Arrangement for efficiently updating status information of a network call-routing system

• US 6,295,353 B1
• Filed: 10/07/1998
• Issued: 09/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: Flockhart, Andrew D., Mathews, Eugene P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Creighton
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US09/167,852
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/309, 379/221, 379/67, 379/34, 370/270
• US Class Current: 379/265.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems

Abstract

Call centers (143-145) use an event-driven scheme (207) with a filter (366) to send status updates to an associated network call-routing system (150). The filter ensures that only minimal status changes are not reported to the network call-routing system. Each call center records (310) the status values (360-365) of different splits that it last sent to the call-routing system, and sends a new status update only when a status value of a split has changed (306) by the split'"'"'s corresponding threshold amount (380-385). On the one hand, in large splits, the number of status-impacting events (such as call arrival, call serviced, call abandon, agent login/logout, etc.) is typically high, but the scale of the change in status effected by each of these events is minimal. On the other hand, in small splits, the number of status-impacting events is typically small but the scale of the change in status effected by each of these events is significant. Therefore, substantially each event at a small split with a small volume of events results in a status update being sent, whereas only a small minority of events at a large split with a high volume of events results in a status update being sent.

Claims

1. A method of updating node status information of a call router that routes calls to ones of a plurality of call processing nodes, comprising:

a call processing node sending to the call router status-update messages and not the calls to affect the call router'"'"'s routing of the calls to the ones of the nodes;

the node detecting a change in its status;

in response, the node determining whether the change in its status since a last time that a change in its status has been reported to the call router has reached a threshold amount;

in response to determining that the threshold amount has been reached, the node sending one of said status-update messages reporting the change in its status to the call router; and

in response to determining that the threshold amount has not been reached, the node forbearing from reporting the change in its status to the call router until such time as the threshold amount of change in its status is reached.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

detecting a change comprises

detecting occurrence of status-impacting event at the node, and

computing a present value of the status of the node;

determining whether the change has reached a threshold amount comprises

determining whether a difference between the present status value and a value of the status of the node last reported to the call router has reached the threshold amount;

sending one of said status-update messages comprises

sending the one of said status-update messages reporting the occurrence of the change to the call router; and

forbearing comprises

not reporting the occurrence of change to the router.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

detecting a change comprises

detecting occurrence of an event impacting the status of one of the plurality of nodes, and

computing a present value of the status of the one node;

determining whether the change has reached a threshold amount comprises

determining whether a difference between the present status value and a value of the status of the one node last reported to the call router has reached a threshold amount corresponding to the one node;

sending one of said status-update messages comprises

sending one of said status-update messages reporting the occurrence of the status change corresponding to the one node to the call router; and

forbearing comprises

not reporting the occurrence of the status change of the one node to the call router until such time as the threshold amount of status change corresponding to the one node is reached.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein

the node comprises a call center.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein

the node comprises an automatic call distribution system.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein

the node comprises a split or a skill of a call center.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein

the change in status an occurrence of any one of a plurality of events that affect whether or not the call router a call to the one.

8. An apparatus that performs the method of claim 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7.

9. A computer-readable medium containing software which, when executed in a processor, causes the processor to perform the method of claim 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7.

10. A method comprising:

a network call routing each call through a communications network to one of plurality of call processing nodes exclusive of the network call router, without intermediary of another one of the plurality of nodes;

each said node responsive to receipt of the call routed thereto, by processing said received call at said node;

the nodes communicating with the network call router by sending status-update messages and not the calls to the network call router to affect the network call router'"'"'s routing of the calls to the nodes;

one of the nodes detecting a change in its status;

in response, the one node determining whether the change in its status since a last time that a change in its status has been reported to the network call router has reached a threshold amount;

in response to determining that the threshold amount has been reached, the one node sending one of said status-update messages reporting the change in its status to the network call router; and

in response to determining that the threshold amount has not been reached, the one node forbearing from reporting the change in its status to the network call router until such time as the threshold amount of change in its status is reached.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein:

the change in status comprises an occurrence of any one of a plurality of events that affect whether or not the call router routes a call to the one node.

12. An apparatus for updating node status information of a call router that routes calls to ones of plurality of call processing nodes, comprising:

means in a call processing node for sending to the call router status-update messages and not the calls to affect the call router'"'"'s routing of the calls to the ones of the nodes;

means in the node for detecting a change in status of said node;

means in the node, responsive to detection of the change in the status, for determining whether the change in the status of said node since a last time that a change in the status of said node has been reported to the call router has reached a threshold amount;

wherein

the sending nodes respond to determination that the threshold amount has been reached by sending one of said status-update messages reporting the change in the status of said node to the call value and a value of the status of the one node last reported to the call router, and respond to a determination that the threshold amount has not been reached by forbearing from reporting the change in the status of said node to the call router until such time as the threshold amount of change the status of said node is reached.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein:

the change in status comprises an occurrence of any one of a plurality of events that affect whether or not the call router routes a call to the node.

14. A communications network comprising:

a network call router that routes each call through the network to one of a plurality of call processing nodes exclusive of the network call router, without intermediary of another one of the plurality of nodes;

said plurality of call processing nodes, each said node responsive to receipt of the call routed thereto by processing said received call at said node, the nodes communicating with the network call router by sending status-update messages and not the calls to the network call router to effect the network call router'"'"'s routing of the calls to the nodes;

means in one of the nodes for detecting a change in status of said node;

means in the one node, responsive to detection of the change in the status, for determining whether the change in the status of said node since a last time that a change in the status of said node has been reported to the network call router has reached a threshold amount;

means in the one node, responsive to a determination that the threshold amount has been reached for sending one of said status-update messages reporting the change in the status of said node to the network call router, and responsive to a determination that the threshold amount has not been reached for forbearing from reporting the change in the status of said node to the network call router until such time as the threshold amount of change in the status of said node is reached.

15. The network of claim 14 wherein

the change in status comprises an occurrence of any one of a plurality of events that affect whether or not the call router routes a call to the one node.