Data driven communication system

• US 20020144013A1
• Filed: 04/03/2001
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aphrodite Telecom Research Ltd., PIKA Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: PIKA Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Pinard, Deborah L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,836,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/317
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/627 Details

Abstract

A data driven communication system has three layers consisting of destination, people or network nodes, and devices. Software agents represent the entities of these layers and relationships between agents are defined by policies or chains of policies. These relationships are used to determine communication paths within the system as well as features associated with a particular communication. A database representation of the objects (agents and policies) is used to configure the system and receive updates to the system by an administrator. A graphical user interface can be used to enter data into the database and facilitates an intuitive understanding of the nature of the relationships involved.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a communication path in a data-driven communication system, comprising:

defining a first relationship between a first layer agent and a second layer agent, and a second relationship between the second layer agent and a third layer agent;

establishing, according to rules of the first relationship, a first communication link between the first layer agent and the second layer agent; and

establishing, according to rules of the second relationship, a second communication link between the second layer agent and the third layer agent, the first and second communication links establishing a communication path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first layer agent is a destination agent, the second layer agent is a node agent, and the third layer agent is a device agent.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the first and second relationship includes associating at least one policy with each of the relationships to define its rules.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein associating the at least one policy includes associating a policy chain.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein associating at least one policy includes associating a branched policy chain.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein establishing the communication path includes providing system parameters to the at least one policy.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the communication path includes determining a system time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the communication path includes determining a system date.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein establishing the communication path includes determining a day of week.

10. A data-driven communication system, comprising:

a first layer agent;

a second layer agent having a first relationship to the first layer agent for establishing a first communication link therebetween in response to data provided to the first layer agent; and

a third layer agent having a second relationship to the second layer agent for establishing a second communication link therebetween in response to data provided by the second layer agent.

11. The communication system of claim 10, wherein the first layer agent is a device agent, the second layer agent is a node agent, and the third layer agent is a destination agent.

12. The communication system of claim 10, wherein policies define the first and second relationships.

13. The communication system of claim 10, wherein policy chains define the first and second relationships.

14. The communication system of claim 10, wherein the first and second communication links form a communication path of a half call.

15. The communication system of claim 14, further comprising at least one system feature for modifying the communication path.

16. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the at least one system feature is an in-call feature.

17. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the at least one system feature is a data modifying feature.

18. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the at least one system feature is an advanced programmable system feature.

19. The communication system of claim 10, wherein the first, second and third layer agents are implemented as objects.

20. The communication system of claim 10, further comprising a database having entries corresponding to the first, second and third layer agents.

21. The communication system of claim 20, wherein the database comprises tables corresponding respectively to the first, second and third layer agents.

22. The communication system of claim 21, wherein the database further comprises a table corresponding to the policies.

23. The communication system of claim 22, including means for configuring the system through the database upon startup.

24. The communication system of claim 22, including means for reconfiguring the system through the database.

25. The communication system of claim 20, further including a user interface for entering changes to the database.

26. The communication system of claim 25, wherein the user interface is a graphical user interface for displaying modifiable icons, representing agents and policies, and modifiable interconnections between them, for facilitating modification of the database.

27. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the at least one advanced programmable system feature is triggered by a tone given for a reason.

28. The communication system of claim 27, further comprising a trigger table for determining which of the at least one advanced programmable system features is triggered.

29. The communication system of claim 28, wherein the trigger table points to a policy chain.

30. The communication system of claim of claim 29, wherein the policy chain determines the advanced programmable system feature to be triggered.

31. The communication system of claim 10, wherein a trigger table is associated to an agent.

32. The communication system of claim 20, wherein the database includes trigger tables.

33. The communication system of claim 20, wherein the database includes advanced programmable system feature definitions.

34. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the at least one system feature is triggered by an event in a state.

35. The communication system of claim 34, further comprising a trigger table for determining which of the at least one system features is triggered.

36. The communication system of claim 35, wherein the trigger table points to a policy chain.

37. The communication system of claim of claim 37, wherein the policy chain determines the at least one system feature to be triggered.