FULLY DISTRIBUTED, SCALABLE INFRASTRUCTURE, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20080031242A1
• Filed: 06/12/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gits, Peter, Seavey, Dale
• Granted Patent: US 8,495,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A fully distributed, scalable infrastructure, communication system. The system comprises at least on Space, at least one double agent and at least one non-space specific double agent. Devices and applications that wish to communicate with other members of the Community or outside of the Community insert objects into the Space. The Space then publishes the presence of that object to subscribed members of the community. The double agents are capable of communicating with any desired protocols on one side and the Space protocol on the other. Non-space specific agents handle routing, administrative and other tasks, such as communication between Spaces and Communities.

Claims

1. A method of routing calls in a communications system, comprising:

providing an agent for each type of a member of a community, wherein the community is organized around a space that is a persistent store having a notification service and into which objects can be inserted without loss of attributes;

receiving a telephone call from a calling telephone device of a first type;

using a first agent of the first type to translate the telephone call into an object insertable into the space, the object having characteristics independent of an interface of the telephone device of the first type;

inserting the object into the space;

using the notification service to notify a second agent that had previously registered to be notified of insertion of objects with particular attributes; and

using the second agent to translate the object to a receiving telephone call and to contact a receiving telephone device for the receiving telephone call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving telephone device is of the first type.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving telephone device is of a second type.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification service is to notify the second agent, wherein the second agent transfers the object to a second space, as the recipient of the telephone call resides in the second space.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing an agent further comprises providing one of a universal agent or a protocol-specific agent.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing an agent further comprises providing an agent having:

an examination module to examine objects residing in the space;

an object repository entry to provide characteristics for an agent to process objects without regard of interface, the characteristics provided based upon the examination module;

a receiving module to alter the agent into an agent with the characteristics obtained from the object repository entry.

7. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to:

provide an agent for each type of a member of a community, wherein the community is organized around a space that is a persistent store having a notification service and into which objects can be inserted without loss of attributes;

receive a telephone call from a calling telephone device of a first type;

use a first agent of the first type to translate the telephone call into an object insertable into the space, the object having characteristics independent of an interface of the telephone device of the first type;

insert the object into the space;

use the notification service to notify a second agent that had previously registered to be notified of insertion of objects with particular attributes; and

use the second agent to translate the object to a receiving telephone call and to contact a receiving telephone device for the receiving telephone call.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions that cause the computer to provide the agent causes the computer to provide one of a universal agent or a protocol-specific agent.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions that cause the computer to provide the agent causes the computer to provide an agent having:

an examination module to examine objects residing in the space;

an object repository entry to provide characteristics for an agent to process objects without regard to interface, the characteristics provided based upon the examination module;

a receiving module to alter the agent into an agent with the characteristics obtained from the object repository entry.