Method and apparatus for allocating mixed transaction type messages to resources via an integrated queuing mechanism

US6449646B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Aspect Communications · US

Inventors

• Scott Sikora · Seattle, US
• Nakul M. Lele · Mountain View, US
• Rajnish Tahiliani · Lake Forest, US
• Ben Yip · Parramatta, AU
• Henry Mingkeung Yeung · Sunnyvale, US
• Timothy Merrell · Redmond, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 13, 1998
• Grant date: Sep 10, 2002
• Expiry date: Oct 13, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04M3/5232
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

An apparatus for routing a transaction message, such as for example a telephone call, e-mail, web chat request, video conferencing session, or non-call event, includes a queue engine and a transaction message router. The queue engine provides an integrated mechanism for queuing transaction messages of varying transaction types within a number of queues according to transaction type. Each queue within the queue engine may be dedicated to queuing transaction messages of a specific transaction type. The transaction message router functions to identify a queue within the queue engine within which a transaction message is to be stored. The identification of a queue by the router may be performed with reference to the transaction type of a transaction message, and with reference to context or addressing information associated with a transaction message. Transaction messages of all transaction types are serviced by a single resource allocator that distributes transaction messages from the queues of the queue engine 44 to a resource, such as an agent.