Patent ID: 8068597

Claim:
A method of processing a call with a client within an automatic contact distributor system, such method comprising the step of: providing a user agent application within a terminal of an agent of the automatic contact distributor system that functions as an interface for exchanging Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) commands; providing an agent state machine within the terminal of the agent that controls a plurality of call states of a connection of the call between the client and the agent where the agent state machine is different than the user agent application and assigning a server state machine within an automatic contact distributor of the contact distributor system to the call to control the agent terminal by tracking states of the agent state machine such that the server state machine assumes a state that corresponds to a current state of the agent state machine and by serving as a connection link between the client and the agent while retaining control of the call; receiving a SIP INVITE by the user agent application, the SIP INVITE composed and initiated from the server state machine of the automatic contact distributor of the automatic contact distribution system, requesting set-up of a communication link between the agent state machine and the server state machine; transferring the call from the automatic contact distributor to the agent in response to a return SIP message initiated by the agent to the server state machine of the automatic contact distributor, the server state machine readdressing and forwarding messages between the client and the agent; and depicting a state of the plurality of states of the call on a display of the terminal based upon a logical state of the state machine.