Extensible metadata structure

• US 20070263607A1
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Criddle, Linda, Milstein, David, Howell, David, Chou, Philip, Malueg, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,502,364 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

Structured hierarchies for communicating contextual information relating to a VoIP conversation are provided. The structured hierarchies are utilized for efficient communications of various amounts and types of contextual information over a VoIP conversation channel. Information identifying at least one structured hierarchy, which will be used to carry the contextual information, is transmitted during establishment of a conversation between two VoIP enhanced devices and prior to the exchange of contextual information. The structural hierarchy is selected from a set of predefined and declared structured hierarchies. Subsequently transmitted contextual information exchanged between two VoIP enhanced devices is represented in accordance with the identified structural hierarchy. Additionally, the structural hierarchies can be extensible by the addition of more definitions to the current structural hierarchies.

Claims

1. A method for communicating contextual information, comprising:

establishing a conversation channel;

transmitting over the conversation channel at least one conversation data packet associated with a conversation;

transmitting over the conversation channel at least one additional data packet associated with the conversation; and

wherein the additional data packet corresponds to a structured hierarchy of contextual information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the structured hierarchy corresponds to a set of classes and attributes defining the contextual information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the set of classes includes call basics, call contexts, device type, and VoIP clients.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the set of attributes relate to the class of call basics and include call priority, namespace information, and call type.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the set of attributes relates to the class of call contexts and include subject information, file identification, and keywords relating to the conversation.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the set of attributes relates to the class of device type and includes audio information about a device, video information about a device, and device specific information.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the set of attributes relates to the class of clients and includes biometrics information, location information, and client rules.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the structured hierarchy is defined by an Extensible Markup Language namespace and wherein the at least one additional data packet corresponds to an Extensible Markup Language stream.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting over the conversation channel an identification of an Extensible Markup Language namespace.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting over the conversation channel at least one additional class or attribute corresponding to the identified Extensible Markup Language namespace, prior to transmitting the Extensible Markup Language stream.

11. A computer readable medium having computer executable components for communicating contextual information comprising:

a conversation component corresponding to data associated with a conversation; and

a contextual information component related to the conversation component and corresponding to a structured hierarchy of contextual information.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the structured hierarchy corresponds to a set of classes and attributes defining the contextual information.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the set of classes includes call basics, call contexts, device type, and VoIP clients.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the set of classes and attributes of the structured hierarchy corresponds to a predefined namespace.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein at least one class or attribute of the structured hierarchy corresponds to an additional class or attribute of a predefined namespace.

16. A method for communicating contextual information relating to an exchange of a conversation on a communication channel, comprising:

transmitting over the communication channel an identification of a structured hierarchy for contextual information related to the conversation;

transmitting over the communication channel a set of data packets corresponding to conversation data; and

transmitting over the communication channel a set of additional data packets associated with the conversation data and defined according to the structured hierarchy.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the communication channel is a Voice-over-Internet Protocol communication channel.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the structured hierarchy is a predefined namespace of classes and attributes.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the predefined namespace is an Extensible Markup Language namespace and the set of additional data packets is an Extensible Markup Language stream.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

transmitting at least one additional class or attribute related to the predefined namespace.