Telephony intelligence in a data packet network

• US 20040179516A1
• Filed: 03/29/2004
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Igor Neyman
• Original Assignee: Igor Neyman
• Inventors: Neyman, Igor
• Granted Patent: US 7,415,009 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4604 LAN interconnection over a backbone network, e.g. Internet, Frame Relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

A packet-data network is made intelligent in the sense of a connection-oriented, switched telephony (COST) network by enhancing one or more interconnected IP routers in the network with computer-telephony integration (CTI) processors executing CTI applications. No-charge-to-calling-party IP addresses are assigned and sponsored by various enterprises, who may also maintain call centers having at least one CTI-enhanced IP router connected to the network, and agent stations having IP telephones connected to the call-center-located IP router. With appropriate software and the CTI link to IP routers the performance of well-known conventional telephone systems may be provided in packet networks like the Internet.

Claims

1. An intelligent data-network telephony (DNT) packet-data network, comprising:

a first IP Router connected to the packet-data network;

a computer-telephony integration (CTI) server connected to the first IP router by a dedicated data link enabling monitoring of transactions at the IP Router and manipulation of IP Router functions; and

telephony applications executing on the CTI Server;

wherein the executing applications provide a Service Control Point (SCP) for preprocessing and further routing of incoming DNT calls at the first P Router.

2. The intelligent DNT network of claim 1 further comprising a DNT-capable Interactive Voice response (IVR) unit connected to the first IP Router, wherein the SCP connects the callers on the incoming DNT calls to the IVR, which elicits information from the callers, and the SCP uses the elicited information to further route the calls.

3. The intelligent DNT network of claim 2 further comprising a protocol-translating bridge connected on the network and to a dedicated-connection telephony network, wherein calls after IVR processing, based on the elicited information, are routed over the bridge and into the dedicated-connection network.

4. The intelligent DNT network of claim 1 wherein the DNT network is the Internet.

5. The intelligent DNT network of claim 3 wherein the dedicated-connection network is a publicly-switched telephony network.

6. The intelligent DNT network of claim 1 comprising multiple instances of IP routers enhanced by CTI servers executing CTI applications, providing thereby intelligent routing of DNT calls at multiple points and levels.

7. The intelligent DNT network of claim 1 wherein at least one call center is implemented at a customer premise, the call center comprising a second IP router enhanced by a CTI processor, the second IP router connected to the DNT network and to plural agent stations each having an IP-capable telephone coupled to the IP router;

wherein a call routed by the SCP to the second IP router may be further routed by action of the CTI processor to an agent at a selected one of the agent stations.

8. The intelligent DNT network of claim 7 wherein the IP-capable telephones are implemented on computer stations having video display units (PC/VDUs) at the agent stations, and wherein the PC/VDUs are coupled to the second IP router and to the CTI processor by a local area network (LAN).

9. A method for transforming a packet data network having interconnected IP routers into an intelligent telephone network, comprising steps of:

(a) enhancing IP routers in the network by connecting a computer-telephony integration (CTI) server to one or more of the IP routers; and

(b) monitoring activities, including calls received, at the enhanced IP routers; and

(c) executing CTI applications on the CTI servers and commanding functions, including routing of calls received by the enhanced IP routers, based on the activities monitored.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising a step for assigning IP addresses for one or more enhanced IP routers as no-charge-to-calling-party destinations, and rerouting calls by the CTI processor based upon association of the no-charge-to-calling-party IP addresses with IP addresses of enterprises sponsoring the no-charge-to-calling-party IP addresses.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein one or more enterprises each maintain a call center comprising a CTI-enhanced IP router connected to IP-capable telephones at agent stations, and comprising a step for further routing a call routed to one of the call centers to an IP-capable telephone at the agent station.