for an Address of Record that matches the SIP INVITE contact service user information and determining the contact type based on the associated contact type indicator; and

routing the contact based upon the detected type of contact.