US 5,557,667 A · Method and system for multi-channel data automatic call distribution for sequentially launched calls

Abstract

A method of operating a telecommunication network to route a multi-channel call, made up of phone calls placed at substantially the same time, from a caller at a calling number to an agent position at a selected destination of a network subscriber, based on voice and data transport capability, for increased bandwidth communication is disclosed. The selected destination is one of multiple destinations selected by the network subscriber identified by a common telephone number. Each of the phone calls are associated with a plurality of discriminators common to both voice and data calls. An additional data rate discriminator is established which corresponds to a data rate used by the caller when the phone calls are data calls. A first database is accessed in response to receiving the common telephone number from the caller for obtaining a separate subscriber selected destination number for a data call when the separate subscriber selected destination number is based on the common discriminator and the data rate used. The separate subscriber selected destination number is obtained for both phone calls. A second database is provided which has stored fields correlating agent positions with calling numbers connected to channels at the agent positions. The database is queried in response to receipt of one of the calls at the destination. In response to the database query, the phone calls are completed by hunting one of the phone calls to one channel of an agent position and connecting another of the phone calls to another channel of that agent position.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method of operating a telecommunication network to route a multi-channel call including a first phone call and a second phone call placed at substantialy the same time, from a caller at a calling number to an agent position at a selected destination of a network subscriber based on voice and data transport capability for increased bandwidth communication, wherein the selected destination is one of a plurality of destinations selected by the network subscriber identified by a common telephone number, the method comprising:

associating with each of the first and second phone calls a plurality of discriminators common to both voice and data calls, and an additional data rate discriminator corresponding to a data rate used by the calling party, when the first and second phone calls are data calls,
accessing a first database in response to receiving the common telephone number from the calling party for obtaining a subscriber selected destination number for a voice call based on the common discriminators and a separate subscriber selected destination number for a data call, wherein the separate subscriber selected destination number is based on the common discriminator and the data rate used by the caller,
obtaining the separate subscriber selected destination number for both the first and second phone calls,
providing a second database having a stored plurality of fields each correlating agent positions with calling numbers connected to channels at the agent positions,
querying said second database in response to receipt of one of the first or second calls at the destination, and
responsive to said second database query, completing the first and second phone calls by hunting one of the first or second phone calls to a first channel of an agent position at the destination and connecting the other of the first or second phone calls to a second channel of the agent position.

3 more elements

A method of establishing a multi-channel call between a caller and an agent when the multi-channel call comprises a first phone call from a caller associated with a first channel and a second phone call from the caller associated with a second channel, the second call having been placed at substantially the same time as the first phone call for establishing an increased bandwidth data call, the first and second calls having been made by the caller placing both the first and second phone calls to a destination number selected by a network subscriber based on voice and data transport capability, and wherein the destination number is one of a plurality of destination numbers selected by the subscriber identified by a common telephone number, the method comprising:

associating with the first phone call and the second phone call a plurality of discriminators common to both voice and data calls and an additional data rate discriminator corresponding to the data rate used by the caller,
accessing a first database in response to receiving the common telephone number from the caller to obtain a routing number,
selecting a second database based on the routing number,
accessing the second database for obtaining a destination number selected by the subscriber for a data call, wherein the destination number selected by the subscriber for a data call is based on the common discriminators and the data rate used by the caller, and
completing the first and second phone calls to said agent at the destination number selected by the subscriber by extracting a first ANI code from the first phone call, hunting the first phone call to a first channel of the agent, storing the first ANI code in a third database correlating stored ANIs with channels of agents, extracting a second ANI code from the second phone call, comparing the second ANI code with the ANIs stored in the third database, and connecting the second phone call to a second channel of the agent correlated to the first ANI.

2 more elements

A system for routing a phone call, from a caller at a calling number identifiable by an ANI code, to devices at a destination number selected by a network subscriber based on voice and data transport capability, wherein the phone call is one of either a voice or multi-channel data call, and wherein the destination number is one of a plurality of destination numbers selected by the subscriber identified by a common telephone number, and wherein each device is configured with a plurality of channels, the system comprising:

means for associating with a phone call a plurality of discriminators common to both voice and data calls and an additional data rate discriminator for a data call corresponding to the data rate used by the caller,
means for accessing a first database in response to receiving the common telephone number from the caller for obtaining a destination number selected by the network subscriber for a data call, wherein the destination number selected by the network subscriber is based on the common discriminator and the data rate used by the caller,
a second database having a plurality of fields each correlating channels of devices with stored ANI codes so as to identify connections between callers and channels of devices,
means for accessing the second database, in response to receiving the phone call, and for extracting the ANI code from the phone call and comparing the extracted ANI code with the stored ANI codes, and
means for completing the phone call by (a) hunting the call to a channel of one of the devices at the selected destination number when the extracted ANI code does not match a stored ANI code and, when the extracted ANI code matches a stored ANI code, completing the phone call by connecting the phone call to a channel of the device correlated to the stored ANI code which is not a connected channel of the device.

2 more elements

means for associating with a phone call a plurality of discriminators common to both voice and data calls and an additional data rate discriminator for a data call corresponding to the data rate used by the caller,
means for accessing a first database in response to receiving the common telephone number from the caller to obtain a routing number,
means for selecting a second database based on the routing number,
means for accessing the second database in response to receiving the common telephone number from the caller for obtaining a destination number selected by the network subscriber for a data call, wherein the destination number selected by the network subscriber is based on the common discriminator and the data rate used by the caller,
a third database having a plurality of fields each correlating channels of devices with stored ANI codes so as to identify connections between callers and channels of devices,
means for accessing the third database, in response to receiving the phone call, and for extracting the ANI code from the phone call and comparing the extracted ANI code with the stored ANI codes, and
means for completing the phone call by (a) hunting the call to a channel of one of the devices at the selected destination number when the extracted ANI code does not match a stored ANI code and, when the extracted ANI code matches a stored ANI code, completing the phone call by connecting the phone call to a channel of the device correlated to the stored ANI code which is not a connected channel of the device.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for multi-channel data automatic call distribution for sequentially launched calls

Life of this patent

Method and system for multi-channel data automatic call distribution for sequentially launched calls

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15