Systems and methods for handling a plurality of communications

• US 7,962,644 B1
• Filed: 08/28/2002
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Margulies, Edwin Kenneth, Yahmadi, Imed, St-Cyr, Pierre, Ezerzer, Ran, Rodriguez, Pablo M., Borodow, Eli B., Aljane, Ali
• Primary Examiner(s): Chea; Philip J
• Application Number:
  US10/233,152
• Time in Patent Office: 3,212 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.09, 379/266.01, 379/266.02
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4234 Remote access to features of PBX or home telephone systems-teleworking in a PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5125 with remote located operators
• 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: 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

Abstract

A distributed communication center configured to handle a plurality of communications includes a user zone, a web zone, and a network zone. The user zone includes a plurality of remote terminals that enable communication center personnel and end users to remotely interface with the distributed communication center through the web zone. The web zone includes one or more web servers configured and one or more mail servers to interface the remote terminals in the user zone with the network zone. The network zone includes one or more telephony servers and one or more application servers.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a telephony server interfaced with a first network;

a web server interfaced with a second network;

a terminal comprising an electronic device interfaced with the second network; and

an application server comprising a plurality of applications;

wherein the terminal is configured to determine a status of a telephone interfaced with the first network and transmit to the web server over the second network the status of the telephone, wherein the status of the telephone indicates whether or not the telephone is in use over the first network;

wherein the web server is configured to receive the status of the telephone from the terminal and transmit information regarding the status of the telephone to the application server;

wherein the application server is configured to receive the information from the web server, the plurality of applications are configured to generate a control instruction based on the received information, and the application server is configured to transmit the control instruction to the telephony server; and

wherein the telephony server is configured to receive a telephonic communication over the first network and the control instruction from the application server, and is further configured to route the telephonic communication to one of a plurality of terminals interfaced with the first network based on the control instruction.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the web server is further configured to receive a second communication over the second network, transmit information regarding the second communication to the application server, receive a control instruction from the application server, and route the second communication to one of a plurality of terminals interfaced with the second network based on the received control instruction;

and

wherein the application server is further configured to receive the information regarding the second communication from the web server, the plurality of applications are further configured to generate a control instruction based on the received information regarding the second communication, and the application server is further configured to transmit the control instruction based on the received information regarding the second communication to the web server.

3. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of applications include an Internet handler application configured to maintain communication between the application server and terminals interfaced with the second network.

4. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of applications include an automatic call distributor application configured to maintain routing rules for various incoming communication types.

5. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of applications include a computer integrator application configured to maintain communication between the telephony server and at least some of the plurality of applications and to determine certain aspects related to the routing of communications received by the telephony server.

6. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of applications include a chat handler application configured to control the interface between some of the plurality of applications related to the handling of incoming chat communications.

7. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of applications include an email distributor application configured to control aspects related to the handling of incoming email communications.

8. The communication system of claim 2, further comprising a database, and wherein the plurality of applications include a statistics tracker application configured to store information related to the handling of communications received by the web server and the telephony server in the database.

9. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of applications include a system scheduler application configured to inform at least some of the plurality of applications of scheduled changes to any routing rules.

10. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the telephony server is further configured to originate outbound communications, and wherein the plurality of applications include a predictive caller application configured to generate outbound communications.

11. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of applications include a host manager configured to generate data structures used to store information related to the handling of communications received by the web server and the telephony server and to generate user sessions for incoming email and chat communications.

12. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of applications include a call handler application configured to control the telephony server.

13. The communication system of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of telephony servers, and wherein the plurality of applications includes a call bridge application configured to control the routing of communications across the plurality of telephony servers.

14. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of applications include a unified messenger application.

15. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of applications include simple network manager application configured to enable simple network management protocol compliance for remote monitoring of communication center alarms and performance, and for remote controlling of communication center resources.

16. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of applications includes a license manager application configured to keep track of usage limitations imposed upon the communication center and to keep track of the status of all communication center resources.

17. The communication system of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of license servers, each license server comprising a license manager application configured to interface with the other license manager applications to keep track of usage limitations and to take over for one of the other license mangers should one of the other license mangers fail.

18. The communication system of claim 2, configured to host a plurality of companies, and wherein at least some of the plurality of applications are dedicated to certain companies.

20. The communication system of claim 2, configured to host a plurality of companies, wherein the plurality of applications includes an application configured to compare the received information from the web server with skills of the plurality of terminals to generate a control instruction to route the telephonic communication to a terminal associated with one of the plurality of companies.

19. A communication center, comprising:

a web zone configured to receive incoming communications; and

a network zone configured to receive incoming communications and independently control how incoming communications received by the web zone and the network zone are routed.