Systems and methods for selection of a communication path

• US 8,204,206 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Inventors: Townsend, Robert, Southwick, Richard, Salame, Mansour
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, QUYNH H
• Application Number:
  US12/201,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20100054448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501-26502, 379/265.09, 379/220.01, 379/221.08
• US Class Current: 379/265.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems

Abstract

Embodiments of systems for selecting a communication path related to a networked contact center comprise a communication module configurable to receive data indicating that a customer of a tenant is seeking to initiate a communication with the tenant, and a path selection module configurable to register a first location, the first location being a geographical location of an agent associated with the tenant, determine a second location, the second location being a geographical location of the customer of the tenant, and based on the first location and the second location, establish the communication between the agent and the customer using a communication path having low communication latency.

Claims

1. A system for selecting a communication path related to a networked contact center, the system comprising:

a communication module configurable to receive data that includes control data facilitated by a signaling protocol and that indicates that a customer of a tenant is seeking to initiate a communication with the tenant; and

a path selection module configurable to;

register a first location, the first location being a geographical location of an agent associated with the tenant,

determine a second location, the second location being a geographical location of the customer of the tenant, and

based on the first location and the second location, establish the communication between the agent and the customer by selecting a communication path having low communication latency as a function of the first location and the second location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication module is further configurable to establish the communication between the customer and the agent.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the path selection module is further configurable to capture data communication between the customer and the agent.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the signaling protocol is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data indicating that a customer of a tenant is seeking to initiate a communication with the tenant is received at least two proxy servers.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least two proxy servers are configurable to maintain duplicate queues based on a global queue.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control data is received via a Real-time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP).

8. The system of claim 1, wherein media data is received via a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP).

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication is received via a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

10. A computer-implemented method for selection of a communication path related to a networked contact center, the method comprising:

registering a first location, the first location being a geographical location of an agent associated with a tenant;

receiving data, that includes control data facilitated by a signaling protocol and that indicates that a customer is seeking to initiate a communication concerning the tenant;

determining a second location, the second location being a geographical location of the customer of the tenant; and

based on the first location and the second location, establishing a communication between the agent and the customer by selecting a communication path having low communication latency as a function of the first location and the second location.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising capturing of data communication between the customer and the agent.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the registering includes uploading information related to the agent to at least one proxy server.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the data indicating that the customer is seeking to initiate the communication is received at a centralized location.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the communication between the agent and the customer is established such that the latency is less than a predetermined value.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising determining that the data indicating that a customer is seeking to initiate a communication concerning the tenant is based on a telephone number dialed by the customer.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the determining is facilitated by a Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS).

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising determining of the second location based on a telephone number dialed by the customer to initiate the communication.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the determining is facilitated by an Automatic Number Identification (ANI).

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which when implemented by one or more processors, perform the following operations:

register a first location, the first location being a geographical location of an agent associated with a tenant;

receive data that includes control data facilitated by a signaling protocol and that indicates that a customer is seeking to initiate a communication concerning the tenant;

determine a second location, the second location being a geographical location of the customer of the tenant; and

based on the first location and the second location, establish a communication between the agent and the customer by selecting a communication path having low communication latency as a function of the first location and the second location.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, which when implemented by one or more processors, performs a further operation of capturing the communication between the customer and the agent.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the registering includes uploading information related to the agent to at least one proxy server.

22. A computer-implemented apparatus for selection of a path in media communications related to a networked contact center, said apparatus comprising:

means for registering a first location, the first location being a geographical location of an agent associated with a tenant;

means for receiving data that includes control data facilitated by a signaling protocol and that indicates that a customer is seeking to initiate a communication concerning the tenant;

means for determining a second location, the second location being a geographical location of the customer of the tenant; and

means for establish a communication between the agent and the customer using a communication path having low communication latency and selected based on the first location and the second location.

23. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 22, wherein the signaling protocol is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).