Dispatching messages among registered software modules in telecommunications system including telephony internet server coupled between packet network and PBX

• US 7,496,924 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2000
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unify Patente GmbH & Co. KG (Atos Se)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Communications Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Cripe, Jeff, Callaghan, Robert, Grosberg, Mark, Gilbert, Leroy, Cross, Kenton, Korpi, Markku, Howe, Wyatt, Butcher, Kristin, Fieremans, Geert
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Haresh N
• Application Number:
  US09/742,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20020021774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,989 Days
• Field of Search: 709/314, 709/311, 709/312, 709/313, 709/315, 709/318, 709200-203, 709217-230, 719310-318, 719330-332, 718/100, 718/106, 718/105, 718/107, 718/104, 379/900, 379/88.25, 379/100, 725/106, 455/554.1, 377/66, 370/298, 375/370, 735/106
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13109 Initializing, personal profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13376 Information service, downloading of information, 0800/0900 services
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13396 Signaling in general, in-band signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/54516 Initialization, software or data downloading G06F9/445 takes precedence

Abstract

A telecommunications system having a software dispatcher is provided for delivering messages between dispatcher clients, i.e., software subsystems that may be in the same process, a different process, or on a different machine. The dispatcher manages a pool of threads to balance the workload. The dispatcher can process both synchronous and asynchronous messages by dispatching the message to all registered subsystems in order of their registered priority.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a telephony Internet server coupling a packet network to a private branch exchange, external communications from said private branch exchange passing through said telephony Internet server;

a software dispatcher in said telephony Internet server, said software dispatcher maintaining a list of all messages in said system and dynamically adding packet network software system application features to said private branch exchange;

a plurality of dispatcher clients, each identifying to said software dispatcher particular messages for receipt; and

said software dispatcher managing listed messages in a pool of threads and sending messages to said plurality of dispatcher clients synchronously and asynchronously, said software dispatcher balancing system workload between said pool of threads, wherein said software dispatcher saves asynchronous messages for later transmission in logical message queues in one or more message threads, sent said messages being sent as flexible message parameters comprising name, type, and value fields and, wherein said value field further comprises another flexible message parameter.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein messages are dispatched to identified ones of said plurality of dispatcher clients in order of dispatcher client priority.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said software dispatcher maintains said list as a list of unique integers identifying which dispatcher clients indicated they are to receive particular messages and each of said messages is identified to said software dispatcher by a message number.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a private network of a plurality of coupled telephony devices connected to said packet network through said private branch exchange.

5. A method comprising:

interfacing a packet network to a private branch exchange (PBX) in an existing private network of a plurality of coupled telephony devices, external communications to said PBX from said plurality of coupled telephony devices passing through said packet network;

dynamically adding packet network software features to said existing private network, said packet network software features being added by a software dispatcher;

maintaining a list of all messages in said packet network system at said software dispatcher;

registering dispatcher clients to receive listed messages with said dispatcher, said dispatcher clients including packet network software subsystems and being identified in said list by a unique identifying integer and node; and

dispatching messages to said dispatcher clients synchronously and asynchronously in a pool of threads, asynchronously dispatching messages comprising saving asynchronous messages for later transmission in logical message queues in one or more message threads, said software dispatcher maintaining a balanced workload between said pool of threads.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5, comprising dispatching messages in order of registered dispatcher client priority.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the step of dispatching messages comprises dispatching messages as flexible message parameters comprising name, type, and value fields, and wherein only dispatcher clients identified to receive particular messages is aware of both content and destination of respective said particular messages.

8. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the step of dispatching messages selectively, dynamically adds said features to said telephony devices coupled to said private branch exchange.

9. A telecommunication system comprising:

a private branch exchange connected a private communications network;

a packet network server interfacing the private branch exchange to a packet network and passing external communications from said private communications network through said packet network;

a plurality of software subsystems in said packet network; and

a software dispatcher dynamically adding packet network software features to said private communications network, said software dispatcher in said packet network server managing a pool of message threads, said software dispatcher receiving, and synchronously and asynchronously dispatching, messages in each thread to software subsystems responsive to a unique identifying integer and node in each message, asynchronously dispatching messages comprising saving asynchronous messages for later transmission in logical message queues in one or more message threads, while said software dispatcher balances system workload between threads in said pool.

10. The telecommunications system in accordance with claim 9, wherein said one or more software subsystems provide said dispatcher with an identification of a message to be delivered and said dispatcher identifies a destination, whereby each of said one or more software subsystems is unaware of respective identified destinations.

11. The telecommunications system in accordance with claim 9, wherein said dispatcher maintains a list of registered receivers and message numbers, each distributed message being identified to said dispatcher by one of said message numbers.

12. The telecommunications system in accordance with claim 9, wherein said one or more software subsystems register with said dispatcher for receiving particular messages.

13. The telecommunications system in accordance with claim 9, wherein said software dispatcher dynamically adds said features to telephony devices coupled to said private branch exchange.

14. A system comprising:

a software dispatcher dynamically adding software system features to dispatcher clients, maintaining a list of all messages in the system and managing a pool of message threads the system including one or more processing entities;

a plurality of the dispatcher clients including one or more software applications, each dispatcher client identifying to said software dispatcher particular messages for receipt, ones of said dispatcher clients identifying to said software dispatcher messages for sending; and

said software dispatcher selectively sending messages synchronously and asynchronously from said pool of message threads to dispatcher clients identified for receipt, said software dispatcher balancing system workload among said pool of message threads, wherein said software dispatcher saves asynchronous messages for later transmission in logical message queues in one or more message threads, sent said messages being sent as flexible message parameters comprising name, type, and value fields and, wherein said value field further comprises another flexible message parameter.

15. The system in accordance with claim 14, further comprising said private branch exchange (PBX) in a private network of a plurality of coupled telephony devices and said software dispatcher dynamically adds said features to telephony devices coupled to said private branch exchange.