65results about "Semi-automatic systems" patented technology

A method for operating an integrated communications system providing voice and data communications to a plurality of users and simulating a key system. An outside line appearance is provided on a telephone coupled to the system; the outside line appearance is associated with a predetermined outside telecommunications trunk and has associated therewith a button and a lighting implement. In response to activation of the button, a lighting condition of the lighting implement is changed and a dial tone to the telephone by the integrated system. Digits are entered by a user depressing keys on the telephone and collected by the system. Restriction rule are applied to determine if a telephone number dialed by the user is restricted, and if restricted an error tone is provided. Caller ID information may be determined for the user. A determination is made as to whether the outside telecommunications trunk is available, and if not available an error indication is provided, and if available the caller ID information is applied and a call is initiated via the predetermined outside telecommunications trunk. Upon completion of the call, call statistics for the call in the integrated system are recorded within the system. The integrated system simulates a key system for the user and the particular telecommunications trunk, wherein for other users the integrates provided PBX telephone services.

A system for enabling music to be provided to callers placed on hold in a LAN network used for voice communications. Bandwidth consumption is minimized by ensuring that music-on-hold is provided in a manner that enables most necessary tasks to be executed by a client instead of a server. In specific embodiment, the music-on-hold system is configured to transfer a small application program or applet, having a music file and a media player, from the server to the client if necessary. Concurrently, a real time protocol (RTP) stream carrying music is used to provide music to the client from the server during the applet transfer to ensure that the held caller receives music at all times. The RTP stream is initially used to provide music to held callers.

A system for monitoring incoming communications to a telecommunications device. The system includes a switch and a service control point in communication with each other. The switch is for detecting an incoming communication to the telecommunications device from a calling party, wherein the switch is in communication with the telecommunications device by a first communications link. The service control point is for receiving a first message from the switch regarding detection of the incoming communication and for sending a second message to a data communications device, the second message containing information regarding the calling party, wherein the service control point is in communications with the data communications device by a second communications link.

A client-server telephone call router system as part of a customer premises system has a client-server router adapted to execute on a telephony switch, such as a public branch exchange (PBX) or other telephony switch, or on a processor connected by CTI link to a telephony switch. The telephony switch or processor executing the router is connected to a local area network (LAN) that also interconnects computer workstations proximate to telephones connected to the telephony switch. Client user interface applications run on the computer workstations, allowing clients to edit routing rules for the router, which has a list of routing rules keyed to users and workstations of the customer premises system. The editing rules are kept by the router in portions dedicated to individual users. With this system a user can edit at a workstation on the LAN his\her own routing rules, and transmit the edits to the client-server router where the rules will be followed to route calls for that user and protocol.

A user calls a directory assistance service provider to search for a desired telephone number and be connected to a party at the desired number. In one such connection, the user is afforded enhanced directory assistance upon a user command in the form of an out-of-band signaling message, e.g., SS7 signaling message. For example, the user may be afforded further operator assistance by pressing on the user telephone a predetermined key (e.g., “*” key), which is detectable by the directory assistance service provider as an SS7 signaling message.

A call selection process in a call center is configured to utilize a continuum of skill levels, in one or more categories, for a given multi-skill agent. In an illustrative embodiment, categories of levels are associated with skills supported by the given agent, with each of the categories including a level, e.g., a numerical value, for each of the skills. The levels are used in a call selection computation that determines which of a number of waiting calls should be delivered to the agent. The categories may include, for example, a speed category including levels indicative of the speed at which the agent can process calls for each of the corresponding skills, a yield category including levels indicative of results likely to be obtainable by the agent for each of the corresponding skills, and a preference category including levels indicative of preferences of the agent for calls requiring each of the corresponding skills. The process may involve selecting different subsets of one or more of the categories in a given set of categories for use at different times, depending on factors such as call volume. The call selection computation may involve, for example, computing a value for each of the skills, as a function of the corresponding level or levels and a wait time measure, e.g., a current wait time, a predicted wait time, or a ratio of predicted wait time to a service objective, for a call in a corresponding skill queue.

A method and apparatus are provided for assigning agents of an automatic call distributor to incoming calls of a plurality of call types handled by the automatic call distributor. The method includes the steps of determining a target occupancy matrix including a target occupancy for each agent of the agents of the automatic call distributor for each call type of the plurality of call types. The method further includes the steps of processing a call of a first type of the types determined in the target occupancy matrix and assigning the call to an agent of the agents of the automatic call distributor with a largest relative difference between an actual occupancy of calls of the first type handled by the agent and the target occupancy of calls of the first type determined for the agent in the target occupancy matrix.

This invention relates to a novel method of providing location data of a 911 call placed by a cellular telephone. More particularly, this invention relates to combining transmitting circuitry in the cellular telephone and receiving circuitry in the landline telephone. When a 911 cellular telephone call is placed within proximity of a landline telephone i.e. the same house, apartment, office, business, school etc., an interaction takes place between the two enabled telephones. Upon receiving and decoding the RF transmission from the cell telephone-initiated by dialing 911-a pre-dialer, connected to the landline transmits the 911 call. The result is the landline customers ID [address] data being immediately displayed on the 911 operators' screen. Note: Type of transmission is available: radio wave transmission including spread spectrum, infra red, Blue Tooth.

Methods and apparatus for brokering food services are disclosed. The methods and apparatus described herein provide quality controlled room service to guests of hotels that do not otherwise have traditional room service available. A call center operator routes each call to the appropriate restaurant and stays on the phone line to monitor the call. The restaurant delivers the order and collects the appropriate fee. Quality of the call centers is controlled by performing periodic tests of the call centers.

The present invention relates to providing precise location data to a 911 operator of a cell phone operator who initiates a 9-1-1 call and, more particularly, to the interaction of transmitting circuitry in a cellular telephone and complementary receiving circuitry in a landline telephone or stand-alone unit. When a cellular 9-1-1 call is made within proximity of a landline telephone or a stand-alone unit, an interaction takes place between the enabled cell phone and the landline telephone. Upon receiving and decoding the cellular transmission, the landline telephone or stand-alone unit transmits a 9-1-1 call which provides more precise location data (in the form of the landline telephone's subscriber's identification) to a 911 operator than if the 9-1-1 call was simply connected to the operator from the cell phone. The present invention has further applications for locating a 9-1-1 call from a landline telephone connected through a PBX-type master switching box.

A telephone call processing system and method for providing operator service. The system maintains a number of customer directories, each customer directory having information pertaining to a number of subscribers of the customer. When an incoming telephone call is received by the system, the system automatically identifies the customer directory corresponding to the customer indicated by the telephone number dialed by the caller. Upon locating the appropriate customer directory, the system automatically switches access by the system operator thereto. Thereafter, the system operator may perform a search in the customer directory for the subscriber who the caller wishes to contact. Upon successfully locating information pertaining to the subscriber in the customer directory, the subscriber information may be communicated to the caller.

An operator number setting control unit 45 sets the number of contracted operators for a commissioned call center service in response to a request of a user. A log-in time collecting control unit 42 calculates the log-in time of the operator. A log-in time computing unit 43 adds respective log-in times for each user. A billed service charge computing device 44 calculates an amount of charge billed in accordance with the total sum of log-in time added for each user. A charge is calculated and billed as such for the amount of use of commissioned call center services in accordance with the usage pattern of users, thereby promoting the commissioning of call center services and making it possible to operate a call center system without a huge amount of capital investment.

A mobile telephone, or personal communication services subscriber who wishes directory assistance services is connected in the conventional manner to an operator who identifies a destination telephone number desired by the subscriber. As known in the prior art, the operator then initiates a call connecting the subscriber to the destination telephone number. In a preferred embodiment, the operator locates a desired destination telephone number in a computer database, and can select automatic dialing of the located number. Further, rather than dropping all further involvement with the call, the preferred embodiment of the present invention continually monitors the connection thereby established for a predetermined DTMF signal issued by the customer, such as that obtained by pressing the “★” button. If such a signal is detected, the customer is transferred to a directory assistance operator, who can then provide whatever further assistance is needed (e.g., providing further directory assistance). If a busy signal or non-answering party is detected, a customer is given a plurality of options including leaving a recorded message or page, or a predetermined alphanumeric message or page for the called party. In this case, the system automatically tries, repeatedly, to deliver the recorded message or page and, optionally, confirms successful or failed message delivery to the calling party.

A method and apparatus for call-limiting one or more candidate calls received by a router is disclosed. The method and apparatus may be configured to determine whether ringing one or more candidate calls will exceed a predetermined power limit. If ringing the calls will not exceed said power limit, the calls may be forwarded. If ringing the calls will exceed the power limit, the calls may be placed in a queue.

A multi-call-center operations system is provided with a collective operator management device for determining an increase or a decrease in the number of operators in charge of outbound service at each of call centers and for transferring the resulting determination to an associated call center, and collectively manages at one location the number of operators in charge of outbound service at a plurality of call centers. The human resource of a call center and the facility resource dependent also on the number of operators are effectively used. Databases are also efficiently maintained and toll charges for calls to customers are minimized, thereby minimizing the overall cost of operating the call center.