Uniform control of mixed platforms in telephony

• US 5,970,065 A
• Filed: 10/10/1997
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Miloslavsky, Alec
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, HUY DUY
• Application Number:
  US08/948,554
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/466, 370/467, 370/401, 370/402, 379/93.23, 379/93.01, 379/88.17, 379/90.01, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/93.05
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/64 Hybrid switching systems
• 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: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/12 Marking faulty circuits "busy"; Enabling equipment to disengage itself from faulty circuits ; Using redundant circuits; Response of a circuit, apparatus or system to an error
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/367 Traffic or load control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• 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 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5236 Sequential or circular distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 : Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 : with waiting time or load prediction arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 : Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 : Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 : Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/00 : Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• 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 2213/13103 : Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 : Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 : Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13164 : Traffic (registration, measurement,...)
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13174 : Data transmission, file transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 : PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 : Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 : Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 : involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/64 : Distributing or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 : Traffic distributors

Abstract

A system for routing Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) calls has a default router connected to a wide area network (WAN) for receiving and routing the calls, the default router having a set of default routing rules, and an intelligent router coupled to the default router. The default router, upon receiving a call, requests routing from the intelligent router, and routes by a returned instruction within a predetermined time. If there is no returned instruction in the predetermined time, the default router routes the call by the default routing rules. In a preferred embodiment the intelligent router is a router performing for a particular organization, such as a commercial entity, and may have access to a company database. In some embodiments routing destinations are call centers on premises of the particular organization or company, and the call centers may each be managed by a managing processor connected to the WAN, which may be the Internet.

Claims

1. An Internet Protocol Network Telephony system, comprising:

a default routing processor adapted to route IPNT calls by a set of default rules, the default routing processor connected to a wide area network (WAN) for receiving and sending IPNT calls;

a remote computer also connected to the WAN and adapted for receiving and processing IPNT calls from the default routing processor; and

an intelligent router coupled to the default routing processor;

wherein the default routing processor consults the intelligent router for routing of incoming calls within a pre-determined time, and resorts to its default routing if the intelligent router fails to respond within the pre-determined time.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the intelligent router executes on a dedicated processor maintained by an organization, and the intelligent router has access to an organization database.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a system of organization-operated IPNT call centers each comprising a managing processor connected on a local area network (LAN) to a plurality of computer-equipped operator workstations.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein one or more of the call centers comprise conventional telephony switches having a plurality of telephones connected by station-side ports to telephones at the operator workstations.

5. A method for routing Internet Protocol Network Telephony calls in a wide area network (WAN), comprising steps of:

(a) receiving a call at a default routing processor having default routing rules;

(b) requesting routing from an associated intelligent router;

(c) routing the call by instruction from the intelligent router if the instruction is received within a predetermined time; and

(d) routing the call by the default routing protocol if no instruction is returned from the intelligent router within the predetermined time.