Intelligent communication routing system and method

• US 9,807,239 B1
• Filed: 12/14/2015
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Patent Armory Inc. (Jeffrey M. Gross)
• Original Assignee: Steven Mark Hoffberg, Wai Wu
• Inventors: Wu, Wai, Hoffberg, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahee, MD S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pope, Kharye
• Application Number:
  US14/968,114
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 37926511, 37926601, 37926512, 37926513, 37926514, 705 1471, 705 263, 705 261, 705 1446, 705 1473, 705 37, 705 1453, 705 1449, 705 1441, 705 1442, 705 1466, 705 1472
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]

Abstract

A communications routing system, and method, for representing a plurality of predicted characteristics of a plurality of communications sources, each having an economic utility; representing a plurality of predicted characteristics of a plurality of communications targets each having an economic utility; and determining an optimal routing between the plurality of communications sources and the plurality of communications targets, by maximizing an aggregate utility with respect to the respective predicted characteristics of communications source and communications destination represented by linkages.

Claims

1. A communication method for establishing a communication between a second party and a respective one of a plurality of first parties, comprising:

determining at least one factor associated with each respective first party selected from the group consisting of;

a past history of use by the respective first party, wherein the use represented in the past history of use comprises a prior communication interaction with at least one second party, and

a user profile of the respective first party;

conveying the determined at least one factor associated with each respective first party to a plurality of second parties;

receiving a plurality of bids from the plurality of second parties for an opportunity to communicate with a particular first party, after conveyance of the determined at least one factor associated with each respective first party;

normalizing, with an automated processor, each respective bid of the plurality of received bids, based on at least both;

a value of the respective bid placed by a respective second party for the respective opportunity to communicate with the particular first party, and

the determined at least one factor associated with the particular first party,

the normalized respective bid representing a value of the communication between a respective second party and the particular first party, distinct from a value of the respective bid;

selecting, based on the normalized plurality of received bids, a winning normalized bid; and

establishing a communication between the second party having the winning bid and the particular first party.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a physical location associated with each respective first party, wherein said selecting is further dependent on the determined physical location associated with the particular first party.

3. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the bids further comprise a non-economic component which is analyzed together with an economic component of the bids, to determine the respective bid value.

4. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein said establishing is performed by an automated communication routing server.

5. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein each second party has an associated profile, and said normalizing each respective bid of the plurality of received bids, is further based on at least an analysis of the respective second party associated profile of the plurality of second parties.

6. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the bids received from the plurality of second parties relate to a plurality of first parties, wherein a communication between a respective second party and a particular first of the first parties is inconsistent with a communication between the respective second party and a particular second of the first parties, such that only one bid can be selected with respect to the inconsistent communications.

7. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein said determining at least one factor associated with each respective first party selected comprises determining a user profile of the respective first party through an interactive voice response system.

8. The communication method according to claim 1, where the second parties are call center agents, the first party is an inbound or outbound call with respect to a call center, and the plurality of bids each comprise an offer with respect to an economic payment to be made to the respective call center agent making the respective bid for engaging in the communication with the first party.

9. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first and second parties are each members of a dating service, and the established communication comprises a social communication.

10. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein each bid comprises a value function which has at least one independent parameter, wherein the value function is evaluated to determine a value after the bid is submitted by the respective second party in dependence on a state of the at least one independent parameter.

11. A communication method for conducting real-time interactive communications between a user of a first category, selected from a plurality of users of the first category, and a user of a second category selected from a plurality of users of the second category, comprising:

determining parameters associated with each respective user of the plurality of users of the first category selected from the group consisting of a respective user profile and a respective user past history, wherein the respective user past history represents prior interactive communications between the respective user of the first category and at least one user of the second category;

receiving a respective value function for each of the plurality of users of the second category as a respective bid for an opportunity to communicate with a user of the first category, the respective value function having a resolved value which varies in dependence on the defined parameters associated with each respective user of the plurality of users of the first category selected from the group consisting of a respective user profile and a respective user past history;

matching a user of the second category with a user of the first category, dependent on an economic optimization of the resolved value of the respective value functions of the plurality of users of the second category, by comparing at least one of a cost-benefit and a cost-effectiveness of all concurrent competing matches of respective users of the first category with respective users of the second category, a match of a respective user of the first category with a respective user of the second category being inconsistent with a concurrent match of the respective first user involving a different user of the second category; and

automatically controlling a communication involving the respective user of the first category with the respective user of the second category selectively in dependence on the matching.

12. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein:

said determining parameters associated with each respective user of the plurality of users of the first category comprises determining a user profile through an interactive voice response system; and

a match of a respective user of the first category with a respective user of the second category being inconsistent with a concurrent match involving the user of the second category with a different user of the first category.

13. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein each user is characterized by a respective user profile comprising a multi-parametric matrix of user characteristics, and said matching comprises conducting a combinatorial optimization.

14. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein said matching further considers an opportunity cost of the match with respect to alternative matches involving one of the users of the first and second categories.

15. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein the matching comprises determining a date for members of a dating site.

16. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein said matching comprises conducting an auction encompassing bids comprising at least one non-economic bid factor which is analyzed together with at least one economic bid factor, to determine the respective resolved value.

17. The communication method according to claim 16, wherein at least one determined parameter associated with each respective user of the plurality of users of the first category has an associated probability distribution and said matching is dependent on a statistical process involving the probability distribution.

18. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein each user of the second category has at least one characteristic, said matching of the respective user of the second category has a predicted effect on the at least one characteristic, and the at least one of the cost-benefit and the cost-effectiveness is dependent on the predicted effect on the at least one characteristic.

19. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one of the cost-benefit and the cost-effectiveness of all concurrent competing matches is determined statistically, and said matching is further responsive to a cost associated with a risk of a mismatch representing a poor cost-benefit or cost-effectiveness of a respective match.

20. A communication method for establishing a communication, comprising:

determining a communication parameter comprising at least one of a past history of use and a user profile of a human party, wherein the past history of use of the human party represents prior communications between the human party and at least one human counterparty;

receiving, through an automated communication network, by an automated processor, a plurality of bids on behalf of a plurality of human counterparties in an auction for an opportunity to communicate with the human party;

normalizing, with the automated processor, each respective bid of the plurality of received bids on behalf of the plurality of human counterparties to produce a respective normalized bid having a normalized value dependent on at least each of the respective bid, and the determined communication parameter, the normalized value being distinct from the respective bid, and a difference between the respective bid and the normalized bid being personalized with respect to each of the plurality of human counterparties;

selecting, with the automated processor, based on the normalized values for each of the plurality of human counterparties, a winning normalized bid;

accounting, with the automated processor, for the winning normalized bid in a bid database; and

establishing, with the automated processor, parameters defining a communication between the human party and the respective human counterparty corresponding to the winning normalized bid.