Communication application server for converged communication services

• US 20080086564A1
• Filed: 01/14/2003
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Srinivasan, Suchitra, Putman, Janis Rae, Nguyen, Mai-Huong, Hanson, Thomas C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,015,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A communication application server for supporting converged communications in a communication system. The communication application server is responsive to communication service requests from external endpoints, applications or other c requesting entities, and in one embodiment comprises at least first and second components. The first component is operative: (i) to process a given one of the communication service requests to identify at least one corresponding communication service supported by the communication application server, (ii) to determine one or more executable communication tasks associated with the identified communication service; and (iii) to establish communication with one or more external servers to carry out execution of at least a subset of the one or more executable communication taks associated with the communication service. The second component is coupled between the first component and the one or more external servers, and provides, for each of the external servers, a corresponding interface for connecting the communication application server to the external server.

Claims

1. A communication application server responsive to communication service requests in a communication system, the server comprising:

a first component operative;

(i) to process a given one of the communication service requests to identify at least one corresponding communication service supported by the communication application server;

(ii) to determine one or more executable communication tasks associated with the identified communication service; and

(iii) to establish communication with one or more external servers to carry out execution of at least a subset of the one or more executable communication tasks associated with the communication service; and

a second component coupled between the first component and the one or more external servers, the second component providing for each of the external servers a corresponding interface for connecting the communication application server to the corresponding external server,

wherein the first component comprises a session manager operative to manage session information associated with the communication services request;

wherein the session information comprises a session hierarchy;

wherein the session hierarchy comprises a user session associated with a plurality of communication services, a service session associated with a given one of the plurality of communication services, and a communication session associated with a communication task corresponding to the given one of the plurality of communication services; and

wherein the communication session comprises at least a presence session.

2. The communication application server of claim 1 wherein the first component comprises a communication service and session management component, the communication service and session management component comprising the session manager, and the second component comprises a connectors component.

3. The communication application server of claim 2 wherein the communication service and session management component further comprises:

a service event manager for processing the given one of the communication service requests to identify at least one corresponding communication service supported by the communication application server;

a communication services manager adapted for interaction with the service event manager and operative to determine the one or more executable tasks associated with the communication service identified by the service event manager; and

a routing element operative to establish communication with the one or more external servers for execution of at least a subset of the one or more executable tasks associated with the communication service.

4. The communication application server of claim 1 further comprising an access manager for controlling access of a requesting entity to the communication application server.

7. The communication application server of claim 1 wherein the set of one or more external servers comprises at least one of an enterprise server and a communications server.

8. The communication application server of claim 7 wherein the communications server comprises a communication system telephony switch.

9. The communication application server of claim 1 wherein the communication service comprises at least one federated communication service.

10. The communication application server of claim 1 wherein the communication service comprises at least one federated core service.

11. The communication application server of claim 10 wherein the federated core service comprises one or more communication service scripts.

12. The communication application server of claim 10 wherein the federated core service comprises a user profile database service.

13. The communication application server of claim 10 wherein the federated core service comprises at least one of a directory service, a registry service, a persistent store service, a QoS service and a security service.

14. The communication application server of claim 1 wherein the communication application server receives the communication service requests from a plurality of external applications, and provides communication services in response to the requests, utilizing the one or more external servers.

15. The communication application server of claim 1 wherein the given communication service request is received via a portal associated with the communication application server.

19. The communication application server of claim 1 wherein the communication session further comprises one or more of a telephony session, a messaging session, and an instant messaging session.

20. The communication application server of claim 1 wherein the communication session corresponds to a given one of the executable communication tasks associated with the given communication service, and involves execution of at least a portion of the communication task by one of the external servers.

21. The communication application server of claim 1 wherein the communication service comprises a plurality of executable communication tasks, each of at least a subset of the plurality of executable communication tasks comprising one or more specified processing steps.

22. The communication application server of claim 1 wherein the communication service comprises one or more additional communication services, each of the one or more additional communication services having one or more executable communication tasks associated therewith.

23. The communication application server of claim 1 wherein the communication service is implemented in accordance with a communication workflow specified in a service creation environment associated with the communication application server.

24. The communication application server of claim 1 wherein the first and second components are implemented at least in part in the form of one or more software programs stored in a memory of the communication application server and executed by a processor of the communication application server.

25. The communication application server of claim 1 wherein at least one of the executable communication tasks associated with the identified communication service is executed substantially entirely within the communication application server.

26. The communication application server of claim 1 wherein the one or more external servers which carry out execution of at least a subset of the one or more executable communication tasks associated with the communication service comprise at least one server implemented on a common processing platform with the communication application server.

5. The communication application server of claim l wherein the given one of the communication service requests originates from an endpoint external to the communication application server.

6. The communication application server of claim 5 wherein the given one of the communication service requests originates from an application running on an endpoint external to the communication application server.

16. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

27. A communication application server responsive to communication service requests in a communication system, the server comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory;

wherein the processor is operative;

(i) to process a given one of the communication service requests to identify at least one corresponding communication service supported by the communication application server;

(ii) to determine one or more executable communication tasks associated with the identified communication service; and

(iii) to establish communication with one or more external servers to carry out execution of at least a subset of the one or more executable communication tasks associated with the communication service;

wherein the processor is further operative to manage session information associated with the communication services request;

wherein the session information comprises a session hierarchy;

wherein the session hierarchy comprises a user session associated with a plurality of communication services, a service session associated with a given one of the plurality of communication services, and a communication session associated with a communication task corresponding to the given one of the plurality of communication services; and

wherein the communication session comprises at least a presence session.

28. In a communication system, a communication application server method responsive to communication service requests, the method comprising the steps of:

processing a given one of the communication service requests to identify at least one corresponding communication service supported by the communication application server;

determining one or more executable communication tasks associated with the identified communication service; and

establishing communication with one or more external servers to carry out execution of at least a subset of the one or more executable communication tasks associated with the communication service;

wherein the method further includes the step of managing session information associated with the communication services request;

wherein the session information comprises a session hierarchy;

wherein the session hierarchy comprises a user session associated with a plurality of communication services, a service session associated with a given one of the plurality of communication services, and a communication session associated with a communication task corresponding to the given one of the plurality of communication services; and

wherein the communication session comprises at least a presence session.

29. An article of manufacture comprising a machine-readable storage medium for storing one or more software programs for use in a communication application server responsive to communication service requests in a communication system, wherein the one or more programs when executed in the communication application server implement the steps of:

processing a given one of the communication service requests to identify at least one corresponding communication service supported by the communication application server;

determining one or more executable communication tasks associated with the identified communication service; and

establishing communication with one or more external servers to carry out execution of at least a subset of the one or more executable communication tasks associated with the communication service;

wherein the one or more programs when executed in the communication application server further implement the step of managing session information associated with the communication services request;

wherein the session information comprises a session hierarchy;

wherein the session hierarchy comprises a user session associated with a plurality of communication services, a service session associated with a given one of the plurality of communication services, and a communication session associated with a communication task corresponding to the given one of the plurality of communication services; and

wherein the communication session comprises at least a presence session.