Abstract:
A method of establishing calls with call centers that have heterogeneous hardware and software is disclosed. In particular, the data processing system for establishing a call selects one or more terminals for call based on the set of capabilities of the respective terminals and on the quality-of-service parameters that characterize the telecommunications channels connecting the terminals.

Description:
[0001]    The present invention relates to telecommunications in general, and, more particularly, to call routing in call centers. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]    Telecommunications call centers are common for handling large numbers of incoming calls for account management and tech support and for handling large numbers of outgoing calls for telephone sales. When call centers grow, however, there can be problems integrating new equipment because the new equipment can have different characteristics than the old equipment. Furthermore, as technology progresses the equipment that customers have can become mismatched with the equipment in the call center. Therefore, the need exists for a solution to this problem. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]    The present invention enables the establishment of calls with call centers that have heterogeneous hardware and software without some of the costs and disadvantages for doing so in the prior art. In particular, the data processing system for establishing a call selects one or more terminals for call based on the set of capabilities of the respective terminals and on the quality-of-service parameters that characterize the telecommunications channels connecting the terminals. 
         [0004]    The illustrative embodiment comprises: 
         [0005]    establishing a call at a data processing system between a first telecommunications terminal and exactly one of:
       (i) a second telecommunications terminal, and   (ii) a third telecommunications terminal;       
 
         [0008]    wherein the first telecommunications terminal is connected to the data processing system via a first telecommunications channel that is characterized by a first set of quality-of-service parameters; 
         [0009]    wherein the second telecommunications terminal is connected to the data processing system via a second telecommunications channel that is characterized by a second set of quality-of-service parameters; 
         [0010]    wherein the third telecommunications terminal is connected to the data processing system via a third telecommunications channel that is characterized by a third set of quality-of-service parameters; and 
         [0011]    wherein establishing the call comprises: deciding which of the second telecommunications terminal and the third telecommunications terminal to connect to the first telecommunications terminal based, at least in part, on the first set of quality-of-service parameters, the second set of quality-of-service parameters, and the third set of quality-of-service parameters. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  depicts telecommunications system  100  in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  depicts a flowchart of the salient tasks associated with the operation of the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  depicts a flowchart of the salient tasks associated with the task  202 , as described above. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0015]      FIG. 1  depicts telecommunications system  100  in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. System  100  comprises telecommunications terminals  101 - 1  through  101 - 6 , telecommunications channels  111 - 1  through  111 - 6 , telecommunications network  121 , and data processing system  122 , interconnected as shown. 
         [0016]    In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, telecommunications terminals  101 - 1  through  101 - 3 , telecommunications channels  111 - 1  through  111 - 3 , and telecommunications network  121  are outside the scope of a call center. In contrast, telecommunications terminals  101 - 4  through  101 - 6 , telecommunications channels  111 - 4  through  111 - 6 , and data processing system  122  are inside the scope of the call center. 
         [0017]    Although the illustrative embodiment comprises six (6) telecommunications terminals, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention that comprises any number of telecommunications terminals. Although the illustrative embodiment comprises three telecommunications terminals outside of the call center, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention that comprise any number of telecommunications terminals outside of the call center. Although the illustrative embodiment comprises three telecommunications terminals inside of the call center, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention that comprises any number of telecommunications terminals inside of the call center. 
         [0018]    Each of telecommunications terminals  101 - 1  through  101 - 6  is capable of providing a telecommunications interface to a user through a set of terminal capabilities. For the purposes of this specification, a set of terminal capabilities comprises:
       i. audio at one or more qualities, or   ii. video at one or more quantities, or   iii. haptics at one or more qualities, or   iv. service by one or more protocol services (e.g., POP3, HTTP, etc.), or   v. any combination of i, ii, and iii.
 
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, at least two of telecommunications terminals  101 - 1  through  101 - 6  are heterogeneous based on their terminal capabilities. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use each of telecommunications terminals  101 - 1  through  101 - 6 .
       
 
         [0024]    Each of telecommunications channels  111 - 1  through  111 - 6  is characterized by a set of quality-of-service parameters. For the purposes of this specification, a set of quality-of-service parameters comprises:
       i. a bandwidth parameter (which includes its time-derivatives), or   ii. a latency parameter (which includes its time-derivatives such as jitter), or   iii. an error-rate parameter (which includes its time-derivatives), or   iv. any combination of i, ii, and iii.
 
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, at least two of telecommunications channels  111 - 1  through  111 - 6  are heterogenous based on their set of quality-of-service parameters. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use each of telecommunications channels  111 - 1  through  111 - 6 .
       
 
         [0029]    Telecommunications network  121  provides the connectivity between telecommunications terminals  101 - 1  through  101 - 3  and data processing system  122 . Telecommunications network  121  can comprise:
       i. the Public Switched Telephone Network, or   ii. the Internet, or   iii. one or more wireline networks, or   iv. one or more wireless networks, or   v. any combination of i, ii, iii, and iv.
 
It will be clear to those skilled in the art, how to make and use telecommunications network  121 .
       
 
         [0035]    Data processing system  122  is a combination of hardware and software that is capable of performing the functionality described below and in the accompanying figures. In general, data processing system  122  establishes a call between two or more of telecommunications terminals  101 - 1  through  101 - 6  based on:
       i. the capabilities of the respective terminals, or   ii. the set of quality-of-service parameters associated with the telecommunications channel that connects the respective terminals, or   iii. both i and ii.       
 
         [0039]      FIG. 2  depicts a flowchart of the salient tasks associated with the operation of the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0040]    At task  201 , a call is initiated by telecommunications terminal  101 - 1  in well-known fashion to an address (e.g., telephone number, IP address, Skype address, etc.) associated with data processing system  122 . It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this specification, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the call is initiated by data processing system  122  itself or by any of telecommunications terminals  101 - 2  through  101 - 6 . 
         [0041]    At task  202 , data processing system  122  establishes the call between telecommunications terminal  101 - 1  and exactly one of telecommunications terminals  101 - 4  and  101 - 5 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the call can also be established with one or more of telecommunications terminals  101 - 2 ,  101 - 3 , and  101 - 6 , but only with exactly one of telecommunications terminals  101 - 4  and  101 - 5 . The details of task  202  are described below and in the accompanying figures. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the call is established by data processing system  122  between any two or more of telecommunications terminals  101 - 1  through  101 - 6 . 
         [0042]    At task  203 , the call is terminated in well-known fashion by either data processing system  122  or by any of the telecommunications terminals associated with the call. 
         [0043]      FIG. 3  depicts a flowchart of the salient tasks associated with the task  202 , as described above. 
         [0044]    At task  301 , data processing system  122  decides which of telecommunications terminals  101 - 4  and  101 - 5  to establish the call with based, at least in part, on:
       i. the set of terminal capabilities of telecommunications terminal  101 - 1 , or   ii. the set of terminal capabilities of telecommunications terminal  101 - 4 , or   iii. the set of terminal capabilities of telecommunications terminal  101 - 5 , or   iv. the set of quality-of-service parameters of telecommunications channel  111 - 1 , or   v. the set of quality-of-service parameters of telecommunications channel  111 - 4 , or   vi. the set of quality-of-service parameters of telecommunications channel  111 - 5 , or   vii. any combination of i, ii, iii, iv, v, and vi.       
 
         [0052]    In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, data processing system  122  tries to match the capabilities of the telecommunications terminals and the quality-of-service parameters of their respective telecommunications channels so as to not waste resources. 
         [0053]    It is to be understood that the disclosure teaches just one example of the illustrative embodiment and that many variations of the invention can easily be devised by those skilled in the art after reading this disclosure and that the scope of the present invention is to be determined by the following claims.