Multimedia scripting tool

• US 6,173,437 B1
• Filed: 07/24/1997
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intervoice Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Intervoice Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Polcyn, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAM, TUAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US08/900,237
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 717/1, 717/5, 717/7, 717/2, 345/967, 345/339, 345/348, 704/270, 379/908, 379/915
• US Class Current: 717/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/54583 Software development, e.g. procedural, object oriented, software generation, software testing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/908 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/967 Visual or iconic programming

Abstract

The disclosed invention provides a development environment for scripting a call flow across a variety of hardware devices. The development environment utilizes a single scripting language in conjunction with hardware specific compiler modules to generate code operable on the different hardware devices. Such use of a single scripting language to generate code for a complete call flow, regardless of the hardware devices it must ultimately utilize, provides for advantages in ease of development as well as ease and efficiency of use.

Claims

1. A system for developing a user definable application including at least two application portions each operable on a different device of a plurality of interconnected discrete devices, said system comprising:

a high level instruction set having a plurality of instructions representing operations performable by said application;

means for selecting ones of said plurality of instructions and specifying said selected instructions'"'"' interaction so as to define said application; and

means for apportioning said selected ones of said instructions so as to identify particular selected instructions with a particular device of said plurality of interconnected devices suitable for performing an operation associated with said apportioned instruction.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein specifying interaction of said selected instructions comprises identifying a common set of variables to be utilized throughout said at least two application portions.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for adapting instructions of said apportioned instructions specifically for use with said particular device.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

means for compiling said adapted instructions wherein said compiled instructions are executable on said particular device.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

means for outputting said compiled instructions to said particular device.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a graphical user interface including graphical icons representing said instructions wherein said graphical icons are manipulable by a user to create a program flow path interconnected with at least one arrow.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for providing said apportioning means with a user preference regarding operation of ones of said devices, said apportioning means utilizing said user preference when apportioning said instructions.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for providing said apportioning means with device operation information to be utilized by said apportioning means when apportioning said instructions.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

means for determining if operations of said application are unaccomplishable by said devices.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for informing a user of said operations determined to be unaccomplishable.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for determining if said unaccomplishable operations may be emulated.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for providing said apportioning means with configuration options of ones of said devices.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

means for determining if ones of said devices may be reconfigured to accomplish said unaccomplishable operations.

14. A computer program product having a computer readable medium on which computer program logic is recorded for developing a call handling system application, wherein said call handling system includes various dissimilar components interacting to handle a call from a call flow starting boundary to a call flow end point and said application is comprised of a plurality of application segments operable on said dissimilar components, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium;

a computer program stored in said storage medium comprising;

a universal scripting language having a plurality of commands representing call handling functions of said call handling system;

means for representing a complete call handling system application as an arrangement of ones of said plurality of commands; and

means for parsing said arrangement of commands to result in a plurality of application segments each being associated with a particular component of said various components.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

means for identifying a global variable set to be used throughout said call handling system application.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said representing means includes means for specifying interaction between commands of said arrangement of commands, said specified interaction including reference to said global variable set.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

means for translating commands of said arrangement of commands into commands suitable for use with a particular component of said various components.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

means for compiling said translated commands into code executable on said particular component.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:

means for outputting said executable code to said particular component.

20. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein said commands are presented to a user as graphical icons and said representing means presents said arrangement of commands as a icons interconnected with at least one arrow representing a call flow path.

21. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

means for providing said parsing means with information regarding a user'"'"'s preferences as to operation of said call handling system, wherein said parsing means parses said arrangement of commands into said application segments as a function of said user preferences.

22. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

means for providing said parsing means with information regarding functions each said component is capable of performing, wherein said parsing means parses said arrangement of commands into said application segments as a function of said component function information.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, further comprising:

means for determining if functions of said call handling system application are unavailable through utilizing said components.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising:

means for informing a user that functions of said call handling system application are unavailable.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising:

means for determining if said unavailable functions may be emulated.

26. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising:

means for providing said parsing means with information regarding configuration options of ones of said components.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, further comprising:

means for determining if ones of said components may be reconfigured to make available said functions determined to be unavailable.

28. A method for developing a user definable application including at least two application portions using a high level instruction set having a plurality of instructions representing operations performable by said application, wherein each application portion is operable on a different device of a plurality of interconnected discrete devices, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting ones of said plurality of instructions;

identifying at least one common variable to be utilized by a plurality of said application portions;

specifying said selected instructions'"'"' interaction so as to define said application, said specified interaction including reference to said at lease one common variable; and

apportioning said selected ones of said instructions so as to identify particular selected instructions with a particular device of said plurality of interconnected devices suitable for performing an operation associated with said apportioned instruction.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of:

adapting instructions of said apportioned instructions specifically for use with said particular device.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein said specifying step is accomplished at least in part utilizing a graphical user interface including graphical icons representing said instructions wherein said graphical icons are manipulable by a user to create a program flow path interconnected with at least one arrow.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of:

providing a user preference regarding operation of ones of said devices, said apportioning step utilizing said user preference when apportioning said instructions.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of:

providing device operation information, said apportioning step utilizing said device operation information when apportioning said instructions.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of:

determining if operations of said application are accomplishable by said devices.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of:

informing a user of said operations not determined to be accomplishable.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of:

determining if operations not determined to be accomplishable may be emulated.

36. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of:

providing configuration option information of ones of said devices, said apportioning step utilizing said configuration option information when apportioning said instructions.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising the steps of:

determining if operations of said application are accomplishable by said devices;

determining if ones of said devices may be reconfigured to accomplish said operations not determined to be accomplishable.

38. A system for generating a call flow script operable across a plurality of interconnected discrete telephony related devices, at least two of the devices comprise at least one controller to execute call flow script code, said system comprising:

a predefined set of code constructs defining call flow functions operable on said telephony related devices, wherein first ones of said code constructs define functions utilizing a plurality of said interconnected telephony related devices and second ones of said code constructs define functions utilizing a single one of said interconnected telephony related devices, and wherein ones of said code constructs are inter-relatable to define said call flow script;

a plurality of hardware modules defining features of ones of said telephony related devices; and

a parser providing script segments as a function of said features defined in said hardware modules appropriate for ones of the telephony related devices from said interrelated code constructs, wherein said parser divides portions of said first ones of said code constructs among said plurality of interconnected telephony related devices to realize said function utilizing said plurality of interconnected telephony related devices.

39. The system of claim 38, further comprising:

a graphical user interface, wherein ones of said code constructs are represented as graphical icons which may be interconnected by a user to graphically represent said call flow script.

40. The system of claim 38, further comprising:

system wide user preference information, wherein said parser provides said script segments at least in part through reference to said preference information.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein said preference information comprises information selected from the group consisting of:

a preferred device to perform a particular said function; and

a desired global attribute.

42. The system of claim 38, wherein ones of said hardware modules include configuration information with respect to an associated telephony related device.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein said configuration information comprises information selected from the group consisting of:

identification of hardware components coupled to the associated telephony related device;

selection of a particular optional configuration of the associated telephony related device; and

user selected preferences of the associated telephony related device.

44. The system of claim 38, further comprising:

a plurality of compilers corresponding to said plurality of telephony related devices, wherein a particular one of said compilers is associated with a particular one of said telephony related devices.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein said compilers are integral with said hardware modules.

46. The system of claim 38, further comprising:

a plurality of device interface protocols, wherein a particular one of said interface protocols defines an appropriate interface between a system generating said call flow script and a particular one of said telephony related devices.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein said interface protocols are integral with said hardware modules.