Patents Assigned to West Corporation
  • Identifying recorded call data segments of interest
    Patent number: 9749465
    Abstract: A method and apparatus of processing a voice call are disclosed. One example method of operation may include recording at least a portion of a conference call and storing the portion of the conference call in memory. The method may also include processing the portion of the conference call to identify at least one segment of interest and processing the at least one segment of interest and creating at least one tag of interest to be associated with a third party application. The method may also include forwarding the at least one tag of interest to a third party computing device responsive to the identified segment of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey William Cordell, James K. Boutcher, David Scheet
  • Customer callback reward system and method
    Patent number: 9742917
    Abstract: A system, method and non-transitory computer readable medium including computer-executable instructions for handling calls. In an exemplary method of the disclosure, it may be determined whether a call should be transferred from the VSS to an agent based on, for example, agent availability or queue wait times. When it is determined to transfer the call to the agent, it may be determined whether a callback call should be offered to the caller. When it is determined to offer the callback call, one or more time blocks may be provided to which the caller can initiate the callback call to receive higher priority routing. Upon calling back into the system within one of the time blocks, the call may receive preferential routing treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventor: Duane Blaesi
  • Applying user preferences, behavioral patterns and/or environmental factors to an automated customer support application
    Patent number: 9741056
    Abstract: A method and apparatus of applying user profile information to a customized application are disclosed. One example method of operation may include receiving an inquiry from a user device at a customer call center server and identifying and authorizing the user from the received inquiry. The method may also provide retrieving a user profile from memory that includes history information based on previous interactions between the user device and the customer call center server and calculating a prediction as to a purpose for the inquiry. The prediction may be based on user profile history, social networking profile information, recent transactions, etc. The method may also provide transmitting a response to the inquiry based on the calculated prediction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventor: Craig A. Webster
  • Passive outdial support for mobile devices via WAP push of an MVSS URL
    Patent number: 9736207
    Abstract: A Mobile Voice Self Service (MVSS) system that may include an MVSS mobile device and a client system. The system may be used to provide passive outdial support for a mobile device via WAP Push of an MVSS URL. The MVSS mobile device may have various local applications such as a bootstrap application and an outdial application. The client system may include an application server to deliver an MVSS file to the MVSS mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: WEST CORPORATION
    Inventor: Chad Daniel Fox
  • Customer service call processing and support agent access application
    Patent number: 9729720
    Abstract: Disclosed are a method and apparatus of receiving and processing customer support calls. The calls may be initiated from a mobile/wireless device via a call function or via a mobile device application. An example method of operation may provide receiving a call from the mobile device at a call processing server configured to route the call to an appropriate destination. The call processing server may perform identifying a purpose associated with the call and transmitting the call to the message redirect call processing module responsive to identifying the purpose of the call as a request for customer service support. Also, the server may also perform creating a redirect message instructing the mobile device to initiate a customer service support application that operates via a data network, and transmitting the redirect message to the mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventors: Mahendra Varman, Craig A. Webster, Jil M. Fisher
  • Performing automated event services to registered end users
    Patent number: 9729723
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed of transmitting live event notification information to a user device. One example method may include retrieving event user preference information from an event user database based on prestored user preferences. The method may also include transmitting an initial event notification message to an end user communication device based on the event user preference information to notify the end user of an upcoming event and receiving a response message from the end user communication device indicating a current availability of the end user. The user device may receive notification information via more than one communication channel and respond in a number of different ways.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey William Cordell, Michael T. Mateer, Chad David Hendren
  • Reduction in network congestion
    Patent number: 9723134
    Abstract: A system, method and non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that when read by a processor perform receiving a telephony connection request at a location in a telephony network, the location separated from an intended recipient of the telephony connection request by a target telephony network, determining addressing information regarding the intended recipient, the addressing information including at least routing information or a phone number, determining a status characteristic of the intended recipient based on the addressing information, based on the status characteristic, and determining whether the intended recipient would successfully receive the telephony connection request if the telephony connection request was forwarded to the intended recipient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventor: Douglas L. Davis
  • Reduction in network congestion
    Patent number: 9699302
    Abstract: A system, method and non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that when read by a processor perform receiving a telephony connection request, determining addressing information regarding the telephony connection request, the addressing information including at least routing information or a phone number, determining traffic information regarding the telephony connection request based on the addressing information, the traffic information including previous telephony connection requests, sending a reply in response to the telephony connection request, wherein: forwarding the telephony connection request to an intended recipient would result in a system response, and the reply differs from the system response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventor: Douglas L. Davis
  • Strategic intelligent decision engine
    Patent number: 9692900
    Abstract: One or more embodiments of the present invention pertains to an apparatus and method that detects a condition of the customer when an incoming call is received from a customer and directs or transfers the customer to an agent to service the customer based on the detected condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: WEST CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sammy Sufian, Kevin Welch, Benjamin Foster Matthews, Steve Hervey, Stephanie Stokes
  • Reduction in network congestion
    Patent number: 9686401
    Abstract: A system, method and non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that when read by a processor perform receiving a telephony connection request at a location in a telephony network, the location separated from the intended recipient of the telephony connection request by a target telephony network, determining addressing information regarding the intended recipient, the addressing information including at least routing information or a phone number, accessing a do-not-call list, the do-not-call-list including one or more telephony recipients and recipient addressing information for each telephony recipient, the recipient addressing information including at least routing information or a phone number, and determining whether the target addressing information matches any recipient addressing information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventor: Douglas L. Davis
  • Applying user preferences, behavioral patterns and/or environmental factors to an automated customer support application
    Patent number: 9686409
    Abstract: A method and apparatus of applying user profile information to a customized application are disclosed. One example method of operation may include receiving an inquiry message or call from a user device, identifying and authorizing the user from inquiry message information received from the inquiry message, retrieving a user profile comprising at least one user preference, applying the at least one user preference to a user call processing application, and transmitting menu options to the user device based on the applied at least user preference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventor: Craig A. Webster
  • Conference call information sharing via interaction with social networking data
    Patent number: 9686413
    Abstract: Examples of associating user information from social network sites with a conference call application may include a series of operations. One example operation may provide receiving a command to share at least one social networking application with a scheduled conference call and accessing an application programming interface (API) of the social networking application, and sharing user profile information with a graphical user interface (GUI) application of the scheduled conference call corresponding to the command to share the social networking application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventors: Michael J. Moore, Bruce Pollock
  • IVR engagements and upfront background noise
    Patent number: 9680992
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention pertain to reducing or eliminating speech recognition error when background noise is detected at a caller's location. For example, when background noise is detected at the caller's location, the caller may be prompted to use dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventor: Shelley L. Moore
  • Identifying recorded call data segments of interest
    Patent number: 9680991
    Abstract: A method and apparatus of processing a voice call are disclosed. One example method of operation may include recording at least a portion of a conference call and storing the portion of the conference call in memory. The method may also include processing the portion of the conference call to identify at least one segment of interest and adding the at least one segment of interest to an existing work order associated with a third party application. The method may further provide forwarding the at least one segment of interest to a third party computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventors: James K. Boutcher, David Scheet, Jeffrey William Cordell
  • Script unique prompts
    Patent number: 9672211
    Abstract: Providing unique prompts for script, comprising sequencing, by a processor, at least one script in a design order having at least one prompt, identifying, by the processor, duplicate prompts of the at least one prompt, identifying, by the processor, unique prompts of the at least one prompt, translation tagging, by the processor, the identified unique prompts and replicating, by the processor, the translation tagged unique prompts to the identified duplicate prompts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventors: Terry Olson, John B. Bohan, Mark L. Sempek
  • Instant support agent call setup and call connection application
    Patent number: 9674344
    Abstract: Receiving and processing customer support calls initiated from a mobile/wireless device via a call function or via a mobile device application may include various operations. For instance, an example method of operation may provide receiving a service request from a mobile device, requesting a temporary telephone number to be assigned to a subsequent call to be placed from the mobile device, creating a database record with an identifier of the mobile device and the temporary telephone number, transmitting the temporary telephone number to the mobile device, receiving an automated call to the temporary telephone number from the mobile device, and connecting the mobile device with a remote call recipient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventors: Mahendra Varman, Craig A. Webster, Jil M. Fisher
  • Enterprise conferencing with dual mixing
    Patent number: 9674232
    Abstract: A method and computer readable medium for providing Enterprise conferencing is provided. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a first SIP INVITE message is exchanged between a Media Gateway of the Enterprise and a first Media Server of a Conferencing Service Provider. Then, an Application Server of the Conferencing Service Provider establishes conference call resources at the Conferencing Service Provider. A first RTP session is established between the Media Gateway and the first Media Server, and then a PROMPT AND COLLECT message is sent from the Application Server to the first Media Server to gather data from the caller for establishing the Enterprise conferencing. After receipt of the data by the Application Server, an SIP INFO message is sent from the Application Server to a second Media Server of the Conferencing Service Provider, selecting the second Media Server to host the call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventors: Myron P. Sojka, Stephen D. McCoy, Srinivas Maganti
  • Agent-assisted and directed web-channel customer care apparatus, method, and computer program
    Patent number: 9660944
    Abstract: An agent-assisted and directed web-channel customer care apparatus, method, and computer program is provided to receive, from a first device, an inbound message via an inbound messaging channel and create a web session utilizing a web session server. Session identification is received from the web session server and a unique identifier is transmitted to the first device in order for a second device to connect to an agent device via a web session. Communications is simultaneously maintained with the first and second device via the inbound messaging channel and the web session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventors: Chad David Hendren, Michelle Mason Winston, Kevin Todd Welch, Jerry Ehrenberg
  • NURSE CALL SYSTEM, INTERFACE UNIT, AND NURSE CALL CONNECTION METHOD
    Publication number: 20170135889
    Abstract: In nurse call systems where communication between a plurality of slave units and a plurality of extension terminals is possible, a nurse call controller serving the slave units and a private branch exchange serving the mobile terminals have been connected to each other through a nurse call adaptor; thus, there is a need for one such nurse call system that does not require a nurse call adaptor. Provided is an interface unit which is connected to a nurse call controller through a plurality of ISND basic interfaces, connected to a private branch exchange through an ISDN primary rate interface, and performs interface conversion therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2005
    Publication date: May 18, 2017
    Applicants: NEC Platforms, Ltd., NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE EAST CORPORATION, NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE WEST CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuya OMI, Shigeru MARUYAMA, Kou NOGAMI, Rintarou ASHIDA, Ken UTSUKI, Norio MURAKAMI
  • Mobile care with a virtual queue
    Patent number: 9652727
    Abstract: An apparatus, a method, and a computer program receive a request message from a mobile device to connect with an agent and authenticate the request message and provisioning a database for enabled services and service location. A service provider is identified and selected from a plurality of service providers. As a result, the request message is transmitted to the service provider in order to determine availability of the service provider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: WEST CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael T. Mateer, James K. Boutcher, Jesse Andersen