Method and apparatus for rules-based storage and retrieval of multimedia interactions within a communication center

• US 6,230,197 B1
• Filed: 09/11/1998
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• 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: Beck, Christopher Clemmentt Macleod, Mitchell, Robin Marie, Sidell, Mark Franklin, Powers, James Karl, Johnstone, Joel A, Knuff, Charles Dazler, Berke, Jonathan Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Prieto, Beatriz
• Application Number:
  US09/151,429
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/212, 709/216, 709/217, 709/219, 709/226, 709/223, 379/265, 379/201, 379/309, 379/4, 379/5, 379/27, 379/34, 379/211, 379/220, 379/224, 379/267, 379/279, 379/68, 379/24, 379/112, 379/266, 379/114, 379/133, 455/403, 706/45, 370/352, 707/1, 707/2, 705/39
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• 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 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5125 with remote located operators
• 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 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A multimedia call center includes facility for storing copies of transactions associated with the call center in a data repository, relating the transactions according to specific criteria, and an interactive interface for a user to access the files from a graphic string of identifiers representing the files, and to play the files, thereby reviewing the actual transactions. In a preferred embodiment text versions of non-text events may be prepared and related to the non-text stored files in a manner that the related text files may also be selected and reviewed by use of the same interactive interface. By data extraction applied to the text files, the text files and the non-text files associated with some text files may be related to one another by relational criteria, and other informational files may also be related to the stored event files.

Claims

1. A system for routing recordings of multimedia—

communication events, including audio, visual image, and text events, in a multimedia-capable call center, and making the recorded events available to users, comprising;

a data repository adapted to store the recorded events;

recording systems for recording the communication events;

a system for preparing text versions of non-text events, and for storing the text versions in the data repository related to the non-text versions;

a system for relating the recorded events in one or more serial strings according to relational criteria; and

an interactive display interface for displaying identifiers of the recorded events, the identifiers arranged in a serial string according to the relational criteria;

wherein a user receives notification of an incoming non-text event and a text version of the non-text event is mirrored and routed to the agent along with notification of the incoming event and a user, by selecting individual ones of the identifiers, may replay individual ones of the recorded events.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the identifiers comprise icons displayed on a computer video monitor, the icons arranged in a serial string.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a data extraction facility for deriving information from text files, including the text versions of non-text files.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising a facility for relating informational files to text files, and therefore to non-text files associated with text files, wherein the informational files may also be accessed by the interactive display interface along with the recorded events and text versions of recorded events.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the relational criteria include one or more of chronology, participants in an event, organizational affiliation, and single issue relationship.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein all communication events involving the call center are copied, related and stored.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein a text version of every non-text event is prepared, related and stored.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein events include one or more of e-mails, video-mails, faxes, file share, file transfers, video calls, chat sessions, DNT calls, COST calls, and voice mails.

9. A method for receiving and routing multimedia communication events in a multimedia-capable call center, and making recordings of the events available to users, comprising steps of;

(a) storing both text-based and non-text-based events involving the call center in a data repository;

(b) preparing a text version of non-text communication events;

(c) storing the text versions in the data repository related to the non-text versions;

(d) receiving notification of an incoming non-text event by the user and the text-based version of the non-text event is mirrored and routed to the agent along with notification of the incoming event;

(e) relating the stored files in one or more serial strings according to relational criteria; and

(f) providing an interactive display interface on a computer video monitor, the interface adapted for displaying identifiers of the stored files, the identifiers arranged in a serial string according to the relational criteria, wherein the user, after receiving notification of the event along with the text version of non-text events selects identifiers, playing individual ones of the stored files, thereby reviewing the recorded events.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein in step (c) the identifiers comprise icons displayed on the computer video monitor, the icons arranged in a serial string.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising a step for extracting information from text files, including the text versions of non-text files.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising a step for relating informational files to text files, and therefore to non-text files associated with text files, wherein the informational files may also be accessed by the interactive display interface along with the recorded events and text versions of recorded events.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the relational criteria include one or more of chronology, participants in an event, organizational affiliation, and single issue relationship.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein, in step (a) all communication events involving the call center are copied, related and stored.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein a text version of every non-text event is prepared, related and stored.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein events include one or more of e-mails, video-mails, faxes, file share, file transfers, video calls, chat sessions, DNT calls, COST calls, and voice mails.