Telecommunications voice server leveraging application web-server capabilities

• US 7,412,038 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2004
• Issued: 08/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Creamer, Thomas E., Moore, Victor S., Nusbickel, Wendi L., Sliwa, James J., Dos Santos, Ricardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US10/833,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20050243977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,567 Days
• Field of Search: 370/260, 379/88.22, 379/88.13, 379/201.03
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/64 Hybrid switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2066 Call type detection of indication, e.g. voice or fax, mobile of fixed, PSTN or IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

A method for providing voice telephony services can include the step of receiving a call via a telephone gateway. The telephone gateway can convey call identifying data to a resource connector. A media port can be responsively established within a media converter that is communicatively linked to the telephone gateway through a port associated with the call. A call description object can be constructed that includes the call identifying data and an identifier for the media port. The call description object can be conveyed to a telephony application server that provides at least one speech service for the call. The telephony application server can initiate at least one programmatic action of a communicatively linked speech engine. The speech engine can convey results of the programmatic action to the media converter through the media port. The media converter can stream speech signals for the call based upon the results.

Claims

1. A method for providing voice telephony services comprising the steps of:

receiving a call via a telephone gateway;

packetizing call information into a plurality of messages normalized for an application server environment;

initializing at least one media socket within a media converter, wherein said media socket is allocated for approximately a duration of the call, said media converter serves as an intermediary between a speech engine and said telephone gateway, and said media converter establishes a connection with a calling port of the telephone gateway and at least one media port for receiving speech data;

conveying said messages to a telephone application server that provides at least one speech service for said call;

said telephony application server initiating at least one programmatic action of a communicatively linked speech engine;

said speech engine establishing a communication link with said converter via said media socket; and

conveying audio signals between said speech engine and said telephone gateway using said media converter as a communication intermediary, wherein once said speech engine has completed executing said at least one programmatic action, disconnecting said speech engine from said media socket so that said media socket is available for communications with other speech engines.

2. The method of claim 1, said packetizing step further comprising packetizing call information into a plurality of HyperText Transfer Protocol messages.

3. The method of claim 1, said packetizing step further comprising packetizing call information into a plurality of Session Initiation Protocol messages.