Methods and apparatus for interfacing with a phone system in an on-demand service environment

• US 8,693,649 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2010
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Casalaina, Marco, Vasudev, Gautam, Wang, Rachel, Ellis, Jason A., Kaw, Rahul
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US12/878,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20110274261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.11, 379/88.17, 379/93.23
• US Class Current: 379/93.23
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1017 based on a round robin mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0024 Services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services arrangements which combine a telephonic equipment and a computer H04M7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network

Abstract

Disclosed are systems, apparatus, methods, and computer readable media for interfacing with a phone provider in an on-demand service environment. In one embodiment, a proxy server is in communication with a phone system. The phone system provides a phone call and is operated by the phone provider. The proxy server is configured to: receive information from the phone system regarding a phone event in relation to the phone call, and output a message including the phone event information to a data network. A client machine is in communication with the proxy server over the data network and in communication with a data provider separate from the phone provider. The client machine is configured to: receive the message from the proxy server, and display the phone event information in a first part of a user interface in a web browser. A second part of the user interface can display information received from the data provider.

Claims

1. A system for interfacing with a phone provider in an on-demand service environment, the system comprising:

a proxy server in communication with a phone system, the phone system providing a phone call and operated by the phone provider, the proxy server configured to;

receive phone event information regarding a phone event in relation to the phone call from the phone system, and

output a message including the phone event information to a data network,

receive record information from a database system hosted by a data provider separate from the phone provider, and

provide the record information to the data network; and

a client machine in communication with the proxy server over the data network, the client machine configured to;

receive the message from the proxy server,

receive the record information from the database system,

display the phone event information in a first part of a user interface in a web browser on a display device of the client machine, and

display the record information in a second part of the user interface, wherein the record information is displayed responsive to the phone event information provided by the phone provider.

2. The system of claim 1:

the client machine further configured to;

receive, at the web browser, an input from an input device, the input being in relation to the phone event information, and

send the input from the web browser to the data network.

3. The system of claim 2:

the proxy server further configured to;

receive the input from the client machine, and

send the input to the phone system.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a further client machine configured to;

receive the message from the proxy server, and

display the phone event information in a first part of a user interface in a web browser on a display device of the further client machine, a second part of the user interface displaying record information received from the data provider.

5. The system of claim 1, the proxy server being operated by the data provider.

6. The system of claim 1, the proxy server being one of a plurality of multi-tenant servers.

7. The system of claim 6, the multi-tenant servers being associated with the data provider.

8. The system of claim 1, the proxy server in communication with the phone system via an application programming interface (API).

9. The system of claim 8, the API being a computer telephony integration (CTI) API.

10. The system of claim 1, the proxy server in communication with the phone system using outbound messaging.

11. A computer-implemented method for interfacing with a phone system in an on-demand service environment, performed at a client machine in communication with a database system and a proxy server over a data network, the method comprising:

receiving, at the client machine, a message from the proxy server including information regarding a phone event in relation to a phone call, the proxy server in communication with the phone system, the proxy server having received the phone event information from the phone system, the phone system providing the phone call and operated by a phone provider;

receiving record information from the database system hosted by a data provider, wherein the data provider is separate from the phone provider, wherein the record information is responsive to the phone event information provided by the phone provider;

displaying the phone event information in a first part of a user interface in a web browser on a display device of the client machine; and

displaying the record information in a second part of the user interface.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving, at the web browser of the client machine, an input from an input device, the input being in relation to the phone call; and

sending the input from the client machine to the proxy server.

13. The method of claim 12, the input being a further phone event.

14. The method of claim 12, the input being received at the first part of the user interface.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

sending a request message from the client machine to the data provider for the information displayed in the second part of the user interface.

16. The method of claim 11, the proxy server and the database system having a shared domain on the data network.

17. The method of claim 11, the proxy server being operated by the data provider.

18. The method of claim 11, the proxy server in communication with the web browser of the client machine via a persistent connection.

19. The method of claim 18, the persistent connection being a Comet connection.

20. The method of claim 11, the phone event information including graphical user interface (GUI) state information.

21. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for interfacing with a phone system in an on-demand service environment, performed at a client machine in communication with a database system and a proxy server over a data network, the instructions executable by a processor to enable the client machine to:

receive a message from the proxy server including information regarding a phone event in relation to a phone call, the proxy server in communication with the phone system, the proxy server having received the phone event information from the phone system, the phone system providing the phone call and operated by a phone provider;

receive record information from the database system hosted by a data provider, wherein the data provider is separate from the phone provider, wherein the record information is responsive to the phone event information provided by the phone provider;

display the phone event information in a first part of a user interface in a web browser on a display device of the client machine; and

display the record information in a second part of the user interface.

22. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, the client machine further enabled to:

receive, at the web browser, an input from an input device, the input being in relation to the phone call; and

send the input to the proxy server.

23. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, the input being a further phone event.

24. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, the input being received at the first part of the user interface.

25. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, the client machine further enabled to:

send a request message to the data provider for the information displayed in the second part of the user interface.

26. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, the phone event information including graphical user interface (GUI) state information.