Apparatus and method for displaying selectable icons in a toolbar for a user interface

• US 9,269,069 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2011
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Mingte, Annadata, Anil Kumar, Huang, Kuang-Yang, Bedi, Rohit, Jay, Henry Dana
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Shangao
• Application Number:
  US13/341,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20120260216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 715/779, 715/788, 715/810, 715/815, 715817-820, 715/828, 715/835, 715/840
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A user interface display comprises a plurality of selectable icons and a control symbol in a toolbar. The control symbol can be selected by a user to display additional selectable icons within the toolbar. Incoming events, such as customer support requests or other work items, can be received from a communication server and displayed via a selectable icon or work button in the toolbar. The user interface can notify the user of the incoming event, such as by causing the work button to blink. The user can send a command to the communication server via the user interface relating to the event, such as accepting an incoming work item or releasing a telephone call. The communication server can perform the appropriate event response.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium coupled to the processor, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a set of instructions operable by the processor to generate a toolbar comprising a plurality of icons,

wherein

a first icon of the plurality of icons corresponds to a mode of response to a work item,

the mode of response corresponds to one of a plurality of media types,

each of the plurality of media types corresponds to a respective communication channel of a plurality of communication channels,

the work item refers to a request to perform an item of work,

the set of instructions operable to generate the toolbar are comprised in a communication server that is configured to send commands to, and receive events from, the plurality of communication channels via a plurality of communication channel drivers,

the toolbar is generated by the communication server such that the toolbar is configured to be displayed on a client computer,

the communication server is configured to

receive a first incoming event from a first channel driver associated with a first communication channel of the plurality of communication channels,

send an indication of the first incoming event to the toolbar, wherein

the indication is displayed on the toolbar,

receive a first command associated with the first icon, wherein

the first icon is configured to cause the first command to be sent from the client computer, upon selection of the first icon,

in response to receiving the first command, send the first command to the first channel driver, wherein

the first channel driver executes the first command using the first communication channel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

instructions operable to generate a release work item icon to allow an agent to release an active work item.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

instructions operable to generate a transfer icon to allow an agent to transfer the work item.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

instructions operable to generate a blind transfer icon to allow an agent to transfer a telephone call to another extension and hang up without confirming whether another agent at the other extension accepted the telephone call.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

instructions operable to generate a consultative transfer icon to allow an agent to consult with another agent at another extension before a telephone call is transferred and to keep the telephone call if the other agent does not answer.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

instructions operable to generate a conference icon to enable an agent to connect more than two telephone lines together for a joint telephone conversation.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

instructions operable to generate a retrieve icon to enable an agent to retrieve a telephone call that the agent has transferred.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

instructions operable to generate a suspend icon to enable an agent to suspend a work item.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

instructions operable to generate one or more control icons configured to support display and removal of additional icons in the toolbar, wherein one of the control icons is a select work item control icon to enable an agent to select a work item from a list of work items currently assigned to the agent.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising instructions operable to generate one or more control icons, wherein one of the control icons is a reason code icon to allow an agent to select from a list of reason codes when the agent is not ready to accept work items.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising instructions operable to generate one or more control icons, wherein one of the control icons is a select communication channel control icon to enable an agent to select a media type for initiating a work item request.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising instructions operable to generate one or more control icons configured to support display and removal of additional icons in the toolbar, wherein the additional icons that are displayed when the select communication channel control icon is selected includes at least one of:

a telephone icon, an email icon, a fax icon, a wireless communication icon, and a web collaboration icon.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

instructions operable to generate one or more control icons configured to support display and removal of additional icons in the toolbar, and

instructions operable to insert at least a portion of the additional icons adjacent to one of the control icons when the one of the control icons is selected.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising instructions operable to remove at least a portion of the additional icons from the toolbar when the one of the control icons is re-selected.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising

instructions operable to generate one or more control icons configured to support display and removal of additional icons in the toolbar,

instructions operable to adjust a position of at least one of the plurality of icons, and

instructions operable to insert at least one of the additional icons adjacent to one of the control icons when the one of the control icons is selected.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising instructions operable to:

remove the at least one of the additional icons from the toolbar when the one of the control icons is re-selected, and

readjust the position of the at least one of the plurality of icons to be adjacent to the one of the control icons.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising instructions operable to:

remove the at least one of the additional icons from the toolbar when the at least one of the additional icons is selected.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising instructions operable to:

remove the at least one of the additional icons from the toolbar when the at least one of the additional icons is selected, and

readjust the position of the at least one of the plurality of icons to be adjacent to the one of the control icons.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, further wherein

the communication server is configured to communicate information regarding the toolbar to a client, via a web server.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further wherein

the communication server is configured to operate independently of the media types of the plurality of communication channels by virtue of the communication server being configured to communicate with the plurality of communication channel drivers, which each channel driver of the plurality of communication channel drivers is configured to facilitate communications between the communication server and the corresponding one of the plurality of communication channels.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further wherein

each channel driver of the plurality of communication channel drivers interfaces with the communication server via a single communication application program interface (API),

using the API, the each channel driver of the plurality of communication channel drivers translates incoming events to events recognized by the communication server, and

the communication server is configured to present commands recognized by the each channel driver of the plurality of communication channel drivers, to the each channel driver of the plurality of communication channel drivers.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a set of instructions executable on a computer system, the set of instructions comprising:

generating a toolbar for display on a client computer,

wherein

the toolbar is generated by a communication server,

the toolbar comprises a plurality of icons,

a first icon of the plurality of icons corresponds to a first mode of response to a work item,

the first mode of response corresponds to one of a plurality of media types,

each of the plurality of media types corresponds to a respective communication channel of a plurality of communication channels,

the work item refers to a request to perform an item of work,

the communication server is configured to send commands to, and receive events from, the plurality of communication channels via a plurality of communication channel drivers,

the toolbar is generated by the communication server such that the toolbar is configured to be displayed on a client computer, and

the communication server is configured to

receive a first incoming event from a first channel driver associated with a first communication channel of the plurality of communication channels,

send an indication of the first incoming event to the toolbar, wherein the indication is displayed on the toolbar,

receive a first command associated with the first icon, wherein

the first icon is configured to cause the first command to be sent from the client computer, upon selection of the first icon, and

in response to receiving the first command, send the first command to the first channel driver, wherein

the first channel driver executes the first command using the first communication channel.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein

a second icon of the plurality of icons corresponds to a second mode of response to the work item or an other work item,

the second mode of response corresponds to a different media type of the plurality of media types than the media type corresponding to the first mode of response, and

the communication server is further configured to

receive a second incoming event from a second channel driver associated with a second communication channel of the plurality of communication channels, wherein

the second communication channel is a different media type than the first communication channel,

send an indication of the second incoming event to the toolbar, wherein

the indication is displayed on the toolbar,

receive a second command associated with the second icon, wherein

the second icon is configured to cause the second command to be sent from the client computer, upon selection of the second icon, and

in response to receiving the second command, send the second command to the second channel driver, wherein

the second channel driver executes the second command using the second communication channel.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein

the client computer comprises a web browser program configured to be implemented with a computer system connected to the communication server via a web server,

the communication server is configured to receive and route the first incoming event as the work item to a universal queuing system for assignment to a client computer, wherein

the universal queuing system is configured to assign, route, and queue work items from the plurality of communication channels to client computers, and

the universal queuing system assigns the work item to the client computer and sends the work item back to the communication server for communication to the client computer,

the communication server is configured to operate independently of the media types of the plurality of communication channels and specific protocols to communicate with communication devices by virtue of the communication server being configured to communicate with a plurality of channel drivers,

wherein

each of the plurality of communication channels corresponds to a respective channel driver of a plurality of channel drivers,

each respective channel driver interfaces with the communication server via a single communication application program interface, and

the single communication application program interface and each respective channel driver is configured to facilitate communications between the communication server and the corresponding one of the plurality of communication channels,

the communication server is configured to search for the first command in command tables in configuration data stored in a customer support center database,

the communication server collects the configuration data associated with the first command,

the communication server is configured to determine which of the plurality of communication channel drivers is to perform the first command,

in response to determining that the first channel driver is to perform the first command, the communication server is configured to pass the first command and the configuration data associated with the first command to the first channel driver via the communication application program interface, and

the plurality of icons comprises

a media indicator button that shows the media type of the work item,

an initiate work item button configured to initiate the work item,

an accept work item button configured to accept an incoming work item,

an accept work item control button configured to display a list of incoming work item options, wherein

the list of incoming work item options comprise telephone, email, and web collaboration,

a select work item control configured to display a list of incoming work items,

an other button configurable to provide other functionality to the toolbar, and

a select communication channel control button configured to display a list of communication channel options for initiating a work item request, wherein

the communication channel options comprise telephone, email, fax, wireless communication, and web collaboration.