Importance

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Abstract

An Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call-routing system has a call-routing processor on a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, and receives and re-routes incoming calls to remote computer stations adapted to receive such calls. The call-routing processor, upon routing a call to a selected one of remote stations, sets a semaphore that the remote station is busy and routed no more calls to that remote station until the semaphore is reset. In one embodiment, after a return signal that the call is answered, the semaphore is set to continue for a pre-determined average call-duration time, after which it is reset, and further calls may be routed, even though no signal is returned that the call has been completed. In some embodiments the remote stations comprise call centers wherein a central call-center managing processor re-routes calls to computer agent workstations connected to the managing processor on a local area network (LAN).

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First Claim