IP ACD using buffer server
AssigneeAspect Software, Inc.
InventorMike Hollatz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus are provided for routing a call within an automatic contact distributor. The method includes the steps of transferring control of the call to a buffer server, setting up a call connection between an agent of the automatic call distributor and a client of the automatic call distributor through the buffer server, re-addressing SIP messages received by the buffer server from the agent and forwarding the re-addressed SIP messages to the client and re-addressing SIP messages received from the client and forwarding the re-addressed SIP messages to the agent.
Claims27
A method of routing a SIP call within an automatic contact distributor system wherein an initial SIP message of the SIP call from a caller is forwarded to the automatic contact distributor system via a first server, such method comprising the steps of:
- selecting an agent of a plurality of agents of the automatic contact distributor system to handle the SIP call forwarded to the automatic contact distributor from the first server;
- setting up the SIP call connection, between the selected agent of the automatic contact distributor system and a second server separate from the caller and the plurality of agents, so as to route any SIP messages between the agent and the caller through the second server different from the first server including the first server modifying the initial SIP message by changing an address of the first server to an address of the selected agent and changing a domain name of first server to a domain name of the second server, and forwarding the modified message to the selected agent;
- modifying any source addresses of the SIP messages sent from the agent to the caller and received by the second server from the agent by substituting an address of the second server in SIP messages sent from the agent to the caller and forwarding the modified SIP messages to the caller thereby protecting anonymity of the agent from the caller by concealing URLs and any other identification information of the agent;
- and
- re-addressing SIP messages received from the caller at the second server and forwarding the re-addressed SIP messages to the agent.
An apparatus for routing a SIP call within an automatic contact distributor system wherein an initial SIP message of the SIP call from a caller is forwarded to the automatic contact distribution system via first server, such apparatus comprising:
- means for setting up the SIP call between a selected agent of a plurality of agents of the automatic contact distributor system and the caller so as to route any SIP messages between the agent and the caller through a buffer server different from the first server including the first server sending the initial SIP message to the buffer server with an identifier of the selected agent, and the buffer server modifying the initial SIP message and forwarding the modified message to the selected agent;
- means for modifying any source addresses of the SIP messages sent from the agent to the caller and received by the buffer server from the agent by substituting a source URL of the buffer server in SIP messages sent from the agent to the caller and forwarding the modified SIP messages to the caller thereby protecting anonymity of the agent from the caller by concealing URL's and any other identifying information of the agent;
- and
- means for re-addressing SIP messages received from the caller by the buffer server and forwarding the re-addressed SIP messages to the agent.
An apparatus for routing a SIP call within an automatic contact distributor system wherein an initial SIP message of the SIP call from a caller is forwarded to the automatic contact distributor system via a first server, such apparatus comprising:
- a buffer server different from the first server adapted to set up the SIP call between a selected agent of the automatic contact distributor system and the caller so as to route any SIP messages between the agent and the caller through the buffer server;
- a connection processor adapted to modify any source addresses of the SIP messages sent from the caller and received by the buffer server from the agent by substituting at the buffer server an address of the buffer server in SIP messages sent from the agent to the caller and the buffer server forming a URL pair for forwarding the modified SIP messages to the caller in response to a SIP instant message sent from the first server to the buffer server to cause the buffer server to create a communication path between the buffer server and the caller and protecting anonymity of the agent from the caller by concealing URL's and any other identification information of the agent, and to re-address SIP messages received from the caller at the buffer server and forward the re-addressed SIP messages to the agent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.