Limiting contact in a networked contact center environment

• US 9,294,625 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2014
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Inventors: Townsend, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Asanbayev, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US14/496,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20150023492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.01, 379/266.07, 379/265.02, 379/266.05
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8027 based on network load situation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/12 Counting circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• 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 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]

Abstract

This document discusses, among other things, limiting contact to a networked contact center that is a host to multiple tenants. In an example embodiment, a communication is received by a networked contact center. In determining whether to allow the communication to reach contact center resources, a contact rate value may be examined. The contact rate value may represent an allowable quantity of contact within a time interval. For some example embodiments, a determination of whether the network contact center is to accept or reject the communication is made based on the contact rate value.

Claims

1. A networked contact center that hosts a plurality of tenants, the networked contact center comprising:

an interface circuit configured and arranged to receive a communication associated with a tenant of the plurality of tenants, the communication including a voice communication, a chat communication, an email communication, or a combination thereof; and

a limiter circuit communicatively coupled with a database which includes circuitry, the limiter circuit being configured and arranged to;

receive the communication via the interface circuit;

responsive to receiving the communication, access the database to examine a first contact rate value associated with the tenant, the first contact rate value representing a quantity of contact within a first time interval;

determine whether the networked contact center is to accept the communication based on the first contact rate value and on a plurality of contact parameters with information indicative of whether one or more calls is allowed to be routed to a plurality of communication layers within the first time interval, wherein the plurality of communication layers includes at least two of a dialed number identification service layer, a tenant layer, a platform layer, a cluster layer, a site layer and a carrier layer;

access to the database to examine a plurality of the contact rate values and contact parameters associated with the communication to determine whether the networked contact center is to reject the communication; and

in response to a determination by the limiter circuit to reject the communication, generate a message for reception by a source of the communication to indicate the determination to reject the communication, wherein the source is a computer-based terminal in the network and the networked contact center is configured to send data corresponding to the message to the source.

2. The networked contact center of claim 1, wherein

each of the contact parameters represents a quantity of contact within the first time interval.

3. The networked contact center of claim 2, wherein the plurality of contact parameters include a specific number of calls allowed to be routed to said one or more communication layers within the first time interval.

4. The networked contact center of claim 1, wherein the limiter circuit is communicatively coupled with a decrementer and an incrementer, and wherein the limiter is configured and arranged to determine that the networked contact center is to accept the communication, and wherein based on the acceptance of the communication the decrementer is configured and arranged to decrement the first contact rate value, and the incrementer is configured and arranged to increment the first contact rate value based on a second time interval.

5. The networked contact center of claim 4, wherein the limiter circuit is configured and arranged to accept the communication based on a first contact parameter being greater than a specific threshold.

6. The networked contact center of claim 5, wherein the decrementer is configured and arranged to decrement the first contact parameter by one unit.

7. The networked contact center of claim 5, wherein the incrementer is configured and arranged to increment the first contact parameter by a number of units that is based on a percentage of a maximum parameter that the networked contact center may accept in a specific quantity of time.

8. The networked contact center of claim 5, wherein the first and second time interval include an equal number of seconds.

9. The networked contact center of claim 1, wherein the limiter circuit is further configured and arranged to:

determine that the networked contact center is to reject the communication; and

reject the communication, based on the determination.

10. The networked contact center of claim 1, wherein the limiter circuit is configured and arranged to reject the communication based on generating a session initiation protocol (SIP) message, wherein the SIP message depends on whether the communication includes a communication identification that is recognized.