Automatic call distribution server for computer telephony communications

• US 5,999,965 A
• Filed: 08/19/1997
• Issued: 12/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Net2Phone, Inc. (IDT Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NetSpeak Corporation (IDT Corporation)
• Inventors: Kelly, Keith C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Application Number:
  US08/914,714
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 364/DIG. 1 MS File, 364/DIG. 2 MS File, 709/200, 709/201, 709/202, 709/218, 709/219, 709/220, 709/226, 709/229, 709/231, 709/232, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

An automatic call distribution system capable of receiving incoming calls originating on either circuit-switched or packet-switched networks utilizes an automatic call distribution (ACD) server for receiving and routing incoming calls and a control center module for dynamically configuring a plurality of agent processes to which the incoming calls may be transferred. The agent processes, control center and ACD server may be separated geographically, but operatively coupled via a computer network. The incoming calls contain user information which enables calls to be routed by the ACD server according to a plurality of different criteria. A graphic user interface enables a system user to dynamically monitor the status of agent processes and reconfigure both queues and the agent processes associated with a queue in response to call loads and agent resource availability.

Claims

1. In an automatic call distribution system, a method of distributing incoming communications over a packet-switched data network, the method comprising the steps of:

A. determining the online status of at least one agent process;

B. defining at least one queue into which incoming communications over the packet-switched network may be placed, each incoming communication containing user information identifying the process from which the communication originated;

C. selectively associating agent processes with the queue in accordance with predetermined criteria;

D. selectively assigning incoming communications to one of the queues in accordance with predetermined criteria;

E. selectively transferring an incoming communication from a queue to one of the agent processes associated with the queue.

2. A computer program product for use with a computer system, the computer system operatively coupled to a computer network and capable of communicating with one or more processes over the network, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having program code embodied in the medium for distributing communications to one or more agent processes, the program code comprising:

A. program code means configured to determine the presence of at least one agent process operatively coupled to the computer system;

B. program code for defining within the computer system memory a queue, the queue having a plurality of entries, each capable of retaining information associated with an incoming communication;

C. program code, responsive to the agent processes currently online for enabling association of agent processes with the queue in accordance with a predetermined criteria;

D. program code, responsive to incoming communications to the computer system for selectively associating an incoming communication with the queue in memory; and

E. program code, responsive to the incoming communications retained in queue and the association of agent processes with the queue, for selectively transferring an incoming communication to an agent process associated with the queue in which the incoming communication user information resides.

3. An automatic call distribution system for use with a packet-switched data network comprising:

A. a plurality of agent processes operatively coupled to the network

B. an automatic call distribution server operatively coupled to the network, the automatic call distribution server maintaining in a memory thereof a list containing information associated with selected of the agent processes and a list containing information associated with incoming communications; and

C. a control center process operatively coupled to the automatic call distribution server, the control center process further comprising a graphic user interface for visually displaying and modifying the information within lists maintained in the automatic call distribution server memory.