State control for a real-time system utilizing a nonprocedural language
First Claim
1. A method for controlling state transitions in response to a plurality of signals in a voice and data telecommunication system having a plurality of system states and with control being performed by a computer executing a program written in a nonprocedural language and said program controls said system to provide a plurality of features each providing specific voice and data operations and each feature implemented by a set of groups of instructions with each group of instructions being actuated by a predefined one of said signals and said system being in a predefined one of said sytem states, comprising the steps of:
- initiating a change from the present one of said system states to another one of said system states by the execution of an instruction of a first group of instructions;
generating a leave signal to define preparation to exit from said present one of said states;
performing common exit operations terminating said present one of said system states before leaving said present one of said system states by the execution of a second group of instructions in response to said leave signal and said system being in said present one of said states;
generating an enter signal to define preparation to enter into said other one of said states; and
performing common entrance operations to start said other one of said system states upon entering said other one of said system states by a third group of instructions actuated by said enter signal and said system being in said other one of said system states.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A software system written in a nonprocedural language for controlling a telecommunication system in which an internal software signal is generated when a state is exited and another internal signal is generated when a state is entered to control common operations for the state transitions. For each state, a group of instructions written in the nonprocedural language is autonomously executed in response to the exit signal to perform common exit operations for that particular state. A second group of instruction is autonomously executed in response to the entrance signal to perform common entrance operations for that particular state. Various services performed by the telecommunication system are written in scripts of groups of instructions called triples. Each triple has an event definition defining the signal that the triple will respond to and a state definition defining the state in which the system must be in before the triple can respond. Programmer productivity is increased because when new features are added, the common operations previously performed on exiting and entering a state will continue to be performed plus the programmer can add new functions to be performed upon the entrance or exiting from a state without detailed knowledge of the program implementing the previous services.
76 Citations
19 Claims
-
1. A method for controlling state transitions in response to a plurality of signals in a voice and data telecommunication system having a plurality of system states and with control being performed by a computer executing a program written in a nonprocedural language and said program controls said system to provide a plurality of features each providing specific voice and data operations and each feature implemented by a set of groups of instructions with each group of instructions being actuated by a predefined one of said signals and said system being in a predefined one of said sytem states, comprising the steps of:
-
initiating a change from the present one of said system states to another one of said system states by the execution of an instruction of a first group of instructions; generating a leave signal to define preparation to exit from said present one of said states; performing common exit operations terminating said present one of said system states before leaving said present one of said system states by the execution of a second group of instructions in response to said leave signal and said system being in said present one of said states; generating an enter signal to define preparation to enter into said other one of said states; and performing common entrance operations to start said other one of said system states upon entering said other one of said system states by a third group of instructions actuated by said enter signal and said system being in said other one of said system states. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. A method for controlling state transitions in response to a plurality of signals in a real-time process having a plurality of process states with control being performed by a computer executing a program written in a nonprocedural language and said program providing a plurality of operations each implemented by a set of groups of instructions with each group of instructions responsive to a predefined one of said process states and one of said signals for actuation, comprising the steps of:
-
initiating a change from the present one of said process states to another one of said process states by the execution of an instruction of a first group of instructions; generating a leave signal to define preparation to exit from said present one of said process states; performing common exit actions to terminate said present one of said process states before leaving said present one of said process states by execution of a second group of instructions in response to said leave signal and said present one of said process states; generating an enter signal to define preparation to enter said other one of said process states; and performing common entrance actions to define preparation to enter said other one of said process states by a third group of instructions in response to said enter signal and said other one of said process states.
-
-
9. A method for controlling state transitions in response to a plurality of signals in a voice and data telecommunication system having a plurality of system states with control being performed by a computer executing a program comprising a finite state machine routine and sets of groups of instructions with each set of said groups of instructions providing a feature that provides specific voice and data operations in said system and each group of instructions being actuated by a predefined one of said signals and said system being in a predefined one of said system states and said computer having a memory for storage of a plurality of control structures each associated with one of said system states and each control structure comprises a plurality of tables each associated with an individual one of said plurality of signals, and said method comprises the steps of:
-
maintaining an individual one of said control structures for each of said system states; allocating in each of said control structures an individual one of corresponding tables of the control system for each signal occurring in the system state corresponding to the control structure; relating individually in each of said tables in preference order ones of groups of instructions actuated by the signal corresponding to the individual table and the system state corresponding to the control structure of which the corresponding individual table is part; initiating a change from the present one of said system states to another one of said system states by execution of a first group of instructions; generating a leave signal to define preparations to exit from said present one of said system states by execution of said finite state machine routine; identifying a first one of said tables in response to said present one of said sytem states and said leave signal by further execution of said finite state machine routine; executing the group of instructions having highest preference in said first identified table to perform common exit operations to terminate said present one of said system states; generating an enter signal to define preparations to enter into said other one of said system states by execution of said finite state machine routine; identifying a second one of said tables in response to said other one of said system states and said enter signal; and executing the group of instructions having highest preference in said second identified table upon entering into said other one of said system states to perform common entrance operations to start said other one of said system states. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A voice and data telecommunication system controlled by a computer in response to a plurality of signals from said system and said system having a plurality of states and said computer executing a program comprising a finite state machine routine and sets of groups of instructions with each set of said groups of instructions providing a feature on said system and each group of instruction being actuated by a predefined one of said signals and said system being in a predefined one of said system states, comprising:
-
means for initiating a change from the present one of said system states to another one of said system states; means for generating a leave signal to define preparation to exit from said present one of said system states; means for performing common exit operations to terminate said present one of said system states before leaving said present one of said system states in response to said leave signal and said system being in said present one of said system states; means for generating an enter signal to define preparation to enter said other one of said system states; and means for performing common entrance operations to start said other one of said system states upon entering into said other one of said states in response to said enter signal and said system being in said other one of said system states. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A computer for controlling a real-time process having a plurality of states and a plurality of signals causing state transitions and said computer executing a program comprising a finite state machine routine and sets of groups of instructions with each set of said groups of instructions controlling an operation in said process and each group of instructions being actuated by a predefined signal and said process being in a predefined one of said process states, comprising:
-
means for initiating a change from the present process state to another process state defined by the execution of a first group of instructions; means defined by said finite state machine routine for generating a leave signal to define preparation to exit from said present one of said process states; means defined by a second group of instructions for performing common exit operations to terminate said present one of said process states before leaving said present one of said process states in response to said leave signal and said present one of said process states; means further defined by said finite state machine routine for generating an enter signal to define preparations to enter into another one of said process states; and means defined by execution of a third group of instructions for performing common entrance upon entering into said other one of said process states in response to said enter signal and said process being in said other one of said process states.
-
Specification