Application server domains

• US 20030093537A1
• Filed: 10/23/2001
• Published: 05/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Sambol, Moshe, Tremlett, James, Gardell, Steven, Antell, Thomas, Farahmand, Fardad, Leiden, Stevan H.
• Application Number:
  US10/003,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20030093537A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1095 Inter-network session transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference

Abstract

Disclosed herein are techniques that enhance call handling by an application server. The techniques include segmenting an application into domains having associated domain policies. Such domains can include subscriber domains, service domains, device domains, and so forth. Application of the domain policies can, for example, enable different business entities to offer services from the same application server without losing control over call handling.

Claims

1. A method of handling a call at an application server offering one or more services, the method comprising:

receiving information corresponding to said call at the application server, the information including data identifying a subscriber of said one or more of services offered by the application server;

based on the information corresponding to the call, selecting a domain policy, the domain policy applying to a set of subscribers; and

handling the call in accordance with the selected domain policy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving information corresponding to a call comprises receiving information from a softswitch.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information including data identifying a subscriber comprises at least one of the following:

an origination phone number and a termination phone number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the domain policy comprises a policy encoded in a programming language including conditional expressions.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising constructing a call model for the call.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a service domain having a call service; and

applying the domain policy of the determined service domain to the call.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein handling the call in accordance with the selected domain policy comprises authorizing the call.

8. A method of providing call services at an application server, the method comprising:

defining a set of at least two domains, at least some of the domains having a domain policy;

receiving information corresponding to a call;

determining one or more domains that apply to the call; and

applying policies associated with the determined domains to the call.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the domains comprise more than one subscriber domain.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the domains comprise more than one service domain.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the domains comprise more than one device domain.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the domains comprise more than one subscriber domain and more than one service domain.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the policies comprise policies encoded in a computer programming language including conditional expressions.

14. An application server, comprising:

one or more aggregation domains, at least some of the domains having an associated authorization policy; and

a domain mapper that identifies one or more domains based on call information.

15. The application server of claim 14, wherein the domains comprise subscriber domains.

16. The application server of claim 15, wherein the domains comprise service domains.

17. The application server of claim 15, further comprising a service provider interface for handling call information received from a transport device.

18. The application server of claim 17, wherein the transport device comprises a softswitch.

19. A computer program product, disposed on a computer readable medium, for providing call services at an application server, the computer program including instructions for causing a processor to:

define a set of more than one domains, at least some of the domains having a domain policy;

receive information corresponding to a call;

determine one or more domains that apply to the call; and

apply policies associated with the determined domains to the call.

20. The computer program of claim 19, wherein the domains comprise more than one subscriber domain.

21. The computer program of claim 19, wherein the domains comprise more than one service domains.

22. The computer program of claim 19, wherein the domains comprise more than one subscriber domain and more than one service domain.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the policies comprise policies encoded in a computer programming language including conditional expressions.