Application programming interface for computer telephone sets

• US 6,754,313 B1
• Filed: 09/01/2000
• Issued: 06/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Szilagyi, Zoltan C., Quinton, Mary Michelle
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US09/654,407
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 379/90.01, 379/93.05, 379/93.09, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/93.26, 379/201.01
• US Class Current: 379/90.01
• 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 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0015 First party call control architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0021 Details of Application Programming Interfaces

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing operating system support of computer telephone sets are described. Services are provided to standardize the interactions between computer telephony applications and telephone sets, to unify those interactions into a coherent whole, and to simplify the interactions by automatically performing common tasks. A default Telephone Manager provides all the functionality needed to support basic telephony. With all call processing performed on the host computer, telephone sets attached to the host need have no native intelligence. Support for transporting voice to distant locations is provided entirely by the host computer rendering the telephone set independent of any transport technology.

Claims

1. An application programming interface (API) on a personal computer (PC), the API containing functional attributes that are presented to a computer telephony application running on the PC that are substantially all the functionality required for operating a telephone set connected to the PC, said functional attributes presented by the API to the computer telephony application including (1) attributes for getting and setting configuration information on the telephone set, (2) attributes for getting status on the telephone set, (3) attributes for the notification of events occurring on the telephone set, (4) attributes for rendering telephone signaling tones on the telephone set, and (5) attributes for rendering speech onto and capturing speech from the telephone set.

2. The API of claim 1 wherein the computer telephony application can render telephone signaling tones on the telephone set without directly accessing an audio API.

3. The API of claim 1 wherein the functional attributes presented by the API to the computer telephony application further include (6) attributes for listing telephone sets that are available for use on the PC and (7) attributes for seizing an available telephone set for use and releasing it.

4. The API of claim 1 wherein the API presents the functional attributes to the computer telephony application in a manner independent of the hardware implementation of the telephone set.

5. The API of claim 1 comprising software objects.

6. The API of claim 5 wherein the functional attributes of the telephone set are presented essentially in one software object.

7. The API of claim 1 comprising software routines running on the PC.

8. The API of claim 1 wherein the telephone set is in the group:

hand set, speakerphone, headset, videophone.

9. A computer-readable medium containing instructions that when executed by a PC provide the API of claim 1.

10. A telephone manager routine running in the operating system of a PC, the telephone manager routine providing telephony services, the telephony services provided including finding a telephone set that is connected to the PC and that is available for use, seizing the available telephone set, associating a telephone call with the telephone set, getting and setting configuration information on the telephone set, setting the call state of the telephone call, transitioning the telephone call through call states in response to events occurring on the telephone call, rendering telephone signaling tones on the telephone set, and rendering speech onto and capturing speech from the telephone set.

11. The telephone manager routine of claim 10 wherein the telephone manager routine provides telephony services to a human user.

12. The telephone manager routine of claim 10 wherein the telephone manager routine provides telephony services to a computer telephony application.

13. The telephone manager routine of claim 10 wherein associating a telephone call with the telephone set involves answering an incoming telephone call on the telephone set.

14. The telephone manager routine of claim 10 wherein associating a telephone call with the telephone set involves initiating an outgoing telephone call on the telephone set.

15. The telephone manager routine of claim 14 further providing support for addressing an outgoing telephone call based on the called party'"'"'s telephone number.

16. The telephone manager routine of claim 15 further providing logic for determining when a user has entered enough numbers to completely specify the called party'"'"'s telephone number.

17. The telephone manager routine of claim 14 further providing support for addressing an outgoing telephone call based on the called party'"'"'s e-mail address or Internetworking Protocol address.

18. The telephone manager routine of claim 10 wherein the telephony services are provided in a manner independent of the hardware implementation of the telephone set.

19. The telephone manager routine of claim 10 wherein the telephone set is in the group:

hand set, speakerphone, headset, videophone.

20. A computer-readable medium containing instructions that when executed by a PC perform the telephone manager routine of claim 10.

21. A method for providing a telephone connection on a PC, comprising capturing local voice via a microphone of a telephone set attached to the PC, transmitting the local voice to the PC, receiving remote voice on the PC, transmitting the remote voice to the telephone set, rendering the remote voice on a speaker of the telephone set, and running logic in an operating system on the PC to set the call state of the telephone connection and to transition the telephone connection through call states in response to events occurring on the telephone connection.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the telephone set is in the group:

hand set, speakerphone, headset.

23. A computer-readable medium containing instructions that when executed by a PC perform the method of claim 21.

24. A system for providing a telephone connection on a PC, comprising a telephone set connected to the PC and logic running in an operating system on the PC to set the call state of the telephone connection and to transition the telephone connection through call states in response to events occurring on the telephone connection, wherein the telephone set comprises:

a human interface for capturing input from a human and for rendering output to the human;

a digital communications interface for communicating with the PC;

a first translator for translating the input from the human and for delivering the translated input to the digital communications interface; and

a second translator for translating data received from the digital communications interface and for delivering the translated data to the human interface.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the human interface comprises a first speaker and a first microphone, and wherein the telephone set further comprises an analog-to-digital converter connecting the first speaker and the first microphone to the digital communications interface.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the telephone set further comprises:

at least one input device other than the first microphone; and

a connection between the at least one input device other than the first microphone and the digital communications interface.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the at least one input device other than the first microphone is in the group:

a second microphone, hook switch, keypad, and camera.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the telephone set further comprises:

at least one output device other than the first speaker; and

a connection between the at least one output device other than the first speaker and the digital communications interface.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one output device other than the first speaker is in the group:

a second speaker, alphanumeric display, status light, and video display.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one output device other than the first speaker is a video display and further comprising:

a video camera; and

a connection between the video camera and the digital communications interface.