KR101758764B1 - Method and Apparatus for providing VoIP service based on SIP comprising Presence Service - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of providing a SIP-based VoIP service with user connection state information, the method comprising: registering a call mode of a first user in a call center server connected to at least one representative number; Confirming connection state information of a first user when a call connection request of a second user is made with the first representative number; The call center server processing an event for a call connection request of a second user in accordance with the registered call mode when connection status information of the first user is on-line; And a call center server relaying a call connection between the first user and the second user in accordance with the event processing.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a SIP-based VoIP service with a user connection status service,

The present invention relates to a VoIP service provided by a call center system using an Internet telephone, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) based Internet telephone call center service for providing a user connection status service.

Currently, a call center based on VoIP or Internet telephony is widely used and operated, but the conventional method is a method of applying the method used in the existing PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) to VoIP, .

1 is a diagram showing a general configuration of a VoIP service network.

VoIP is a voice communication technology that uses IP-based networks to deploy VoIP-based devices in corporate and home environments. It uses IP for voice and data transmission through VoIP-based devices such as desktop PCs, telephones, mobile IP phones and gateways It is a technology that provides various services. By using the IP network, many services that are not available in the existing telephone network are possible. Typical applications include a web call center, an instance message, a computer telephony integration (CTI), and a Unified Messaging System (UMS).

In addition to the original IP capabilities, VoIP uses Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) in the connection session to support timely arrival of packets. RTP is an Internet protocol for transmitting real-time data such as audio and video. It provides a way for sending and receiving applications to support streaming data by discarding packets that are out of timeout and displaying the next data immediately.

In the case of SIP based Internet telephony, an additional function is to provide a user connection status service (i.e. Presence Service), which represents the current status of the user's connection status (e.g., online, offline, busy, VoIP can accommodate the function of routing the call of the customer according to the current state of the call center staff through the connection of the user connection state service, So that it does not cause an interworking problem with existing Internet telephone terminals and provides useful additional services.

In this regard, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has proposed a method for call park for SIP based call center service. However, this method generates two calls, It may cause a problem of charging.

The present invention defines a new event not described in the existing standard, so that the agent can select one of two different modes to conduct consultation on the representative number. In addition, And the like.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service based on a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) with user connection state information, Registering a call reception mode of the user; Checking connection state information of the first user when a call connection request of the second user exists with the representative number; Processing the event for the call connection request of the second user by the call center server according to the registered called mode when the confirmed connection status information of the first user is on-line; And relaying a call connection between the first user and the second user by the call center server according to the event processing.
And registering the first user through a registration request message (RESISTER) from the first user.
Wherein the checking of the connection state information of the first user comprises: receiving connection state information indicating a current connection state of the first user through a distribution request message (PUBLISH) from the first user; And storing the received connection state information in the call center server.
Wherein the checking of the connection state information of the first user comprises: providing a predetermined announcement to the second user when a call connection request of the second user exists; And checking connection state information of the first user stored in the call center server while the announcement is provided.
The step of registering the first user's reception mode may register the unconditional reception mode or the selective reception mode.
Wherein the processing of the event for the call connection request of the second user comprises: determining a call mode of the first user; if the call mode of the first user is an unconditional call mode, - delivering a session request message (INVITE) to the first user in a line state.
Wherein the processing of the event for the call connection request of the second user comprises: when the first user's reception mode is the selective reception mode, notifying the first user that the confirmed connection status information is on- (NOTIFY) and a temporary number assigned to be associable with the call.
The processing of the event for the call connection request of the second user may include receiving a notification message and a session request message (INVITE) for the temporary number from the first user having received the temporary number .
After the step of relaying the call connection, a management task of recording the call content of the connected call, recording the log of the call history, or storing the connection state information of the first user by time slot is performed Step < / RTI >

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Receiving connection state information indicating a current connection state of the first user through a distribution request message (PUBLISH) from the first user; And storing the received connection state information in the call center server.

Wherein the step of registering the first user's reception mode comprises the steps of: when a call connection request of a second user for one of the representative numbers occurs through a subscription request message (SUBSCRIBE) from the first user, And registering information for requesting a connection of the call to the user himself / herself.

The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a predetermined announcement to the second user when there is a call connection request of the second user, wherein confirming the connection status information of the first user comprises: The connection status information stored in the call center server may be checked. In the event, the connection status information may be transmitted to the first user who is on-line.

Wherein the step of registering the first user's reception mode comprises the steps of: when a call connection request of a second user for one of the representative numbers occurs through a subscription request message (SUBSCRIBE) from the first user, And registering information for notifying the user of the occurrence of the call to the user.

The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a predetermined announcement to the second user when there is a call connection request of the second user, wherein confirming the connection status information of the first user comprises: The connection status information stored in the call center server is processed, and the process of processing the event includes a notification message (NOTIFY) to the first user in which the confirmed connection status information is on-line, It is preferable to transmit the temporary number.

Wherein the step of processing the event comprises receiving a session request message (INVITE) for the temporary number from the first user having received the notification message and the temporary number, and relaying the call connection comprises: And relay the call connection between the first user and the second user only after receiving the message.

The method comprising the steps of: recording a call content of the connected call, recording a log of the call history, relaying a call connection between the first user and the second user, And performing a management task of storing the information.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for providing a VoIP service in a call center server for providing SIP-based VoIP service with user connection status information, A storage unit for registering a first user's reception mode with respect to the first user; A connection state checking unit for checking connection state information of the first user when a call connection request of the second user exists with the representative number; An event processing unit for processing an event for a call connection request of the second user in accordance with the registered incoming call mode when the confirmed connection status information of the first user is on-line; And a transceiver for relaying a call connection between the first user and the second user according to the event process.

According to the present invention, it is possible to solve the problem of the double billing that occurs when the conventional IETF standard is based, and the billing does not occur to the user before the connection to the actual agent is performed.

Also, one call center server can provide a consultation service for a plurality of representative numbers, and one agent can provide a service for a plurality of representative numbers with one terminal. In addition, since the current status of the agent can be grasped immediately, the call center server can more effectively connect the customer and the agent.

1 is a diagram showing a general configuration of a VoIP service network.
2 is a diagram showing a procedure of providing an SIP-based call park service of the IETF.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing a SIP-based VoIP service having a user connection status service according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for providing a consultation call when a registered call reception mode is an unconditional call reception mode, in a method of providing a SIP-based VoIP service having a user connection status service according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing a SIP-based VoIP service with a user connection status service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in which a consultation call is connected when the registered incoming mode is the selective incoming mode.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing a SIP-based VoIP service with a user connection status service according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a functional block diagram illustrating a VoIP service providing apparatus implemented in a call center server that provides a SIP-based VoIP service having a user connection status service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. It should be noted that, in adding reference numerals to the constituent elements of the drawings, the same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference symbols as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

In describing the components of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are intended to distinguish the constituent elements from other constituent elements, and the terms do not limit the nature, order or order of the constituent elements. When a component is described as being "connected", "coupled", or "connected" to another component, the component may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, It should be understood that an element may be "connected," "coupled," or "connected."

2 is a diagram showing a procedure of providing an SIP-based call park service of the IETF.

Referring to FIG. 2, the SIP-based call park service providing procedure of the IETF will be described. First, if the customer calls the representative number of the call center (i.e., transmits an INVITE message to request session connection 201 ), The call center returns an informational response message such as 180 Ringing and 200 OK, and then receives an ACK signal from the customer (202) to create an RTP session between the customer and the call center.

At this time, the call center transmits a REFER message to the call waiting server, and the call waiting server transmits a session connection request message (INVITE) to the customer (204), so that an RTP session is connected between the customer and the call waiting server. The customer terminates the call connection with the call center (206).

The agent then calls back to the customer (207 and 208) and a call connection is created between the customer and the agent.

According to this series of call waiting service provisioning procedures according to the IETF standard of FIG. 2, the Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP) requests a charge for two calls, with each call connection occurring at the customer and the agent.

Accordingly, in the present invention, a new event that is not described in the existing standard is defined, and the agent can select one of the following two modes to conduct consultation on the representative number, and also, We propose a method of providing service.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing a SIP-based VoIP service having a user connection status service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, an embodiment of a method for providing a SIP-based VoIP service having a user connection status service may include receiving a call mode of a first user (e.g., an agent) in a call center server connected to at least one representative number (320) of checking the connection status information of the first user when there is a call connection request of a second user (e.g., a customer) as a representative number, and a step (320) of checking the connection status of the first user The call center server processing (330) an event for a call connection request of a second user according to the registered call mode when the information is in an on-line state, And relaying (340) the call connection between the second user.

In step 310, the agent registers his / her call mode with respect to the call center server. In this case, two call modes are proposed in the present invention. The first mode is an unconditional call mode for a consultation call, and the second mode is an selective call mode for a consultation call.

That is, it judges the connection state information (online, offline, busy, onthephone) of the agent, and when the current state is in a state in which the counseling call can be immediately received, the agent registers the intention to unconditionally receive the call in advance If you leave it (the first call mode), the call will be immediately connected to the call center server, and if the agent has registered the call to pick up the call in advance (second call mode) And registers the two modes in which the session is connected through the response processing to the call center server. Hereinafter, a process according to each mode will be described.

In step 320, if there is a consultation call connection request from the customer, the connection status information of the agent is confirmed. The agent's connection status is constantly collected and updated even when there is no call connection request from the customer, and is managed within the server. When a call connection request is made by the customer, the agent on the line is retrieved from the list at this time, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > session. ≪ / RTI >

In step 330, the call center server handles the event according to the call reception mode registered from the agent. That is, if the agent has registered the intention to receive an unconditional counseling call in advance (first call mode), the call center server transmits a session connection request message (INVITE) message to the counselor, The call center server sends a NOTIFY message to the caller rather than the INVITE message if the caller has registered the call to receive an optional counseling call (second call mode). On the other hand, since the agent receiving the NOTIFY message must be able to respond to the NOTIFY message, the call center server allocates and transmits a temporary number when transmitting the NOTIFY message.

In step 340, the call center server relays the call connection between the customer and the agent according to the event processing for the unconditional incoming mode or the selective incoming mode.

That is, in the case of the unconditional call receiving mode, the call center server relays the two voice calls with the telephone ringing and the session proceeding confirmation message for the INVITE message transmitted by the call center server in step 330. In the case of the selective call receiving mode If the agent returns the INVITE message with a temporary number for the NOTIFY message and the temporary number transmitted by the call center server in step 330, the call center server can internally associate both calls.

Hereinafter, a message processing process between the customer-call center server and the agent 1 in the unconditional call receiving mode will be described with reference to FIG.

4 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for providing a consultation call when a registered call reception mode is an unconditional call reception mode, in a method of providing a SIP-based VoIP service having a user connection status service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, in the process of registering the counselor to provide the counseling service for the representative number, a series of cases in which the counselor expresses his intention to receive the call unconditionally (that is, You can see the session connection process.

First, the agent 1 registers his / her unique number (agent 1 number) for the specific representative number to be processed by the call center server through the REGISTER (401). The call center server returns a confirmation message (200 OK) (402).

In addition, Agent 1 registers information (CallForward) to request a call immediately when a consultation call connection request for a specific representative number registered through SUBSCRIBE is received (403). The call center server returns a confirmation message (200 OK) (404).

The call center server notifies the agent 1 of the registered event (NOTIFY) (405), and the agent 1 informs 406 of the "Online" information, which is connection state information that the agent 1 can presently provide the service through PUBLISH, .

Thereafter, when a consultation call is received from the customer (408), the call center server returns a response message for the session progress information (409) and provides the predetermined guidance to the customer (410).

While the announcement is being provided, the call center server confirms the agent list stored in the agent and the current state of each agent, and delivers the INVITE message to the agent 1 that is currently on-line (411). That is, the originator of the call is the call center server.

Agent 1 registers 413 with the information response message such as 180 Ringing (412) and 200 OK (415) through PUBLISH to indicate that it is on the phone. The call center server returns a confirmation message (200 OK) to the customer and the agent 1 (414, 416).

The call center server sends an ACK message 417 to the agent 1 418 and the customer sends an ACK message 418 to the call center server to place the call between the customer and the agent 1 and send two voice calls 419 and 420, And record the call history between the two as needed.

Although not shown, after the call connection ends, the agent 1 informs the call center server that it is "Online" through the PUBLISH message again.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing a SIP-based VoIP service with a user connection status service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in which a consultation call is connected when the registered incoming mode is the selective incoming mode.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the process of registering the counselor to provide counseling service for the representative number, it is possible to examine a series of session connection processes in the case where the counselor expresses a preference to receive an optional call.

First, the agent 1 registers his / her unique number for a consultation service for a specific representative number to be processed by the call center server through the REGISTER (501). The call center server returns an acknowledgment message (200 OK) (502).

In addition, Agent 1 registers a request (LetMeKnow) to notify (NOTIFY) an event for the call when a consultation call connection request for a specific representative number registered through SUBSCRIBE is received (503). The call center server returns an acknowledgment message (200 OK) (504).

The call center server notifies the agent 1 of the registered event (NOTIFY) (505), and the agent 1 informs 506 of the "Online" information, which is the connection state information that the agent 1 can provide the current service through PUBLISH, .

Thereafter, when a consultation call is received from the customer (508), the call center server returns a response message for the session progress information (509) and provides the predetermined announcement to the customer (510).

While the announcement is being provided, the call center server confirms the current state of each agent and the list of agents stored therein, and delivers the NOTIFY message to agent 1 and agent 2, which are currently on-line (511, 512). At this time, the NOTIFY message is assigned a temporary number internally used for the consultation call and is transmitted together.

Of the agents who received the NOTIFY message, if Agent 1 issues a call to a temporary number listed in the NOTIFY (INVITE, 515), the call is accepted and Agent 1 becomes the originator of the call.

Agent 1 also registers (520) via PUBLISH that he is on the phone.

The call center server is located between the customer and the agent 1 and maps the two voice calls 522 and 523 internally using a temporary number, thereby linking the two voice calls 522 and 523.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing a SIP-based VoIP service with a user connection status service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, a call connection process according to the two incoming modes shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 will be described below.

In step 610, the first user (e.g., an agent) is registered through a registration request message (RESISTER).

In step 615, the call center server connected to at least one representative number registers the call reception mode of the first user.

In step 620, connection state information indicating the current connection state of the user is received from the first user through a distribution request message (PUBLISH), and the received connection state information is stored in the call center server.

In step 625, if a call connection request of a second user (e.g., a customer) for one of the representative numbers occurs, in step 630, the predetermined announcement is provided to the second user. In step 635, The connection status information stored in the call center server is checked.

In step 640, it is determined whether the call reception mode is the unconditional call reception mode or the selective call reception mode. If the call reception mode is the unconditional call reception mode, in step 645, a session request message INVITE In step 660, a call connection between the first user and the second user is relayed.

If the called mode is the selective called mode, step 650 delivers a notification message (NOTIFY) to the first user whose connection state information is on-line and a temporary number assigned to be able to associate with the consultation call.

In step 655, it is determined whether a session request message (INVITE) for the temporary number is received from the first user having received the notification message and the temporary number. In step 660, after receiving the session request message for the temporary number, And relay the call connection between the second users.

7 is a functional block diagram illustrating a VoIP service providing apparatus implemented in a call center server that provides a SIP-based VoIP service having a user connection status service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, a call center server (or a call waiting server) 700 is configured as follows

The event processing unit 710 processes an event related to the consultation call. When a consultation call is received, the announcement corresponding to the representative number is fetched from the announcement in the storage unit 740 and transmitted to the counselor. At the same time, the current state of the counselor is confirmed, , And notifies the agent of the event about the call.

The connection state checking unit 720 internally maintains information on the current state of the agent (online, offline, busy, onthephone, etc.) and informs the agent when an event to be notified is generated.

In the transmission / reception unit 730, the call center server is located between the consultant and the counselor, and serves as an intermediary for receiving voice call data from both sides and transferring voice call data to both sides.

The storage unit 740 stores information on the unconditional / selective call mode of the agent, presence information (online, offline, busy, etc.) of the agents, information on the actual call history of the agents (i.e., The call logs such as whether the call was made during the period of time, the announcement corresponding to each representative number, the call recording recording the record of the conversation between the counselor and the counselor, and the current status information of the counselors. And the connection status information that can be linked to the call to the optimum agent.

Therefore, one agent can provide a service for a plurality of representative numbers according to his or her will, and the wages can be paid for each consultation. In addition, it is possible to arbitrarily apply an unconditional reception mode to one representative number and an optional reception mode to another representative number, and such a reception mode is applied to each representative number.

On the other hand, if an agent leaves his desk or wants to rest for a while, if he changes his status to "busy" or "offline", the server will no longer connect the call to the agent until it becomes serviceable again.

The present invention includes a recording medium on which a program for executing a method of providing a SIP-based VoIP service with a user connection status service is recorded.

Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like in the form of a carrier wave (for example, transmission via a network such as the Internet) . The computer readable recording medium may also be distributed over a networked computer system so that computer readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

In addition, functional programs, codes, and code segments for implementing the present invention can be easily deduced by programmers in the technical field to which the present invention belongs.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. That is, within the scope of the present invention, all of the components may be selectively coupled to one or more of them. In addition, although all of the components may be implemented as one independent hardware, some or all of the components may be selectively combined to perform a part or all of the functions in one or a plurality of hardware. As shown in FIG. The codes and code segments constituting the computer program may be easily deduced by those skilled in the art. Such a computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, readable and executed by a computer, thereby realizing an embodiment of the present invention. As the storage medium of the computer program, a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, a carrier wave medium, or the like may be included.

It is also to be understood that the terms such as " comprises, "" comprising," or "having ", as used herein, mean that a component can be implanted unless specifically stated to the contrary. But should be construed as including other elements. All terms, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as predefined terms, should be interpreted to be consistent with the contextual meanings of the related art, and are not to be construed as ideal or overly formal, unless expressly defined to the contrary.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A method of providing a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service based on Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) with user connection state information,
A call center server connected to at least one representative number receives a registration message (SUBSCRIBE) including a CallParkEvent parameter from a first user and transmits the reception mode of the first user to one of an unconditional reception mode and an selective reception mode ;
Checking connection state information of the first user when a call connection request of the second user exists with the representative number;
Processing the event for the call connection request of the second user by the call center server according to the registered called mode when the confirmed connection status information of the first user is on-line; And
Wherein the call center server relays a call connection between the first user and the second user according to the event processing,
The processing of the event for the call connection request of the second user
Determining a call mode of the first user with respect to the representative number corresponding to the call connection request, and transmitting a session request message INVITE to the first user in the on-line state when the call mode is the unconditional call mode (NOTIFY) to the first user in the on-line state when the called mode is the selective call mode and a temporary number assigned to be connectable with the call,
The step of registering in any one of the above modes
And notifying the first user that the called mode has been registered by providing a notification message (NOTIFY) including the CallParkEvent parameter to the first user when the first user's reception mode is registered. A method for providing a VoIP service. The method according to claim 1,
And registering the first user through a registration request message (RESISTER) from the first user. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the checking of the connection status information of the first user comprises:
Receiving connection state information indicating a current connection state of the first user through a distribution request message (PUBLISH) from the first user; And
And storing the received connection state information in the call center server. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the checking of the connection status information of the first user comprises:
Providing a predetermined announcement to the second user when there is a call connection request of the second user; And
Checking connection state information of the first user stored in the call center server while the announcement is being provided
The method of claim 1, further comprising: delete delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the processing of the event for the call connection request of the second user comprises:
Receiving a session request message (INVITE) for the temporary number from the first user having received the notification message and the temporary number
The VoIP service providing method according to claim 1, The method according to claim 1,
After the step of relaying the call connection, a management task of recording the call content of the connected call, recording the log of the call history, or storing the connection state information of the first user by time slot is performed Further comprising the steps of: A VoIP service providing apparatus implemented in a call center server that provides a SIP-based VoIP service having user connection state information,
The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first user's reception mode is set to one of an unconditional reception mode and an optional reception mode for at least one representative number connected to the call center server based on a registration message (SUBSCRIBE) including a CallParkEvent parameter received from the first user A storage unit for registering in a mode of;
A connection state checking unit for checking connection state information of the first user when a call connection request of the second user exists with the representative number;
An event processing unit for processing an event for a call connection request of the second user in accordance with the registered incoming call mode when the confirmed connection status information of the first user is on-line; And
And a transmitting / receiving unit for relaying call connection between the first user and the second user according to the event processing,
The event processing unit
And notifying the first user of the registration of the called mode by providing a notification message (NOTIFY) including the CallParkEvent parameter to the first user when the called mode of the first user is registered,
Determining a call mode of the first user with respect to the representative number corresponding to the call connection request, and transmitting a session request message INVITE to the first user in the on-line state when the call mode is the unconditional call mode (NOTIFY) to the first user in the on-line state when the called mode is the selective call receiving mode, and a temporary number assigned to be connectable with the call A VoIP service providing apparatus.

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