Method and apparatus for interfacing two or more applications in a client server

• US 6,263,372 B1
• Filed: 07/07/1998
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Global Crossing Telecommunications Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Link USA Corporation
• Inventors: Austin, Mark A., Smith, Keith E., Busch, Eric M., Berry, Dana Bruce, Kripakaran, Raghavan, Hogan, Steven J., Vercande, David J., Murdock, Douglas R., Jayasimha, Madhigubba G., Goodman, Todd A., Tangeman, Michael R., Feltz, Kristi T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US09/111,618
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/227, 709/228, 709/232, 709/236, 709/237
• US Class Current: 709/237
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0148 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0062 Provisions for network management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

A system and method for processing telephone calls and providing enhanced services is presented. The call processing system includes a network control processor for controlling the processing and routing of the calls and for providing enhanced features, and a matrix switch for routing calls from an originating location to a terminating location. Operator consoles can be included to provide operator assistance to the caller. The network control processor comprises a central message processor that receives call data, determines the type of call, determines the processing required, and determines whether operator assistance is required. A call route distributor allocates an operator console to the call if required. A billing server is used to track billing information for the call while it is in progress. A database server is provided for database look-ups and storage. The call processing system also includes a validation system, a billing system, a distribution system, and a fraud detection and prevention system. The validation system is used to validate call information to determine whether the call can be placed. The billing system determines rates for calls and calculates the cost of completed calls. The distribution system distributes changes that are made to a master database to the appropriate slave database. The fraud detection and prevention system monitors originating and in-process calls to detect and possibly prevent possible fraudulent uses of phone services and systems. A client interface is provided to facilitate communications among applications and DEF records are used to define specific call processing actions.

Claims

1. A client/server interface system comprising:

a client interface;

a configuration file coupled to said client interface;

a timer coupled to said client interface;

an outstanding request list coupled to said client interface; and

an incoming packet list coupled to said client interface.

2. In a client/server interface, a method for interfacing two or more applications, comprising the steps of:

receiving a message sent to a first application from a second application;

determining whether said message is a duplicate message;

providing said message to said first application only if said message is not a duplicate message;

receiving a reply from said first application to send a response to said message provided to said first application; and

sending said response to said second application.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

saving each said reply received from said first application and sent to said second application;

resending said response to said second application without requiring further action by said first application if it is determined that said message is a duplicate message and a reply to said received message has already been sent.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step of determining whether said message is a duplicate message comprises the step of checking a list of messages already received by the client/interface for said first application to determine whether said message is in said list, wherein presence of said message in said list indicates that said message is a duplicate message.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of adding said message to said list if said message is not in said list.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of checking a retry count for said message to determining whether said message has previously been sent by said second application, and wherein said step of determining whether said message is a duplicate message is performed only if said retry count indicates said message has previously been sent by said second application.

7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of determining whether said message is a response to an outstanding request sent by said first application to said second application, and wherein said step of determining whether said message is a duplicate message is performed only if said message is a message other than a response to an outstanding request sent by said first application to said second application.

8. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of sending a hold response to said second application without requiring further action by said first application if it is determined that said message is a duplicate message that has already been provided to said first application, wherein said hold response indicates to said second application that said first application has received said message and a response is forthcoming.

9. A client/server interface configured to interface a client application and a server application comprising:

a receive message module configured to receive a message from a client application;

a compare message module configured to determine if said message is a duplicate; and

a transfer message module configured to transfer said message to a server application if said message is not a duplicate.

10. The client/server interface of claim 9, further comprising an acknowledge reply module configured to recognize a response from said first application in response to said message.

11. The client/server interface of claim 9, further comprising a send reply module configured to send a reply to said second application in response to said message.

12. The client/server interface of claim 11, further comprising a:

a save reply module configured to save each reply sent to said second application from said first application; and

,

a resend module configured to resend said response to said second application without requiring further action by said first application if it is determined that said message is a duplicate message and a reply to said message has already been sent.

13. The client/server interface of claim 9, wherein said compare message module checks a list of messages already received by the interface to determine whether said message is in said list, wherein presence of said message in said list indicates that said message is a duplicate message.

14. The client/server interface of claim 13, wherein said compare message module adds said message to said list if said message is not in said list.

15. The client/server interface of claim 9, wherein said compare message module checks a retry count for said message to determining whether said message has previously been sent by said second application, and wherein said step of determining whether said message is a duplicate message is performed only if said retry count indicates said message has previously been sent by said second application.

16. The client/server interface of claim 9, wherein said interface determines whether said message is a response to an outstanding request sent by said first application to said second application, and wherein said step of determining whether said message is a duplicate message is performed only if said message is a message other than a response from said first application to said second application to an outstanding request.

17. The client/server interface of claim 9, further including a hold response module configured to hold a response to said second application without requiring further action by said first application if it is determined that said message is a duplicate message that has already been provided to said first application, wherein said hold response module indicates to said second application that said first application has received said message and a response is forthcoming.

18. The client/server interface of claims 9, wherein said client/server interface operates over a local or wide area network.

19. The client/server interface of claim 9, wherein said interface operates on the Internet.

20. A computer program medium embodying a program of instructions executable by a computer to perform method steps to interface two or more applications in a telephone call processing system, comprising the method steps of:

receiving a message sent to a first application from a second application, wherein said message comprises data to assist in the processing of a telephone call;

determining whether said message is a duplicate message; and

providing said message to said first application only if said message is not a duplicate message.

21. The computer program medium of claim 20, configured to further perform the method steps of:

receiving a reply from said first application to send a response to said second application in response to said message; and

sending said response to said second application.

22. The computer program medium of claim 20, wherein said duplicate message comprises a message which said first application has received.

23. The computer program medium of claim 20, configured to further perform the method steps of:

saving each said reply received from said first application and sent to said second application;

resending said response to said second application without requiring further action by said first application if it is determined that said message is a duplicate message and said reply to said message has already been sent.

24. The computer program medium of claim 20, wherein said method step of determining whether said message is a duplicate message comprises the step of checking a list of messages already received by the client/interface for said first application to determine whether said message is in said list, wherein presence of said message in said list indicates that said message is a duplicate message.

25. The computer program medium of claim 24, configured to further perform the method step of adding said message to said list if said message is not in said list.

26. The computer program medium of claim 20, configured to further perform the method steps of checking a retry count for said message to determining whether said message has previously been sent by said second application, and wherein said step of determining whether said message is a duplicate message is performed only if said retry count indicates said message has previously been sent by said second application.

27. The computer program medium of claim 20, configured to further perform the method steps of determining whether said message is a response sent by said first application to said second application in response to an outstanding request, and wherein said step of determining whether said message is a duplicate message is performed only if said message is a message other than a response to an outstanding request sent by said second application to said first application.

28. The computer program medium of claim 20, configured to further perform the method steps of sending a hold response to said second application without requiring further action by said first application if it is determined that said message is a duplicate message that has already been provided to said first application, wherein said hold response indicates to said second application that said first application has received said message and a response is forthcoming.

29. A program storage device readable by a machine, embodying a program code means executable by the machine to perform method steps for interfacing two or more applications, said program code means comprising:

means for receiving a message sent to a first application from a second application;

means for determining whether said message is a duplicate message; and

means for providing said message to said first application only if said message is not a duplicate message.

30. The program storage device of claim 29, further including:

means for receiving an acknowledgement from said first application acknowledging said message provided to said first application; and

means for sending a response to said second application from said first application.

31. The program storage device of claim 30 further including:

means for saving each response received from said first application and sent to said second application;

means for resending said response to said second application without requiring further action by said first application if it is determined that said message is a duplicate message and a reply to said message has already been sent.

32. The program storage device of claim 29, wherein means for determining whether said message is a duplicate message comprises means for checking a list of messages already received by the client/interface for said first application to determine whether said message is in said list, wherein presence of said message in said list indicates that said message is a duplicate message.

33. The program storage device of claim 32, further including means for adding said message to said list if said message is not in said list.

34. An apparatus for interfacing two applications comprising:

means for selecting a route for a message to a first application from a second application;

means for sending said message on said route to said first application from said second application;

means for receiving said message sent to said first application from said second application;

means for determining whether said message is a duplicate message; and

means for providing said message to said first application only if said message is not a duplicate message.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, further including

means for receiving a reply from said first application to send a response to said message provided to said first application; and

means for sending said response to said second application.

36. The appratus of claim 35, further comprising:

means for saving each said reply received from said first application and sent to said second application; and

,

means for resending said response to said second application without requiring further action by said first application if it is determined that said message is a duplicate message and a reply to said received message has already been sent.

37. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein means for determining whether said message is a duplicate message comprises means for checking a list of messages already received by the client/interface for said first application to determine whether said message is in said list, wherein presence of said message in said list indicates that said message is a duplicate message.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein said means for determining whether said message is a duplicate further includes the function of adding said message to said list if said message is not in said list.

39. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising means for checking a retry count for said message to determining whether said message has previously been sent by said second application, and wherein said step of determining whether said message is a duplicate message is performed only if said retry count indicates said message has previously been sent by said second application.

40. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising means for determining whether said message is a response to an outstanding request sent by said first application to said second application, and wherein said step of determining whether said message is a duplicate message is performed only if said message is a message other than a response to an outstanding request sent by said first application to said second application.

41. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising means for sending a hold response to said second application without requiring further action by said first application if it is determined that said message is a duplicate message that has already been provided to said first application, wherein said hold response indicates to said second application that said first application has received said message and a response is forthcoming.