US 5,291,551 A · Home agent telecommunication technique

Abstract

An agent at home (12) is enabled to receive a call from a customer (14), originally directed to a transaction-processing center (16), by first identifying, at an exchange (20) of a public switched telephone network (22), the identity of the transaction-processing center and the agent(s) designated to receive calls directed to that center. Once the agent (12) has been identified, the call is routed from a first local exchange carrier central office (18) serving the customer to a local exchange carrier central office (26) serving the agent and then to the agent across a combined voice and data line (44). Upon receipt of the call, the agent simultaneously establishes a data link with the transaction-processing center so as to complete a transaction for the customer.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method for allowing an agent at home to communicate with a remotely situated customer and to simultaneously complete a transaction for such customer using a data base at a transaction-processing center remote from the agent, comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a customer-servicing Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) central office, a customer-initiated telephone call originally directed to a transaction-processing center;
identifying at least one agent at home designated to receive the customer-initiated telephone call originally directed to the transaction-processing center;
routing the customer-initiated call from the customer-servicing LEC central office to an agent-servicing LEC central office serving the designated agent at home;
transmitting the call from the agent-servicing LEC central office to the designated agent at home across a combined voice and data communications channel to establish a voice link between the customer and the agent at home;
and
simultaneously communicating data between the agent at home and the transaction-processing center across the voice and data communications channel once a voice link between the agent at home and the customer is established.

3 more elements

A system for allowing an agent at home to communicate with a remotely situated customer and to simultaneously complete a transaction for such customer using a data base at a transaction-processing center remote from the agent, comprising:

a first Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) central office for receiving a customer-initiated call originally directed to a transaction-processing center;
a first exchange of a public switched telephone network coupled to the first LEC central office;
means located at, and associated with, the first exchange for identifying at least one of a plurality of agents at home designated to receive the customer-initiated call;
means for routing the customer-initiated call from the first LEC central office to a second LEC serving the agent at home;
a combined voice and signal data path for carrying the customer-initiated call from the second LEC central office to the agent and for simultaneously carrying data from the agent to a transaction-processing center;
means associated with the agent at home for receiving the customer-initiated call and for communicating data to the transaction-processing center;
and
means associated with the data processing center for storing data accessed by and received from the home-agent.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Home agent telecommunication technique

Life of this patent

Home agent telecommunication technique

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14