...that in 1800 ether was first used by partyers as a fun diversion? Sniffing the gas led to hilarious and raucous laughter as people watched each other become more and more intoxicated and silly. Several doctors independently realized the value ether would have to anesthetize surgery patients. Of those who claimed rights to the "discovery," none had a happy ending. One had a seizure and died defending his rights. Another spent his life in an asylum because he had been denied acclaim. A third became addicted to chloroform and, in a New York City jail, he soaked a cloth in the drug, severed an artery and bled to death.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| RE40935 | Control of access to the call completion on busy link service in a private telecommunication network In private telecommunication networks offering a call completion on busy link service, if a call request cannot be completed because of congestion of a link, and if setting up the call entails an overflow to the public network, the rights of the user may not be suff... | 10/13/2009 |
| 7430290 | Virtual queuing support system and method A method and a Virtual Queuing Support System (VQSS) for optimizing end-user service for clients waiting for a service request to be responded and who are registered in various virtual queues of the VQSS. End-users register in a virtual queue of the VQSS, which moni... | 09/30/2008 |
| 7336776 | Method of establishing a multi-user call in a communication system The present invention provides a method for establishing a multi-user call in a communication system. The communication system receives a call request to establish a group call with a shared group of users. The communication system determines which of the plurality ... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7321298 | Skills based routing method and system for call center A method and system of configuring the scripting of a call center includes an interactive voice response (IVR) server and automatic call distributor (ACD) server and associated graphical user interface contained on a computer screen of an ACD manager that is loaded ... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7295669 | Call center telephone and data flow connection system A method and system for transferring telephone calls and data between computer programs in a call center. Flow connection modules associated with call center application programs allow data and telephone calls to be transferred from one computer program to another i... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7289624 | Managing use of experts by callers waiting in a hold queue A method, system, and program for managing use of experts by callers waiting within a hold queue are provided. First, a call on hold in a hold queue is transferred to an expert system responsive to a request by the caller to speak with an expert. Then, responsive to... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7257211 | Method and apparatus for controlling and/or monitoring a MULAP line At least one MULAP line in a communication installation is controlled and/or monitored using an application. To simplify the combination of MULAP lines and CTI applications, or to allow it at all, each MULAP line has an associated MULAP call number, and a plurality ... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7257205 | Method and apparatus for communicating with one of plural devices associated with a single telephone number during a disaster and disaster recovery A system for (and a method of) selectively establishing communication with one of plural devices associated with a single telephone number during a disaster or disaster recovery period. In a preferred embodiment, the system includes two wireless connection units, ea... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7239692 | Method and system for distributing outbound telephone calls A method and system is provided for the distribution of outbound telephone calls. This method and system includes dialing devices receiving call records and providing telephone calls to one or more agents. Interfaced with the dialing device is a distribution module ... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7231032 | Negotiated routing in telephony systems A telephone call distribution system for determining destination for an incoming telephone call in a telephony network including a service control point (SCP) operates with a plurality of workstations each comprising a telephone coupled to the telephony network and ... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7231035 | Method and apparatus for entertaining callers in a queue One embodiment of the invention provides for receiving a call from a caller, the call being associated with a first merchant; placing the call in a queue; determining a second merchant; and establishing a connection, the connection enabling communication between the... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7224783 | Subscriber service management A method, system and apparatus for service management. In accordance with the present invention, a service management method can include the steps of receiving a telephone call from a service subscriber over a PSTN and identifying the service subscriber through iden... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7215759 | Hold queue wait estimations A method, system, and program for estimating hold queue wait times are provided. Call times are individually estimated for multiple calls within a call center. In particular, call times may be estimated according to representative profiles, caller profiles, and curr... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7200219 | Dynamically allocating server resources to competing classes of work based upon achievement of service goals A facility for adjusting a number of servers assigned to server pools for performing certain work types on the basis of unmet service needs in a work processing facility. Servers may include service agents, both human and robotic. A server assignor and corresponding... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7197130 | Dynamic load balancing between multiple locations with different telephony system An allocation component allocates its received calls among a plurality of telephony systems including a first telephony system and a second telephony system. A first routing protocol (RP) component distributes those of the calls allocated to the first telephony syst... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7197574 | Domain name system inquiry apparatus, domain name system inquiry method, and recording medium A domain name system inquiry (DNS) apparatus and a domain name system inquiry method which are capable of obtaining a desired response at high speed even when there are a plurality of trees of domain name systems are provided. For this purpose, location information ... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7184540 | Personality based matching of callers to agents in a communication system The method and apparatus improves call transactions in a communication system having an automatic call distribution system. A personality profile of each agent of a plurality of agents in the system is determined. A respective personality profile is one of a plurali... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7174010 | System and method for increasing completion of training Improving the frequency with which agents complete training in a call center or other constituent contact environment. Agents working in call centers are typically given periodic training to improve their skills. Training breaks are scheduled at various times throug... | 02/06/2007 |
| 7158629 | System and method for preemptive goals based routing of contact records A method and system is provided for the preemptive goals based distribution of contact records. This method and system includes devices receiving contact records and providing customer contacts to one or more agents. Interfaced with the device is a distribution modu... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7158627 | Method and system for inhibiting softswitch overload A method includes receiving, at a softswitch executing on a computer, a plurality of calls for switching, monitoring at least one criteria associated with operation of the computer, and based on the monitoring, limiting the number of calls processed by the computer.... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7158909 | Method and system for testing spas A test system and method for testing a spa system which includes a spa tub for holding water, an electronic controller system which controls the spa system functions, and one or more controlled devices. The system and method exercises the controlled devices during a... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7142662 | Method and system for distributing outbound telephone calls A method and system is provided for the distribution of outbound telephone calls. This method and system includes dialing devices receiving call records and providing telephone calls to one or more agents. Interfaced with the dialing device is a distribution module ... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7139390 | Promoting use of experts to callers waiting in a hold queue A method, system, and program for promoting use of experts to callers waiting within a hold queue are provided. First, use of experts by callers waiting in a hold queue is promoted by offering callers an incentive to speak to an expert while waiting to speak with an... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7130793 | System and method for minimizing overrun and underrun errors in packetized voice transmission When it is determined that a sample queue exceeds a first predefined level, samples being received from a IP switched network are modified such that samples are removed within the voiced region of the samples by removing whole pitch periods of samples. If the sample... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7103173 | System and method for preemptive goals based routing of contact records A method and system is provided for the preemptive goals based distribution of contact records. This method and system includes devices receiving contact records and providing customer contacts to one or more agents. Interfaced with the device is a distribution modu... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7103172 | Managing caller profiles across multiple hold queues according to authenticated caller identifiers A method, system, and program for managing caller profiles across multiple hold queues according to authenticated caller identifiers are provided. An identity of a caller of a call received at an on hold system is authenticated. The call is then placed in a hold que... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7095842 | Enabling caller controlled hold queue position adjustment A method, system, and program for allowing callers to adjust in position within a call hold queue are provided. An advancement token earned by a caller is detected at a calling queue. The position of the caller within the calling queue is adjusted, in response to re... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7095843 | Selective messaging in a multiple messaging link environment A method and apparatus are provided for forwarding messages among peripherals of an automatic call distributor. The method includes the steps of forming a message table in a first peripheral of the automatic call distributor and forwarding a message from the first p... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7085367 | Call duration alert A contact center for servicing a contact is provided that includes (a) an input operable to receive a contact from a customer; (b) a selection function 26 operable to direct the contact to a human agent associated with the contact center for servicing; and (c... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7054434 | System and method for common account based routing of contact records A method and system is provided for common account based distribution of contact records. A comparison engine analyzes call record accounts to identify and tag related call records, such as call record accounts related to the same individual. A common account tag de... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7054427 | System and method for enhanced internet service connections The present invention discloses a system and method for marking telephone calls from a subscriber to an Internet Service Provider (“ISP”) with a class of service marker. Using this system and method, subscribers can obtain enhanced connections to their ISPs base... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7051320 | Diagnostic tool for a plurality of networked computers with incident escalator and relocation of information to another computer In an enterprise having multiple computers with differing systems, atribute information including contact information and host information is first installed on the computers in a system independent manner. Then this information is adjusted in accordance with the pe... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7035388 | Caller identifying method, program, and apparatus and recording medium A caller number received from an exchange machine by a telephone coordination server (CTI server) is noticed to a customer database to search for caller information. When pieces of caller information are acquired from the customer database by the telephone coordinat... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7027584 | Method for signaling and processing incoming calls for a call center The invention relates to a method for signaling and processing incoming calls for a call center. The invention further relates to a corresponding exchange and corresponding call center. According to the invention, incoming calls for the call center and the subscribe... | 04/11/2006 |
| 7020264 | Negotiated routing in telephony systems A telephone call distribution system for determining destination for an incoming telephone call in a telephony network including a service control point (SCP) operates with a plurality of workstations each comprising a telephone coupled to the telephony network and ... | 03/28/2006 |
| 7016485 | Emergency call load management for call centers An emergency call load handling system in a call network has an interactive voice response (IVR) unit associated with a switching apparatus to which calls may be diverted in special conditions, such as during emergencies or disasters when calls to certain destinatio... | 03/21/2006 |
| 7012996 | System and method for operating a highly distributed interactive voice response system A system and method of directing calls is disclosed for a telephone network having remote locations. The remote locations receive incoming calls and attempt to route the calls using a basic call director. If the remote location cannot route the call, then data, such... | 03/14/2006 |
| 7003091 | Resource allocation for simultaneous hunt group A simultaneous hunt group system and method are provided. A call status module notices an incoming call to a simultaneous hunt group and offers the call to a plurality of endpoints. One of the plurality of endpoints answers the call. After the call is answered, a re... | 02/21/2006 |
| 6999579 | Method and apparatus for the efficient utilization of trunk bandwidth in a global enterprise The present invention relates to the operation of interconnected switches or call centers. In particular, the present invention allows communication bandwidth to be conserved, by providing audible feedback from a switch that is relatively local to a caller, even tho... | 02/14/2006 |
| 6996219 | System and method for sending called party caller identification information to a forward-to telephone device in a communications system A method, computer program product, and a signaling system for conveying caller identification information of a called party to a forward-to telephone device in a communications system. A call set up message is received at a switching system servicing a called telep... | 02/07/2006 |