Method of allocating data communication sessions based upon user information

• US 7,917,623 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2002
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Cayman
• Original Assignee: Aspect Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Shambaugh, Craig R., Ball, Marshall, Hollatz, Michael C., Dezonno, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt; Yves
• Application Number:
  US10/037,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20030126206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,372 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/206, 709/220, 707/6, 713/176
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for establishing communication sessions through the Internet. The method includes the steps of receiving a request from an Internet requester by a website for a communication session with an agent of the website, analyzing browser associated information relating to the request and selecting an agent for the communication session based upon a content of the analyzed browser associated information.

Claims

1. A method of establishing communication sessions through the Internet, such method comprising:

receiving a request from a browser of an Internet requester currently accessing a website of an organization via the browser, the request activated by the requester without entry by the requester of requester identification and location and forwarded to the organization by the browser to request a communication session with a human agent of the website;

automatically recovering and analyzing browser associated information not entered by the requester relating to the request, without prompting the requestor for requester identification and location, prior to human agent assignment from the browser request by using a processor, wherein the browser associated information includes information delivered with the request, router information retrieved based upon a URL of the browser and information retrieved from the browser about other communications sessions, and wherein the step of analyzing browser associated information further comprises automatically retrieving a list of router identifiers defining a path from the Internet requester to the website; and

selecting a human agent for the communication session automatically based upon a content of the analyzed browser associated information.

2. The method of establishing communication sessions as in claim 1 further comprising identifying a locale of an IP packet router in a closest relative location to the requester and selecting the human agent based on proximity of the human agent to the requestor using the identified locale as the closet relative location to the requestor.

3. The method of establishing communication sessions as in claim 2 wherein the step of selecting the agent further comprises identifying the identified locale of the closest relative router by identifying packet switches through which the request passed from the requester to the website and determining an identifier of a first router that the request passed through from the requester.

4. The method of establishing communication sessions as in claim 2 wherein the step of analyzing browser associated information further comprises determining an organizational affiliation of the requester from the identified locale and a domain name of the request, and selecting the human agent based on the determined organizational affiliation.

5. The method of establishing communication sessions as in claim 4 wherein the step of selecting an agent further comprises retrieving a list of agents qualified to service communication sessions with the determined organization.

6. The method of establishing communication sessions as in claim 5 further comprising transferring a URL of the requester to the selected agent.

7. The method of establishing communication sessions as in claim 1 further comprising making available to the website a set of requestor designated shared files, related to communication activity of the requester and not including cookies, generated by a browser of the requester when the website identifies itself as being part of an associated file sharing network, and using the shared file to determine and control agent selection.

8. The method of establishing communication sessions as in claim 7 further comprising detecting a set of file extension of the shared files, comparing the file extensions with a communications capability index and using the file extension to retrieve a specific set of communication capabilities that the human agent needs to effectively communicate with the requester.

9. The method of establishing communication sessions as in claim 8 further comprising comparing the file extensions with a communications capability index.

10. The method of establishing communication sessions as in claim 9 wherein the step of selecting the agent further comprises searching for an agent with a communication capability index substantially equal to the requester.

11. The method of establishing communication sessions as in claim 7 further comprising accessing requester contact lists containing URL'"'"'s to web pages of competitors among the shared files, detecting a URL of a competitor including an identifier of a webpage of a specific product of the competitor, and selecting the agent based on the specific product.

12. The method of establishing communication sessions as in claim 1 wherein the website retrieves cookies left by competitors in the browser of the requestor and the agent is selected based upon the agents familiarity with products of the competitor determined from the retrieved cookies.

13. The method of establishing communication sessions as in claim 1 further comprising comparing a domain name of a URL of the requester with a list of domain names and locations of known customers and detecting any matching customers and locations, and wherein the step of selecting the agent further comprises searching for an agent with knowledge of any problems associated with matched customers and locations.

14. An apparatus for of establishing communication sessions through the Internet, such apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a request from a browser of an Internet requester currently accessing a website, the request activated by the requester without entry by the requestor of requester identification or location and forwarded to the website by the browser to the request a communication session with a human agent of the website;

means for analyzing browser associated information relating to the request, prior to an agent assignment, to identify a location of the requester without requesting entry of the requester identification or location wherein the browser associated information includes information delivered with the request, router information retrieved based upon a URL of the browser and information retrieved from the browser about other communications sessions, and wherein the means for analyzing browser associated information automatically retrieves a list of router identifiers defining a path from the Internet requester to the website; and

means for automatically selecting a human agent for the communication session prior to establishing the communication session based upon a content of the analyzed browser associated information and the location.

15. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 14 further comprising means for identifying a locale of an IP packet router in a closest relative location to the requester by determining a router identifier of a first router that the request passed through from the requester from the list of router identifiers.

16. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 15 wherein the means for selecting the agent further comprises means for identifying an agent in the identified locale of the closest relative router.

17. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 16 wherein the means for analyzing browser associated information further comprises means for determining an organizational affiliation of the requester from a domain name of the request.

18. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 17 wherein the means for selecting an agent further comprises means for retrieving a list of agents qualified to service communication sessions with the determined organization.

19. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 18 further comprising means for transferring a URL of the requester to the selected agent.

20. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 14 further comprising means at the website for retrieving a set of requester designated shared files related to communication activity of the requester and not including cookies, and generated by the browser of the requester when the website identifies itself as being part of an associated file sharing network and for using the shared files to determine and control agent selection.

21. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 20 further comprising means for detecting a set of file extensions of the shared files and for comparing the file extensions with a communications capability index and using the file extensions to retrieve a specific set of communications capabilities that the human agent needs to effectively communicate with the requester.

22. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 21 wherein the means for selecting the agent further comprises means for searching for an agent with a communication capability index substantially equal to the requester.

23. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 20 further comprising means for accessing requester contact lists containing URL'"'"'s to web pages of competitors among the shared filed, and for detecting a URL of a competitor from the contact lists.

24. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 23 wherein the URL of the competitor further comprises an identifier of a webpage of a specific product of the competitor and further comprising means for searching for an agent with knowledge of the specific product.

25. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 14 wherein the means for analyzing comprises means for determining a location of the requester and wherein the means for selecting further comprises means for selecting a human agent closest to the location of the requester.

26. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 14 further comprising means for comparing a domain name of a URL of the requester with a list of domain names and locations of known customers and detecting a matching customer, and wherein the means for selecting the agent further comprises means for searching for an agent with knowledge of any problem associated with the matching customer.

27. An apparatus for of establishing communication sessions through the Internet, such apparatus comprising:

a website adapted to receive a request from a browser of an Internet requester accessing the website, the request activated by the requester without entry by requestor of requester identification or location and forwarded to the website by the browser requesting a communication session with a human agent of the website;

a packet analyzer adapted to automatically analyze browser associated information relating to the request prior to an agent assignment without entry by the requestor of requester identification or location, wherein the browser associated information comprises at least one of information not entered by the requester delivered to a server along with the request from the browser, router information retrieved by the server based upon a URL of the browser, and information retrieved by the server from the browser about communication sessions with other servers, and a list of router identifiers defining a path from the internet requester to the website; and

an agent selection application adapted to automatically select a human agent for the communication session based upon a content including at least location information determined from the analyzed browser associated information.

28. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 27 wherein the packet processor further comprises a TRACEROUTE application adapted to automatically retrieve the list of router identifiers defining a path from the Internet requester to the website.

29. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 28 wherein the packet processor further comprises an agent selection application adapted to identify an agent in the identified locale of the closest relative router.

30. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 29 wherein the agent selection application further comprises an agent lookup table adapted to retrieve a list of agents in the identified locale of the closest relative router.

31. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 29 further comprising a communication processor adapted to transfer a URL of the requester to the selected agent.

32. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 27 wherein the browser associated information further comprises a set of shared files related to communication activity of the requester and generated by the browser of the requester made available to the website from a browser of the requester when the website identifies itself as being part of an associated file sharing network.

33. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 32 wherein the set of shared files further comprises a set of file extensions of the shared files.

34. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 33 further comprising a file analyzer adapted to comparing the file extensions with a communications capability index.

35. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 34 wherein the file analyzer further comprises a communication capability index.

36. The apparatus for establishing communication sessions as in claim 32 wherein the set of shared files further comprises a cookie left by another server.