Computer telephony application programming interface

• US 6,343,116 B1
• Filed: 09/21/1998
• Issued: 01/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ryan, Donald R., Clark, Michael, Solomon, Stefan, Quinton, Mary Michelle
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US09/157,469
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 379/90.01, 379/93.05, 379/93.09, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/93.26, 379/201
• US Class Current: 379/90.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2473 Telephone terminals interfacing a personal computer, e.g. using an API (Application Programming Interface) details of API H04M7/0021
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0021 Details of Application Programming Interfaces

Abstract

Computer telephony application programming interface is disclosed. In one embodiment, a system includes at least one call control object and at least one media control object. The call control objects are to initiate and terminate a computer telephony call having a media stream. The media control objects are to end-point the media stream of the computer telephony call. In a further embodiment, there is also a media control manager to instantiate a media control object for each multimedia device of the system.

Claims

1. A computer telephony call control system, usable by an application program running on a computing device, the computing device comprising one or more multimedia devices for sourcing one or more media stream components of a computer telephony call, the system comprising:

a media control manager for searching for said one or more multimedia devices for sourcing said one or more media steam components of the computer telephony call and for instantiating a media control object for each of said one or more multimedia devices identified from the search;

at least one call control object for controlling the computer telephony call by (1) receiving commands from, and delivering status information to, the application program and (2) marshalling said one or more multimedia devices to support the computer telephony call; and

each of the instantiated media control objects responding to commands from the at least one call control object for controlling one of the one or more multimedia devices supporting the telephony call and the one or more media stream components of the computer telephony call sourced from said one of the one or more multimedia devices.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an application programming interface inclusive of the at least one call control object and at least one media control object.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one media control object comprises at least one terminal object.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one media control object comprises a media control object selected from the group consisting of:

a microphone, a speaker, a sound card, a video camera, a phone, a video window, a file, and a Dual Tone Multiple Frequency detector.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one call control object comprises:

at least one first-party call control object; and

,

at least one third-party call control object.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one first-party call control object comprises an address object over which the computer telephony call is placed.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one first-party call control object comprises:

a first call object representing a first end-point of the computer telephony call; and

,

a second call object representing a second end-point of the computer telephony call.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one third-party call control object comprises a call-hub object representing a computer telephony connection relating at least the first call object and the second call object.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more multimedia devices comprise at least one physical multimedia device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more multimedia devices comprise at least one virtual multimedia device.

11. A method for placing an outgoing computer telephony call from a computing device, the computing device comprising a transport facility and a multimedia device for sourcing a media stream component of the computer telephony call, the method comprising:

selecting an address object based on a type of the outgoing computer telephony call, the address object controlling the transport facility;

selecting a multimedia device based on a set of characteristics of the media stream component of the computer telephony call;

instantiating a terminal object for the multimedia device;

directing the terminal object to configure the multimedia device to source the media stream component of the computer telephony call;

placing the outgoing computer telephony call over the transport facility; and

delivering status information about the computer telephony call.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

instantiating a telephony application programming interface object; and

,

initializing the telephony application programming interface object.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the type is a voice call.

13. A method for receiving an incoming computer telephony call comprising:

instantiating and registering an event callback on a telephony application programming interface object;

selecting at least one desired address object corresponding to a type of the incoming computer telephony call;

registering the at least one desired address object with the telephony application programming interface over which the incoming computer telephony call is listened for;

receiving a notification of the incoming computer telephony call from the telephony application programming interface on the event callback; and

,

connecting the incoming computer telephony call over an address object over which the incoming computer telephony call arrived.

15. A method for receiving an incoming computer telephony call comprising:

instantiating and registering an event callback on a telephony application programming interface object;

selecting at least one desired address object corresponding to a type of the incoming computer telephony call, wherein the at least one desired address object includes a terminal object that includes a representation of a virtual device;

registering the at least one desired address object with the telephony application programming interface over which the incoming computer telephony call is listened for;

receiving a notification of the incoming computer telephony call from the telephony application programming interface on the event callback; and

,

connecting the incoming computer telephony call over an address object over which the incoming computer telephony call arrived.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

instantiating the telephony application programming interface object; and

,

initializing the telephony application programming interface object.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

enumerating available address objects from the telephony application programming interface object, each available address object having telephony capabilities; and

,

querying each available address object to determine the telephony capabilities of each object.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the type is a video call.