Session to track actual e-mail handling time

• US 7,373,387 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2004
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Cayman
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Electronics Commerce Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Hollatz, Mike, Sumner, Roger, Hodson, Jeff, Wesen, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean; Frantz B.
• Application Number:
  US10/788,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20050193071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 709206-207, 379265-266, 379/88.22, 379/88.17
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for measuring a time of considering an e-mail message received by an agent of an automatic contact distribution system. The method includes the steps of detecting each opening and closing of the e-mail received by the agent, measuring an elapsed time between each detected opening and closing of the e-mail and summing the measured elapsed times between the openings and closings of the e-mail to provide a cumulative total time for preparing the response to the e-mail.

Claims

1. A method of measuring a time of considering an e-mail message having information content received by an agent of an automatic contact distribution system wherein the e-mail message is opened and closed a plurality of times such method comprising the steps of:

detecting each of the plurality of opening and closing of the e-mail received by the agent wherein each opening comprises display of the information content of the e-mail on a display of the agent for consideration of the e-mail by the agent and each closing comprises removal of the information content of the e-mail from the display of the agent;

measuring an elapsed time between each detected opening and closing of the e-mail; and

summing the measured elapsed times between the openings and closings of the e-mail to provide a cumulative total time for considering the e-mail.

2. The method of measuring the time of considering the e-mail message as in claim 1 further comprising creating a Session Initial Protocol session to track the e-mail and sending a Session Initial Protocol (SIP) message from the agent to the automatic contact distributor to take the session out of a hold state each time the e-mail is opened and sending a SIP message from the agent to put the session into the hold state each time the e-mail is closed.

3. The method of measuring the time of considering the e-mail message as in claim 2 further comprising sending a Session Initial Protocol subscription request message from a user agent application of the automatic contact distributor to a user agent application of the agent to request status information each time the agent signs on.

4. The method of measuring the time of considering the e-mail message as in claim 3 further comprising activating a SIP NOTIFY event each time a change in state of the e-mail occurs and transferring a notification message including an identifier of the e-mail and a status indicator to the automatic contact distributor.

5. The method of measuring the time of considering the e-mail message in claim 4 further comprising sending a release message to the automatic contact distributor if the notification is an open notification.

6. The method of measuring the time of considering the e-mail message in claim 1 further comprising sending a Session Initiation Protocol event subscription and notification message from the automatic contact distributor to the user agent requesting notification of each opening and closing of the e-mail message.

7. The method of measuring the time of considering the e-mail message in claim 1 further comprising detecting transmission of a response to an originator of the e-mail message.

8. The method of measuring the time of considering the e-mail message as in claim 7 further comprising forwarding the e-mail message to another agent of the automatic contact distributor.

9. The method of measuring the time of considering the e-mail message as in claim 8 wherein the step of forwarding the e-mail message to the other agent of the automatic contact distributor further comprises providing a cumulative total time for considering the e-mail by the other agent.

10. An apparatus for measuring a time of considering an email message having information content received by an agent of an automatic contact distribution system wherein the e-mail message is opened and closed a plurality of times, such apparatus comprising:

means for detecting each of the plurality of opening and closing of the e-mail received by the agent wherein each opening comprises display of the information content of the e-mail on a display of the agent and each closing comprising removal of the information content of the e-mail from the display of the agent;

means for measuring an elapsed time between each detected opening and closing of the e-mail; and

means for summing the measured elapsed times between the openings and closings of the e-mail to provide accumulative total time for considering the email.

11. The apparatus for measuring the time of considering the e-mail message as in claim 10 further comprising means for sending a Session Initial Protocol message from the agent to the automatic contact distributor each time the email is opened.

12. The apparatus for measuring the time of considering the e-mail message as in claim 11 further comprising means for sending a Session Initial Protocol message from the agent to the automatic contact distributor each time the e-mail is closed.

13. The apparatus for measuring the time of considering the e-mail message as in claim 12 further comprising means for activating a timer within the automatic contact distributor each time the e-mail is opened and deactivating the timer each time the e-mail is closed.

14. The apparatus for measuring the time of considering the e-mail message in claim 12 further comprising means for displaying the e-mail message in a display window of a user agent operating on a terminal of the agent.

15. The apparatus for measuring the time of considering the e-mail message in claim 14 further comprising means for sending a Session Initiation Protocol event subscription and notification message from the automatic contact distributor to the user agent requesting notification of each opening and closing of the e-mail message.

16. The apparatus for measuring the time of considering the e-mail message in claim 10 further comprising means for detecting transmission of a response to an originator of the e-mail message.

17. The apparatus for measuring the time of considering the e-mail message as in claim 10 further comprising means for forwarding the e-mail message to another agent of the automatic contact distributor.

18. The apparatus for measuring the time of considering the e-mail message as in claim 17 wherein the means for forwarding the e-mail message to the other agent of the automatic contact distributor further comprises means for providing a cumulative total time for considering the e-mail by the other agent.

19. An apparatus for measuring a time of considering an e-mail message having information content received by an agent of an automatic contact distribution system, such apparatus comprising:

a status processor adapted to detect each of a plurality of openings and closings of the e-mail received by the agent wherein each opening comprises display of the information content of the e-mail on a display of the agent and each closing comprising removal of the information content of the e-mail from the display of the agent;

a timer adapted to measure an elapsed time between each detected opening and closing of the e-mail;

a controller adapted to deactivate the timer between the closings and openings of the e-mail; and

adder adapted to add the measured elapsed time between each detected opening and closing of the e-mail to obtain a cumulative time for considering the e-mail.

20. The apparatus for measuring the time of considering the e-mail message as in claim 19 further comprising an interface for sending a Session Initiation Protocol message from the agent to the automatic contact distributor each time the e-mail is opened and closed.

21. The apparatus for measuring the time of considering the e-mail message in claim 19 further comprising an interface adapted to send a Session Initiation Protocol event subscription and notification message from the automatic contact distributor to the user agent requesting notification of each opening and closing of the e-mail message.