Method and apparatus for listening for incoming calls on multiple port/socket combinations

• US 20040210638A1
• Filed: 05/17/2004
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Riddle, Guy
• Granted Patent: US 7,415,499 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

In one embodiment, the invention provides a method comprising loading a set of transport components into a memory; initializing each transport component of the set of transport components to listen on a particular conferencing interface using a listen string to associate with a network interface, each transport component of the set of transport components listening to a different conferencing interface, the listen string encapsulating parameters to one or more calls to listen; receiving an incoming call signal on the network interface having an incoming conferencing interface; processing the incoming call signal to detect the incoming conferencing interface; and launching an application based on the incoming conferencing interface. Other embodiments of the invention are also described.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a memory, a processor, and a network interface, a method comprising the steps of:

loading a set of transport components into said memory;

initializing each transport components of said set of transport components to listen on a particular conferencing interface using said network interface, each transport component of said set of transport components listening to a different conferencing interface;

receiving an incoming call signal on said network interface having an incoming conferencing interface;

processing said incoming call signal to detect said incoming conferencing interface; and

launching an application based on said incoming conferencing interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an initialization message from said application; and

removing said application from a list if said initialization message does not correspond to an expected message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of processing said incoming call signal comprises the steps of:

receiving a signal from a responding transport component in said set of transport components;

determining an identification of said responding transport component; and

deriving said incoming conferencing interface using said identification of said responding transport component.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of launching said application comprises the steps of:

determining an application signature for said application based on said incoming conferencing interface;

locating said application using said application signature; and

signaling a process manager to launch said application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said conferencing interface comprises a transport control protocol/internet protocol port.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said conferencing interface comprises an AppleTalk port.

7. In a computer system having a memory, a processor, and a network interface, an apparatus comprising:

a set of transport components coupled to said network interface, each transport component of said set of transport components having the capability of receiving a signal on a different conferencing interface;

a conference component coupled to each component in said set of transport components;

a call processing module coupled to said conference component; and

,

a process manager coupled to said call processing module;

said conference component containing a circuit for causing said call processing module to cause process manager to activate a conferencing application upon detecting a call from one transport component of said set of transport components.