Remote agent operation for automatic call distributors

Claim 2

An automatic call distributor (ACD) switching network service method of serving calls from a position of the ACD, served by a first switching system and controlled by an ACD process of the first system, wherein the position is served by a second switching system, comprising the steps of: establishing a switched voice and a data connection via the second system between the position and the first system; under the control of the ACD process, connecting calls from any switching system to the voice connection for service by the position, and the position communicating with the ACD process via the data connection in serving each call.

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 further comprising a front-end process of the first system for interfacing between the ACD process and the position, wherein the establishing of a voice and data connection comprises: establishing a first data connection between the position and the front-­end process and establishing a message link between the front-end process and the ACD process; further comprising: sending messages in a first protocol from the ACD process to the front-­end process via the message link for conversion to a second protocol for sending messages to the position via the first data connection; and sending messages in the second protocol from the position to the front-­end process via the first data connection for conversion to the first protocol for sending messages to the ACD process via the message link.

Claim 4

The method of claim 2 wherein the first system comprises a control process and wherein the establishing comprises: responsive to a receipt by the control process of an initial message from the position, enabling the front-end process; passing an initial message from the position from the control process to the front-end process to control the ACD process for making the position available to serve calls.

Claim 5

The method of claim 3 wherein the voice connection terminates on a first communication port of the first system, further comprising: responsive to the enabling of the front-end process and to establishing the voice connection, associating the first communication port with the data connection to the position.

Claim 6

The method of claim 4 further comprising: setting up a message link between the front-end process and the ACD process; and notifying the ACD process of the association of the first communication port and the message link.

Claim 7

The method of claim 2 wherein establishing of the data connection comprises: establishing a virtual circuit interconnecting the first system, the second system, and the position.

Claim 8

The method of claim 6 wherein establishing the virtual circuit comprises: establishing a virtual channel between the first switching system and the second switching system over a telecommunications network for transmitting voice and data signals and for interconnecting the first system and the second system.

Claim 9

The method of claim 7 wherein establishing the virtual channel comprises: establishing a virtual channel between the first system and the second system position over a common channel signaling network.

Claim 10

The method of claim 3 further comprising: sending data messages in a third protocol between the position and the second system; and sending data messages in the second protocol between the first and second systems.

Claim 11

The method of claim 3 wherein the first system further comprises a monitoring process, and wherein the establishing of the data connection further comprises: responsive to an initial message from the second system to the monitoring process, enabling the control process; establishing a message link between the monitoring process and the control process; and responsive to the passing of the initial message from the control process to the front-end process, establishing a direct message link from the monitoring process to the front-end process.

Claim 12

The method of claim 1 or 2 further comprising: prior to the establishing of the voice and data connections, transmitting a request, comprising a telephone number identifying the ACD and identifying the call to the first system as a request to set up an agent session from the position to the first system, from the position to the second system for initiating the establishing of the voice and data connections.

Claim 13

The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein establishing voice and data connections comprise: establishing a voice connection and a data connection between the position and the second system over an integrated voice and data facility.

Claim 14

The method of claim 12 wherein establishing voice and data connections comprises: establishing a voice connection and a data connection between the position and the second system over an integrated voice and data facility that carries signals conforming to an integrated services digital network signal arrangement.

Claim 15

The method of claim 2 further comprising: sending a login request message from the ACD process to the position via the front-end process, the monitoring process, and the second system; receiving a login message from the position to the ACD process; verifying the login for the position by the ACD process; responsive to the verifying step, adding the remote agent position to a list of active positions maintained by the ACD process.

Claim 16

The method of claim 3 further comprising: receiving a call to the ACD on a second port of the first system; responsive to the reception of the call, the ACD process selecting the position for serving the call; and responsive to the selection of the position, setting up a connection between the first and second ports.

Claim 17

The method of claim 1 further comprising: responsive to a request from the position for accessing a data base, the second system establishing a data connection between the position and the data base.

Claim 18

The method of claim 16 wherein the position is connected to the second system by an integrated voice and data facility comprising a D-channel and two B-channels, wherein setting up the data connection between the position and the data base comprises: setting up a connection between the second system and the position over one of the B-channels.

Claim 19

An automatic call distributor (ACD) arrangement comprising: an ACD process responsive to an incoming call to an ACD for assigning an agent position for serving the call, and for communicating with the agent position using data messages in a first protocol; and means for converting data messages between the first protocol and a second protocol for communicating via the second protocol with a telecommunications network for communicating with an agent position.

Claim 20

An automatic call distributor (ACD) arrangement comprising: an ACD process responsive to an incoming call to an ACD for assigning an agent position for serving the call, and for communicating with the agent position using data messages in a first protocol; and means for converting data messages between the first protocol and a second protocol for communicating via the second protocol with a telecommunications network for communicating with an agent position.

Claim 21

The arrangement of claim 18, wherein the means for converting comprises a front-end process and wherein the ACD process and the front-end process reside in a processor means of a first switching system.

Claim 22

The arrangement of claim 18 wherein the first system further comprises: a switching network having a plurality of ports and a data link for connection to a common carrier network for establishing voice connections to an originator of the call and to the agent position, and for transmitting data messages between the agent position and the front-end process.

Claim 23

The arrangement of claim 20 wherein said call is connected to a first port and said voice connection to said position is connected to a second port further comprising: means responsive to receipt of said call for the ACD for notifying the ACD process; the ACD process responsive to said notification for establishing a connection between said first and said second port.

Claim 24

The arrangement of claim 18 wherein the means for converting comprises a front-end process for communication messages in the first protocol over a message link to the ACD process and for communicating messages in the second protocol for transmission over the network for communicating with the position.

Claim 25

The arrangement of claim 18 further comprising a link monitoring process for communicating with a data link connected to the first system control process for receiving a message from the position requesting attachment of the position to the ACD and for enabling the front-end process in response to the receipt of the message and for setting up a message link for transmitting messages between the agent position and the front-end process; responsive to the enabling, the front-end process notifying the ACD process of the request to attach the position to the ACD; and means for setting up a message link between the link monitoring process and the front-end process, and between a front-end process and the ACD process for communicating messages between the position and the ACD process.

Claim 26

The arrangement of claim 23 wherein the ACD process sends a login request message to the position via the front-end process, and receives a login message from the position via the front-end process; the ACD process, responsive to the login message for verifying the login message and for adding the position to a list of active positions in response to the verification.

Claim 27

An automatic call distributor (ACD) switching network service method of serving calls from a position of the ACD, served by a first switching system and controlled by an ACD process of the first system, the first system comprising a control process and a front-end process of the first system for interfacing between the ACD process and the position, wherein the position is served by a second switching system, comprising the steps of: responsive to a receipt of an initial data message from the position by the control process, enabling the front-end process; passing the initial message from the position from the control process to the front-end process to control the ACD process for making the position available to serve calls; establishing a switched voice connection via the second system between the position and a first port on the first system; establishing a first data connection between the position and the ACD process, comprising a second data connection between the position and the front-end process and a message link between the front-end process and the ACD process; sending messages in a first protocol from the ACD process to the front-­end process via the message link for conversion to a second protocol for sending data to the position via the second data connection; sending messages to the front-end process via the second data connection in the second protocol for conversion to the first protocol for sending messages to the ACD process via the message link; responsive to the enabling of the front-end process and to establishing the voice connection in the ACD process, associating the first port with the data connection to the position; in said second data connection, sending messages in a third protocol between the position and the second system and sending messages in the second protocol between the first and second systems; sending a login request message from the ACD process to the position over the first data connection; sending a login message from the position to the ACD process over the first data connection; verifying the login for the position by the ACD process; responsive to the verifying step, adding the remote agent position to a list of active positions maintained by the ACD process; under control of the ACD process, connecting calls terminating on a second port of the first system from any switching system to the first port for service by the position, the position communicating with the ACD process via the first data connection in serving each call; responsive to a request for accessing a data base, the second switch establishing a third data connection between the position and the data base; wherein the position is connected to the second system by an integrated voice and data facility comprising a D-channel and two B-channels, and the data connection between the position and the data base comprises a connection over one of the B-channels; wherein establishing the second data connection comprises establishing a virtual channel between the first system and the second system position over a common channel signaling network of a common carrier telecommunications network; wherein establishing the voice and the first data connections comprises establishing a voice connection and a data connection between the position and the second system over the integrated voice and data facility; wherein the connecting of the calls on the second port to the first port comprises: sending a message from the control process to the ACD process alerting the ACD process of a call and the identity of the second port; and sending a message from the ACD process to a voice switch and control arrangement on the first system, instructing the voice switch and control arrangement to establish a connection between the first and the second ports.

Claim 28

An automatic call distributor (ACD) switching network service method of serving calls from a position of the ACD, served by a first switching system and controlled by an ACD process of the first system, the first system comprising a control process and a front-end process of the first system for interfacing between the ACD process and the position, wherein the position is served by a second switching system, comprising the steps of: responsive to a receipt of an initial data message from the position by the control process, enabling the front-end process; passing the initial message from the position from the control process to the front-end process to control the ACD process for making the position available to serve calls; establishing a switched voice connection via the second system between the position and a first port on the first system; establishing a first data connection between the position and the ACD process, comprising a second data connection between the position and the front-end process and a message link between the front-end process and the ACD process; sending messages in a first protocol from the ACD process to the front-­end process via the message link for conversion to a second protocol for sending data to the position via the second data connection; sending messages to the front-end process via the second data connection in the second protocol for conversion to the first protocol for sending messages to the ACD process via the message link; responsive to the enabling of the front-end process and to establishing the voice connection in the ACD process, associating the first port with the data connection to the position; in said second data connection, sending messages in a third protocol between the position and the second system and sending messages in the second protocol between the first and second systems; sending a login request message from the ACD process to the position over the first data connection; sending a login message from the position to the ACD process over the first data connection; verifying the login for the position by the ACD process; responsive to the verifying step, adding the remote agent position to a list of active positions maintained by the ACD process; under control of the ACD process, connecting calls terminating on a second port of the first system from any switching system to the first port for service by the position, the position communicating with the ACD process via the first data connection in serving each call; responsive to a request for accessing a data base, the second switch establishing a third data connection between the position and the data base; wherein the position is connected to the second system by an integrated voice and data facility comprising a D-channel and two B-channels, and the data connection between the position and the data base comprises a connection over one of the B-channels; wherein establishing the second data connection comprises establishing a virtual channel between the first system and the second system position over a common channel signaling network of a common carrier telecommunications network; wherein establishing the voice and the first data connections comprises establishing a voice connection and a data connection between the position and the second system over the integrated voice and data facility; wherein the connecting of the calls on the second port to the first port comprises: sending a message from the control process to the ACD process alerting the ACD process of a call and the identity of the second port; and sending a message from the ACD process to a voice switch and control arrangement on the first system, instructing the voice switch and control arrangement to establish a connection between the first and the second ports.