Distributed open architecture for media and telephony services

• US 6,965,925 B1
• Filed: 12/31/1998
• Issued: 11/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Villarica, R. Alberto, Shank, Charles Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/223,972
• Time in Patent Office: 2,511 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/206, 709/223, 709/225, 709/226, 709/313, 709/315, 709/328, 709/329, 709/719, 719/313, 719/315, 719/328
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols

Abstract

A server provides media and telephony services in a telecommunications network. The server has a distributed, object-oriented software architecture, allowing client applications to access resources located anywhere in the network. The server provides interfaces to media and telephony resources so that client applications, which may access the server through an IP data network, can access the resources. The software architecture framework is provided by Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA).

Claims

1. A server comprising:

an interface to a data network;

an interface to a computer telephony resource providing a computer telephony service; and

means for receiving a first request from a client application coupled to the data network, said first request containing an object-oriented, language independent, second request to the computer telephony resource for provision of the computer telephony service by the computer telephony resource to the client application.

2. The server of claim 1 further comprising

a resource administrator for tracking availability of the resource.

3. The server of claim 1 wherein the request includes a parameter needed by the resource, and wherein the interface to the resource includes means for passing the parameter to the resource.

4. The server of claim 1 wherein the resource is a text-to-speech server, and wherein the means for receiving an object-oriented, language independent request from the client application includes means for receiving a request for access to the text-to-speech server.

5. The server of claim 1 wherein the resource is a speech recognition device, and wherein the means for receiving an object-oriented, language independent request from the client application includes means for receiving a request for access to the speech recognition device.

6. The server of claim 1 wherein the resource is a speaker verification device, and wherein the means for receiving an object-oriented, language independent request firm the client application includes means for receiving a request for access to the speaker verification device.

7. The server of claim 1 wherein the resource is an interactive voice response device, and wherein the means for receiving an object-oriented, language independent request from the client application includes means for receiving a request for access to the interactive voice response device.

8. The server of claim 1 wherein the resource is a facsimile device, and wherein the means for receiving an object-oriented, language independent request from the client application includes means for receiving a request for access to the facsimile device.

9. The server of claim 1 further comprising

an interface to a telecommunications network,

and wherein the resource provides a telephony service in the telecommunications network.

10. The server of claim 9 wherein the resource is a call router, and wherein the means for receiving an object-oriented, language independent request from the client application includes means for receiving a request for access to the call router.

11. The server of claim 9 wherein the resource is a signaling system server, and wherein the means for receiving an object-oriented, language independent request from the client application includes means for receiving a request for access to the signaling system server.

12. A method for providing remote services by a server coupled to a computer telephony resource, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first request from a client application, said first request containing an object-oriented, language-independent second request to the computer telephony resource for provision of services by the computer telephony resource to the client application;

decoding the second request to determine a parameter needed by the computer telephony resource; and

passing the parameter to the computer telephony resource.

13. A system for providing at least one of media services and telephony services in a telecommunications network, comprising:

a server having a services interface, said server being configured to provide the at least one of media services and telephony services to a client application; and

a distributed software bus configured to interface the client application to the server over a network;

wherein the distributed software bus is configured to be used by the client application to obtain the at least one of media services and telephony services by issuing a first request on the network, said first request containing an object-oriented, language independent, second request for the provision of the at least one of media services and telephony services by at least one of a computer telephony resource and a media resource to the client application.

14. The system for providing telephony services in a telecommunications network of claim 13, wherein said distributed software bus comprises an object request broker interfacing objects on the bus.

15. The system for providing telephony services in a telecommunications network of claim 13, wherein the system is an object-oriented system for providing media and telephony services in a distributed computing environment.