Contact identifier for message types

An apparatus for routing a plurality of different types of incoming Internet packetized messages within a host to a plurality of agents, such apparatus comprising:

• means for determining the message type of each of the plurality of different types of incoming Internet packetized messages arriving at the host from the Internet;
• means for inserting a message type identifier which identifies media type of the incoming message into a pre-existing packet of each message type of the plurality of different message types;
• means for routing the packets to an Internet message distributor;
• and
• means for distributing the messages within the Internet message distributor to the plurality of agents based upon the inserted message type identifier.

An apparatus for routing a plurality of different types of incoming Internet packetized messages within a host to a plurality of agents, such apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of dedicated ports each having at least one IP address, and each dedicated to receiving a different message type based upon the IP address;
• a packet processor associated with each dedicated port adapted to insert a message type identifier which identifies a message type of the incoming message into a pre-existing packet of each message type of the plurality of different message types;
• and
• an Internet message distributor adapted to distribute the messages within the Internet message distributor to the plurality of agents based upon the inserted message type identifier.

A method of routing a plurality of different types of incoming Internet packetized messages arriving at an Internet message center, such method comprising the steps of:

• providing a respective server for each type message of the plurality of different types of incoming packetized messages received at the Internet message center;
• routing each type of incoming message arriving at the message center to the respective server of the message type;
• inserting using the respective server a message type identifier which identifies a media type of the incoming message into a pre-existing packet of the message;
• routing the packets to a message distributor of the plurality of different types of messages;
• and
• distributing the messages within the message distributor based upon the message identifier.