US5633924A — Telecommunication network with integrated network…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 251 words

An automatic call distribution (ACD) network that supports the distribution of incoming calls to a plurality of agent communication terminals (ACTs) coupled to the network, whereby agents using associated ACTs answer incoming calls for which ACD service is provided, the ACD network comprising: a first telecommunication switch that receives and holds one of said incoming calls; a plurality of second destination telecommunication switches coupled between said first switch and ACTs for connecting said incoming calls to said ACTs; an integrated control system coupled to said first and second switches for controlling the distribution of incoming calls among individual ACTs, the system including: agent queue means for storing agent availability (AA) data indicative of the availability of each individual ACT to accept an incoming call; call queue means for storing call waiting data for each incoming call that cannot be initially serviced; and control node means coupled to said agent queue means and call queue means for selecting a specific ACT to accept said one call based on said AA data and call waiting data, said control node means sending routing instructions to the first switch at which the one call is held awaiting said routing instructions, said routing instructions causing said first switch to route the one call to one of said second switches that supports the selected ACT, said control node means also sending routing instructions that identify said selected ACT to the one of the second switches, whereby calls awaiting ACD service are handled on a network wide basis.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 251 words

An automatic call distribution (ACD) network that supports the distribution of incoming calls to a plurality of agent communication terminals (ACTs) coupled to the network, whereby agents using associated ACTs answer incoming calls for which ACD service is provided, the ACD network comprising: a first telecommunication switch that receives and holds one of said incoming calls; a plurality of second destination telecommunication switches coupled between said first switch and ACTs for connecting said incoming calls to said ACTs; an integrated control system coupled to said first and second switches for controlling the distribution of incoming calls among individual ACTs, the system including: agent queue means for storing agent availability (AA) data indicative of the availability of each individual ACT to accept an incoming call; call queue means for storing call waiting data for each incoming call that cannot be initially serviced; and control node means coupled to said agent queue means and call queue means for selecting a specific ACT to accept said one call based on said AA data and call waiting data, said control node means sending routing instructions to the first switch at which the one call is held awaiting said routing instructions, said routing instructions causing said first switch to route the one call to one of said second switches that supports the selected ACT, said control node means also sending routing instructions that identify said selected ACT to the one of the second switches, whereby calls awaiting ACD service are handled on a network wide basis.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 48 words

The network according claim 1 wherein said agent queue means comprises a data storage queue that stores availability data for each ACT coupled to said network so that incoming calls for each ACD subscriber will be handled based on the availability of all agents that support said subscriber.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 29 words

The network according claim 2 wherein said agent queue means comprises a single data storage queue that collects and stores availability data for each ACT coupled to said network.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 60 words

The network according claim 1 wherein said control node means routes incoming calls awaiting ACD service to an available specific ACT on a first in, first out basis so that a call having the longest waiting time is selected to be routed to the next available ACT that can service the call in order to minimize time spent awaiting service.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 62 words

The network according claim 4 wherein said control node means selects one specific ACT from among a plurality of availability ACTs based on said AA data, said control node means selecting said one specific ACT that has been available for the longest time to implement such selecting on a first in, first out basis to equalize the distribution of call to ACTs.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 62 words

The network according claim 1 wherein said control node means selects one specific ACT from among a plurality of availability ACTs based on said AA data, said control node means selecting said one specific ACT that has been available for the longest time to implement such selecting on a first in, first out basis to equalize the distribution of call to ACTs.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 84 words

The network according claim 1 wherein a certain subscriber has first and second groups of ACTs that are associated with first and second subject matter areas, respectively, said control node means comprising means for rerouting a call initially routed to said first group so that said rerouted call is handled as if it had been directed to said second group when said second group of ACTs has a specific ACT that becomes available prior to the availability of an ACT in said first group.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 47 words

The network according claim 1 wherein said control node means further comprises means for sending instructions to a long distance switch, from which a call request for an ACT entered said system, to hold the call associated with said call request pending the availability of an ACT.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 42 words

The network according claim 1 wherein said control node means further comprises means for sending instructions to one of the telecommunication switches associated with the specific ACT to receive an incoming call to hold a corresponding call pending availability of an ACT.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 42 words

The network according claim 1 further comprising means coupled to said control node means for storing subscriber handling instructions, said consol node means selecting one ACT from among a plurality of available ACTs based on said AA data and subscriber handling instructions.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 46 words

The network according claim 10 further comprising means coupled to said control node means for storing subscriber handling instructions, said control node means selecting one incoming call from among a plurality of calls awaiting ACD service based on said call waiting data and subscriber handling instructions.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 46 words

The network according claim 1 further comprising means coupled to said control node means for storing subscriber handling instructions, said control node means selecting one incoming call from among a plurality of calls awaiting ACD service based on said call waiting data and subscriber handling instructions.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 194 words

An automatic call distribution (ACD) control network that supports the distribution of incoming calls to a plurality of agent communication terminals (ACTs) coupled to the network, whereby agents using associated ACTs answer incoming calls for which ACD service is provided, the network comprising: agent queue means for storing agent availability (AA) data indicative of the availability of each individual ACT to accept an incoming call; call queue means for storing call waiting data for each incoming call that cannot be initially serviced; and control node means coupled to said agent queue means and call queue means for selecting a specific ACT to accept a call awaiting ACD service based on said AA data and call waiting data, said control node means sending routing instructions to a first switch at which one of the incoming calls is held awaiting said routing instructions, said routing instructions causing said first switch to route the one call to a destination switch that supports the selected ACT, said control node means also sending routing instructions that identify said selected ACT to the one of the second switches, whereby calls awaiting ACD service are handled on a network wide basis.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 194 words

An automatic call distribution (ACD) control network that supports the distribution of incoming calls to a plurality of agent communication terminals (ACTs) coupled to the network, whereby agents using associated ACTs answer incoming calls for which ACD service is provided, the network comprising: agent queue means for storing agent availability (AA) data indicative of the availability of each individual ACT to accept an incoming call; call queue means for storing call waiting data for each incoming call that cannot be initially serviced; and control node means coupled to said agent queue means and call queue means for selecting a specific ACT to accept a call awaiting ACD service based on said AA data and call waiting data, said control node means sending routing instructions to a first switch at which one of the incoming calls is held awaiting said routing instructions, said routing instructions causing said first switch to route the one call to a destination switch that supports the selected ACT, said control node means also sending routing instructions that identify said selected ACT to the one of the second switches, whereby calls awaiting ACD service are handled on a network wide basis.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 50 words

The network according claim 13 wherein said agent queue means comprises a data storage queue that stores real time availability data for each ACT couple to said network so that incoming calls for each ACD subscriber will be handled based on the availability of all agents that support said subscriber.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 30 words

The network according claim 14 wherein said agent queue means comprises a single data storage queue that collects and stores availability data for each individual ACT coupled to said network.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 60 words

The network according claim 13 wherein said control node means routes incoming calls awaiting ACD service to a specific available ACT on a first in, first out basis so that a call having the longest waiting time is selected to be routed to the next available ACT that can service the call in order to minimize time spent awaiting service.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 62 words

The network according claim 16 wherein said control node means selects one specific ACT from among a plurality of availability ACTs based on said AA data, said control node means selecting said one specific ACT that has been available for the longest time to implement such selecting on a first in, first out basis to equalize the distribution of call to ACTs.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 62 words

The network according claim 13 wherein said control node means selects one specific ACT from among a plurality of availability ACTs based on said AA data, said control node means selecting said one specific ACT that has been available for the longest time to implement such selecting on a first in, first out basis to equalize the distribution of call to ACTs.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 84 words

The network according claim 13 wherein a certain subscriber has first and second groups of ACTs that are associated with first and second subject matter areas, respectively, said control node means comprising means for rerouting a call initially routed to said first group so that said rerouted call is handled as if it had been directed to said second group when said second group of ACTs has a specific ACT that becomes available prior to the availability of an ACT in said first group.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 48 words

The network according claim 13 wherein said control node means further comprises means for sending instructions to a long distance switch, from which a call request for an ACT entered said network, to hold the call associated with said call request pending the availability of a specific ACT.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 43 words

The network according claim 13 wherein said control node means further comprises means for sending instructions to one of the telecommunication switches associated with the specific ACT to receive an incoming call to hold a corresponding call pending availability of the specific ACT.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 43 words

The network according claim 13 further comprising means coupled to said control node means for storing subscriber handling instructions, said control node means selecting one specific ACT from among a plurality of available ACTs based on said AA data and subscriber handling instructions.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 46 words

The network according claim 22 further comprising means coupled to said control node means for storing subscriber handling instructions, said control node means selecting one incoming call from among a plurality of calls awaiting ACD service based on said call waiting data and subscriber handling instructions.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 46 words

The network according claim 13 further comprising means coupled to said control node means for storing subscriber handling instructions, said control node means selecting one incoming call from among a plurality of calls awaiting ACD service based on said call waiting data and subscriber handling instructions.

Claim 27

Independent Claim 202 words

A method for providing network-wide automatic call distribution (ACD) in a network that supports the distribution of incoming calls to a plurality of agent communication terminals (ACTs) coupled to the network, whereby agents using associated ACTs answer incoming calls for which ACD service is provided, the method comprising the steps of: storing agent availability (AA) data indicative of the availability of each individual ACT to accept an incoming call in an agent queue; storing call waiting data in a call queue for each incoming call that cannot be initially serviced due to the unavailability of an appropriate ACT to accept the call as determined by said AA data; selecting a specific ACT to accept a call awaiting ACD service based on said AA data and call waiting data; and sending routing instructions to a first switch at which one of the incoming calls is held awaiting said routing instructions, said routing instructions causing said first switch to route the one call to a destination switch that supports the selected ACT, said control node means also sending routing instructions that identify said selected ACT to the one of the second switches, whereby calls awaiting ACD service are handled on a network wide basis.

Claim 28

Independent Claim 202 words

A method for providing network-wide automatic call distribution (ACD) in a network that supports the distribution of incoming calls to a plurality of agent communication terminals (ACTs) coupled to the network, whereby agents using associated ACTs answer incoming calls for which ACD service is provided, the method comprising the steps of: storing agent availability (AA) data indicative of the availability of each individual ACT to accept an incoming call in an agent queue; storing call waiting data in a call queue for each incoming call that cannot be initially serviced due to the unavailability of an appropriate ACT to accept the call as determined by said AA data; selecting a specific ACT to accept a call awaiting ACD service based on said AA data and call waiting data; and sending routing instructions to a first switch at which one of the incoming calls is held awaiting said routing instructions, said routing instructions causing said first switch to route the one call to a destination switch that supports the selected ACT, said control node means also sending routing instructions that identify said selected ACT to the one of the second switches, whereby calls awaiting ACD service are handled on a network wide basis.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 50 words

The method according claim 25 wherein said step of storing AA data comprises the step of storing real time availability data for each ACT coupled to said network so that incoming calls for each ACD subscriber will be handled based on the availability of all agents that support said subscriber.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 41 words

The method according claim 26 wherein said step of storing AA data comprises the step of storing availability data for each ACT in a single data storage queue that collects and stores availability data for each ACT coupled to said network.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 59 words

The method according claim 25 further comprising the step of routing incoming calls awaiting ACD service to an available ACT on a first in, first out basis so that a call having the longest waiting time is selected to be routed to the next available ACT that can service the call in order to minimize time spent awaiting service.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 58 words

The method according claim 28 further comprising the step of selecting one specific ACT from among a plurality of availability ACTs based on said AA data, said one specific ACT selected being the one with the longest availability time to implement such selecting on a first in, first out basis to equalize the distribution of call to ACTs.

Claim 33

Dependent Claim 58 words

The method according claim 25 further comprising the step of selecting one specific ACT from among a plurality of availability ACTs based on said AA data, said one specific ACT selected being the one with the longest availability time to implement such selecting on a first in, first out basis to equalize the distribution of call to ACTs.

Claim 34

Dependent Claim 73 words

The method according claim 25 wherein a certain subscriber has first and second groups of ACTs that are associated with first and second subject matter areas, respectively, the method further comprising the step of the rerouted call being handled as if it had been directed to said second group when said second group of ACTs has a specific ACT that becomes available prior to the availability of an ACT in said first group.

Claim 35

Dependent Claim 44 words

The method according claim 25 further comprising the step of sending instructions to a long distance switch, from which a call request for an ACT entered said network, to hold the call associated with said call request pending the availability of a specific ACT.

Claim 36

Dependent Claim 37 words

The method according claim 25 further comprising the step of sending instructions to one of the telecommunication switches associated with an ACT to receive an incoming call to hold a corresponding call pending availability of an ACT.

Claim 37

Dependent Claim 37 words

The method according claim 25 further comprising the step of storing subscriber handling instructions, said selecting step selecting one specific ACT from among a plurality of availability ACTs based on said AA data and subscriber handling instructions.

Claim 38

Dependent Claim 40 words

The method according claim 34 further comprising the step of storing subscriber handling instructions, said selecting step selecting one incoming call from among a plurality of calls awaiting ACD service based on said call waiting data and subscriber handling instructions.

Claim 39

Dependent Claim 40 words

The method according claim 25 further comprising the step of storing subscriber handling instructions, said selecting step selecting one incoming call from among a plurality of calls awaiting ACD service based on said call waiting data and subscriber handling instructions.

Claim 40

Independent Claim 159 words

A method for providing automatic call distribution (ACD) for incoming calls to a plurality of agent communication terminals (ACTs) connected to a first network, another network carries the incoming calls to the first network, the method comprising the steps of: receiving one of the incoming calls at a first switch in the another network, the ACTs from which service is sought by said one call is supported by a second switch in the first network; holding said one call at the first switch and not routing the call to said second switch until routing instructions for the one call are received at the first switch; determining if one of the ACTs is available to receive the one call based on ACT availability; and sending said routing instructions to the first switch only after the availability of the one ACT is determined, whereby incoming calls are routed through the another network only after an ACT availability determination has been made.

Claim 41

Independent Claim 159 words

A method for providing automatic call distribution (ACD) for incoming calls to a plurality of agent communication terminals (ACTs) connected to a first network, another network carries the incoming calls to the first network, the method comprising the steps of: receiving one of the incoming calls at a first switch in the another network, the ACTs from which service is sought by said one call is supported by a second switch in the first network; holding said one call at the first switch and not routing the call to said second switch until routing instructions for the one call are received at the first switch; determining if one of the ACTs is available to receive the one call based on ACT availability; and sending said routing instructions to the first switch only after the availability of the one ACT is determined, whereby incoming calls are routed through the another network only after an ACT availability determination has been made.

Claim 42

Dependent Claim 41 words

The method according to claim 37 wherein said sending step further comprises the step of sending said routing instructions to the first switch only after a specific one of the ACTs is determined to be available to handle the one call.

Claim 43

Dependent Claim 28 words

The method according to claim 37 wherein said determining step is implemented by the another network based on ACT availability data received and stored by the another network.

Claim 44

Dependent Claim 181 words

An automatic call distribution (ACD) control apparatus that controls the routing of incoming calls to a plurality of agent communication terminals (ACTs) supported by a first network, another network carries the incoming calls to the first network, the control apparatus comprising: first means coupled to the another network for receiving and storing agent availability data indicative of the availability of each ACT to accept the incoming calls; second means, coupled to the another network and first means, for receiving a call request associated with one of the incoming calls; means, coupled to said first and second means, for determining if one of the ACTs is available to receive the one incoming call based on ACT availability; and means coupled to said determining means for sending routing instructions to a first switch in the another network which received said call request, said sending means sending the routing instructions when said determining means has determined the one ACT to handle the one call so that the one incoming call is not routed through the another network until an available ACT has been determined.

Claim 45

Dependent Claim 181 words

An automatic call distribution (ACD) control apparatus that controls the routing of incoming calls to a plurality of agent communication terminals (ACTs) supported by a first network, another network carries the incoming calls to the first network, the control apparatus comprising: first means coupled to the another network for receiving and storing agent availability data indicative of the availability of each ACT to accept the incoming calls; second means, coupled to the another network and first means, for receiving a call request associated with one of the incoming calls; means, coupled to said first and second means, for determining if one of the ACTs is available to receive the one incoming call based on ACT availability; and means coupled to said determining means for sending routing instructions to a first switch in the another network which received said call request, said sending means sending the routing instructions when said determining means has determined the one ACT to handle the one call so that the one incoming call is not routed through the another network until an available ACT has been determined.

Claim 46

Dependent Claim 37 words

The control apparatus according to claim 40 wherein said sending means sends said routing instructions to the first switch only after a specific one of the ACTs is determined to be available to handle the one call.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2000-05-26	2000-11-25	2001-05-27	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2004-05-26	2004-11-25	2005-05-27	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2008-05-26	2008-11-25	2009-05-27	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Telecommunication network with integrated network-wide automatic call distribution

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