System and method for bulk data messaging

• US 8,539,034 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2004
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Cayman
• Original Assignee: Aspect Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Dezonno, Anthony J.
• Primary Examiner(s): JAKOVAC, RYAN J
• Application Number:
  US10/902,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,337 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

A system and method can broadcast a plurality of instant messages, at substantially the same time, via a computer network to a plurality of recipients. The recipients can respond via the network to a human or an automated agent. A predetermined reply message can be sent if all agents are busy.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a target group of a plurality of recipients;

establishing a substantially common message to be transmitted via a computer network to at least an on-line portion of the target group;

determining which members of the target group are on-line by initially communicating to each respective member of the target group prior to sending an instant message to the respective member and placing into a queue identification information but not the message of each of those respective members of the target group not found to be on-line; and

transmitting sequentially the common message as an instant message by bulk message broadcast via the computer network only to each respective on-line member of the target group upon determining that the respective member is on-line, including monitoring available bandwidth while transmitting to maximize use of data bandwidth by adjusting for each message transmission a preset counter programmed to calculate an amount of data bandwidth that has been used during a period and used to determine whether to transmit each message; and

receiving an instant message response from a recipient of the common instant message, attempting to select a human agent and forwarding the response to a selected human agent if a human agent is available, and establishing a communication between the agent and the recipient, and if no human agent is available, attempting to select an automated agent and then forwarding a pre-stored message to the recipient if no automated agent is available.

2. A method as in claim 1 further comprising essentially immediately communicating with a recipient of the common instant message in response to receiving an instant message response from the recipient.

3. A method as in claim 1 which includes sensing the instant message response received from a recipient of the common instant message.

4. A method as in claim 3 which includes forwarding the response to the agent selected from a group of agents connected to a proxy and establishing a direct connection between the agent and the recipient through a server.

5. A method as in claim 3 which includes determining availability of an agent and directly connecting the recipient to the agent without connecting through a proxy server.

6. A method as in claim 4 further comprising transmitting the common message as a bulk message broadcast through a bulk message via an Internet Service Provider initiating facility.

7. A method as in claim 4 which includes attempting to establish a subsequent time to contact the recipient for follow up if no agent is available.

8. A method as in claim 1 which includes sending one or more pre-established messages suggesting scheduling another time when an agent can be placed in communication with the recipient after determining that no human or automated agent is available.

9. A computer readable storage medium storing software, the software comprising:

first software for obtaining a plurality of identifiers of a plurality of potential recipients;

second software for retrieving a predetermined common message to be transmitted via a computer network to at least an on-line portion of the potential recipients;

third software for determining that one or more of the plurality of potential recipients has logged onto a computer network by initially communicating to each respective potential recipient prior to sending an instant message to the respective recipient, and placing into a queue the identifiers but not the common message of those potential recipients that have not logged on;

fourth software for transmitting sequentially the common message as a bulk instant message broadcast only to those potential recipients that have logged onto the network and for monitoring available bandwidth while transmitting to maximize use of data bandwidth by adjusting for each message transmitted a preset counter programmed to calculate data bandwidth that has been used to determine whether to transmit each message; and

fifth software to attempt to assign an human agent to process an instant message reply received from a recipient if a human agent is available and establish communication between the agent and the recipient, and if no human agent is available, to attempt to select an automated agent and then forward a pre-stored message to the recipient if no automated agent is available.

10. A computer readable storage medium as in claim 9 which includes software for establishing if a human agent is available to process the reply.

11. A computer readable storage medium as in claim 9 which includes software for establishing if a computer based agent is available to process the reply.

12. A computer readable storage medium as in claim 9 which includes software for forwarding a pre-established message suggesting another time to communicate in response to a reply where neither a human nor a computer based agent are available.

13. A computer readable storage medium as in claim 10 which includes software to forward the reply over the computer network to an individual human agent for processing and to establish a direct connection between the agent and the recipient.

14. A computer readable storage medium as in claim 11 which includes software to forward the reply to an available computer based agent for processing in the absence of a human agent.

15. A computer readable storage medium as in claim 10 which includes control software to maximize data bandwidth during message transmission.

16. A computer readable storage medium as in claim 15 which includes software for establishing if a computer based agent is available to process the reply;

and which includes software for forwarding a message in response to a reply where neither a human nor a computer based agent are available.

17. A computer readable storage medium as in claim 13 which includes software to forward the reply to an available computer based agent for processing in the absence of a human agent.

18. A computer readable storage medium as in claim 9 which includes software to adjust a preset counter and calculate available bandwidth.

19. A bulk message broadcasting system comprising;

at least one processor for executing pre-stored software;

a local area communications network;

a plurality of human agent computers, the computers and the processor communicate via the network;

software executable by the processor for implementing a plurality of computer based agents;

software for determining which ones of a plurality of potential recipients of a common message are on-line recipients by initially communicating from the processor to each respective potential recipient prior to sending an instant message to the respective recipient and for placing identification information, but not the message, of any potential recipients that are not on-line into a queue;

software for forwarding sequentially, via a computer network, the common message as an instant message by bulk message broadcast only to each of a plurality of on-line recipients individually as they are determined to be on-line, seeking a respective response therefrom, and for monitoring available bandwidth while transmitting to maximize use of data bandwidth by adjusting for each message forwarded a preset counter programmed to calculate data bandwidth that has been used, to determine whether to transmit each message; and

software for receiving at least one reply from an on-line recipient in response to a respective instant message, and if a human agent is available, for selecting a human agent and forwarding the reply to the selected human agent for processing and establishing a communication between the human agent and the recipient, and if no human agent is available, attempting to select an automated agent, and forwarding a pre-stored message to the recipient if no automated agent is available.

20. A system as in claim 19 which includes software for identifying a plurality of potential recipients.

21. A system as in claim 20 which includes software for establishing content of the message.

22. A system as in claim 20 which includes software for forwarding the reply to an available computer based agent in the event that a human agent is not available.

23. A system as in claim 22 which includes software for forwarding a message in response to a respective reply, that neither human nor computer based agents are available.

24. A system as in claim 23 which includes software to establish a contact time when the recipient would be available for a follow-up communication.