Abstract: A contact center, communication system, and method are disclosed. An illustrative contact center is disclosed as enabling customer interactions via a television. As the customer interacts with the contact center, context information regarding an environment surrounding the television can be obtained by the contact center and further used to enhance the customer's interaction with the contact center, for example, by establishing additional communication channels with the customer.

Abstract: A network communication bridge establishes communication between a computing system within a protected network and an external computing system. A registrar is positioned outside the protected network and registers authorized users. The registrar determines if the computing device associated with the user is publicly addressable, and for those computing devices that are not publicly addressable, the computing device maintains a persistent communication session with a bridge proxy server. The bridge proxy server employs a reversal or relaying technique to enable communication between two systems that cannot ordinarily establish communication with each other, based on characteristics of the two systems. If at least one party to a communication is publicly addressable, then a reversal technique is employed.

Abstract: Public safety access points (PSAP), such as 911 and e911 service providers, are often overwhelmed with information coming from a number of callers. As part of an initial assessment, a determination is often made as to whether two or more callers are calling about the same emergent event. If two or more callers are calling about the same emergent event, the callers and PSAP may interact at the same time but differently, such as different content or different media types. As a benefit, on-site activities may be coordinated in a manner that helps reduce the demands on PSAP resources and helps to facilitate a more accurate and appropriate response to the emergent event.

Abstract: Public safety access points (PSAP), such as 911 and e911 service providers, are often overwhelmed with information coming from a number of callers. As part of an initial assessment, a determination is often made as to whether two or more callers are calling about the same emergent event. If two or more callers are calling about the same emergent event, the callers and PSAP may interact at the same time but differently, such as different content or different media types. As a benefit, on-site activities may be coordinated in a manner that helps reduce the demands on PSAP resources and helps to facilitate a more accurate and appropriate response to the emergent event.

Abstract: Public safety access points (PSAP), such as 911 and e911 service providers, are often overwhelmed with information coming from a number of callers. As part of an initial assessment, a determination is often made as to whether two or more callers are calling about the same emergent event. If two or more callers are calling about the same emergent event, the callers and PSAP may interact at the same time via a data channel operable to convey one or more of text, voice, video, still images, video images, location information, and social media content. As a benefit, PSAP resource may obtain a more complete knowledge of the emergent situation and better coordinate mitigation activities for the emergent event.

Abstract: A contact center, communication system, and method are disclosed. An illustrative contact center is disclosed as enabling customer interactions via a television. As the customer interacts with the contact center, context information regarding an environment surrounding the television can be obtained by the contact center and further used to enhance the customer's interaction with the contact center, for example, by establishing additional communication channels with the customer.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for notifying one or more users of information having a plurality of attributes. A plurality of subscribable objects are provided to one or more users, where each subscribable object comprises one or more attributes as required attributes and zero or more of the attributes as optional attributes. Subscription requests are received from one or more of the users based on at least one of the subscribable objects. The subscribable objects are based, for example, on a set of predefined templates. The predefined templates identify each of the plurality of attributes as a required attribute or an optional attribute. Each of the attributes is presented to a user using a display format selected based on a cardinality of the corresponding attribute.

Abstract: External queue monitoring of contact center queues is provided as a means that may better service the customer and measure service level objectives. External queue monitoring provides the opportunity for real-time monitoring of the queue and modification of contact center operations, such as devices routing queue members, in response to queuing or enqueued customers.

Abstract: External queue monitoring of contact center queues is provided as a means that may better service the customer and measure service level objectives. External queue monitoring provides the opportunity for real-time monitoring of the queue and modification of contact center operations, such as devices routing queue members, in response to queuing or enqueued customers.

Abstract: A disclosed notification and response system enables applications to communicate with recipients using a number of different media. The notification and response system (i) sends requests to one or more recipients, using the medium specified by each individual recipient; (ii) collects and processes responses; and (iii) forwards the responses to their final destination by means of the medium specified by the final destination. Applications frame requests in at least one supported human language and media format, and the request is delivered to the appropriate recipient(s), according to their preferences. Communication flow expressions specify the recipients for a given request, and how, when and where each recipient shall receive the request. Requests are dynamically updated, and the parameters of a communication flow expression are not evaluated, until the request is delivered.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for subscribing to dynamic attributes. One or more users are notified of information having a plurality of attributes, including at least one dynamic attribute. According to one aspect of the invention, a user can enter a subscription request to be notified when the at least one dynamic attribute changes a value. For example, the subscription request can notify the user when the dynamic attribute (i) changes a value to one or more predefined values; (ii) changes to satisfy a user specified condition; or (iii) changes to a value within a specified range of values. The subscription request can optionally include one or more temporal conditions. For example, the temporal conditions can evaluate whether the dynamic attribute satisfied a value constraint during a given time interval.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for notifying one or more users of information having a plurality of attributes. A plurality of subscribable objects are provided to one or more users, where each subscribable object comprises one or more attributes as required attributes and zero or more of the attributes as optional attributes. Subscription requests are received from one or more of the users based on at least one of the subscribable objects. The subscribable objects are based, for example, on a set of predefined templates. The predefined templates identify each of the plurality of attributes as a required attribute or an optional attribute. Each of the attributes is presented to a user using a display format selected based on a cardinality of the corresponding attribute.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for automatic notification and response based on communication flow expressions having dynamic context. A message is provided from a sender to at least one recipient in accordance with a communication flow having a plurality of potential paths. The communication flow is controlled by a communication flow expression having a dynamic context, wherein the communication flow expression contains at least one primitive keyword indicating how the message should be processed. The dynamic context of the communication flow expression may be established using one or more labels or a context function. A number of primitive keywords are provided that allow a communication flow expression to react to a dynamic context.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for notifying one or more users of information, where the information has a plurality of attributes. A plurality of subscribable objects are provided to one or more of the users, where each of the subscribable objects comprises one or more of the plurality of attributes as required attributes and zero or more of the attributes as optional attributes. Subscription requests are received from one or more of the users based on at least one of the subscribable objects. The plurality of subscribable objects are based, for example, on a set of predefined templates. The predefined templates identify each of the plurality of attributes as a required attribute or an optional attribute. Each of the attributes is presented to a user using a display format selected based on a cardinality of the corresponding attribute. For example, the display format for a given attribute may comprise one or more of a user entry, a scrollable list and a check box.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for automatic notification and response based on communication flow expressions having dynamic context. A message is provided from a sender to at least one recipient in accordance with a communication flow having a plurality of potential paths. The communication flow is controlled by a communication flow expression having a dynamic context, wherein the communication flow expression contains at least one primitive keyword indicating how the message should be processed. The dynamic context of the communication flow expression may be established using one or more labels or a context function. A number of primitive keywords are provided that allow a communication flow expression to react to a dynamic context.

Abstract: An event notification system notifies one or more designated persons of an event or emergency that has been reported by an endpoint to a receiver. When a call is received by the receiver, an event notification process identifies the endpoint. One or more designated persons are identified that should be notified when a call is received from this endpoint. The notification message that is generated and optionally the particular designees that are notified can be based on information about the call. The event notification may be triggered by a received call. The designated persons can be notified by an event notification system using a communication flow expression according to the delivery preferences of each designated person. The disclosed event notification system optionally obtains the responses of the designees, and records the status of the notification process.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for dynamically adjusting membership of a communication flow expression in a notification and response system. A message is provided from a sender to at least one recipient in accordance with a communication flow having a plurality of potential paths. The communication flow is controlled by a communication flow expression that contains at least one primitive keyword for dynamically adjusting the at least one recipient. A plurality of the recipients included in the communication flow form an instant focus group. The recipients in the instant focus group can be notified of other recipients in the instant focus group and/or receive the responses of other recipients in the instant focus group. The communication flow expression contains primitive keywords for adding and removing recipients in the communication flow.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for notifying one or more users of information. One or more users are identified that have entered a subscription that matches the information; and a communication flow expression is generated that contains at least one primitive keyword indicating how a notification to the identified users should be processed. The communication flow expression may be provided, for example, to a third party for delivery. Typically, a request identifier is received back from the third party and forwarded to the application associated with the information. The communication flow expression comprises at least one recipient for the notification. The identified users may be required to have appropriate privileges associated with the information before being added to the communication flow expression.

Abstract: An arrangement maintains consistency among satellite databases and an integrated database that is the union of the satellite databases with a controller that fetches update requests from a queue and applies each fetched request to all of the databases, in sequence, ending with the integrated database. In applying a modification request to a target database, a filter is used that comprises two components. The first component processes the modification request submitted by the queue to a modification request that is appropriate for the schema of the target database and that is based on the data that is already present in the target database. When appropriate, the first component also creates an update request that is sent to the queue, to achieve transitive closure. The second component communicates with the target database, using the API and protocols of the target database.

Abstract: A disclosed notification and response system enables applications to communicate with recipients using a number of different media. The notification and response system (i) sends requests to one or more recipients, using the medium specified by each individual recipient; (ii) collects and processes responses; and (iii) forwards the responses to their final destination by means of the medium specified by the final destination. Applications frame requests in at least one supported human language and media format, and the request is delivered to the appropriate recipient(s), according to their preferences. Communication flow expressions specify the recipients for a given request, and how, when and where each recipient shall receive the request. Requests are dynamically updated, and the parameters of a communication flow expression are not evaluated, until the request is delivered.