Service providing system allowing flexible cooperation between applications exploiting different protocols

• US 8,812,731 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Fukuda, Haruo, Nakazawa, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): JAKOVAC, RYAN J
• Application Number:
  US10/921,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20050044188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,652 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/230, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In a service providing system, the problem of extensibility of applications may be overcome, and flexible cooperation is rendered possible between applications exploiting different protocols. An SIP environment and a Web environment are connected to a network. The SIP environment includes an SIP server, an SIP database, an SIP application server, an SIP application and a Web accessor component. The Web environment includes a Web server, a Web database, a Web application server, a Web application and an SIP accessor component. The management information is transmitted and received by cooperation management components, arranged in a Web accessor component and an SIP accessor component, respectively, in such a manner that the SIP environment and the Web environment cooperate with each other to provide services.

Claims

1. A service providing system rendering a service for a client device, comprising:

a first communication environment device exploiting an SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), and a second communication environment device exploiting an HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) or an FTP (File Transfer Protocol), the first and second communication environment devices executing respective programs to render the service for the client device;

said first communication environment device including a first application provider for providing an application by the SIP to said client device to provide the service for the client device and a first manager for accessing and supervising said second communication environment device;

said second communication environment device including a second application provider for providing an application by the HTTP or FTP to said client device to provide the service for the client device and a second manager for accessing and supervising said first communication environment device;

wherein

said first manager includes a first presence manager for operating and managing presence information, and a first cooperation manager for cooperating with said second communication environment device;

said second manager includes a second presence manager for accessing said first presence manager, and a second cooperation manager corresponding to the first cooperation manager for cooperating with said first communication environment device;

said first and second managers transmit and receive cooperation information, via the corresponding first and second cooperation managers, for cooperating with each other to render the service to said client device;

said first manager includes a plurality of first library software components, and said second manager includes a plurality of second library software components each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of first library software components;

the first application provider dynamically selects one first library software component from the plurality of first library software components, depending on a cooperation function of the first and second application providers, to cooperate with the second application provider through a corresponding one of the plurality of second library software components via the corresponding first and second cooperation managers; and

said first and second cooperation managers are interconnected over a network and transmit and receive the cooperation information in accordance with a predetermined protocol,

wherein the applications on said first and second communication environment devices are collaborative with each other to establish Web-VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) convergence;

wherein said first manager includes a first user manager for operating and managing user information in the SIP, said second manager including a second user manager for accessing said first user manager;

wherein said second user manager accesses said first user manager using a stub conforming with a remote access;

wherein said first manager includes a first signaling manager for operating and managing signaling information in the SIP, said second manager including a second signaling manager for accessing said first signaling manager;

wherein said first communication environment device and said second communication environment device are provided in a same server; and

wherein said first manager transmits and receives the cooperation information using a function call.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined protocol is SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol).

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined protocol is a protocol by CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture).

10. The service providing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first library software components and the plurality of second library software components respectively include at least one of a presence management component, a user management component and a signaling management component.

4. A method of providing a service for a client device by a first communication environment device exploiting an SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) and a second communication environment device exploiting an HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) or an FTP (File Transfer Protocol), said method comprising:

a first service providing step of providing an application service from the first communication environment device to the client device, using the SIP, to provide the service for the client device;

a first management step of accessing to the second communication environment device from the first communication environment device for managing the second communication environment device;

a second service providing step of providing an application service from the second communication environment device to the client device, using the HTTP or FTP, to provide the service to the client device;

a second management step of accessing the first communication environment device from the second communication environment device for managing the first communication environment device; and

a cooperation information transmitting step of transmitting cooperation information for the first and second communication environment devices to cooperate with each other, from the first communication environment device to the second communication environment device, wherein

said first management step includes a first presence management step of operating and managing presence information, and a first cooperation management step of cooperating with said second communication environment device;

said second management step including a second presence management step of accessing the presence information, and a second cooperation management step, in response to the first cooperation management step, of cooperating with said first communication environment device;

said first management step provides a plurality of first library software components, and said second management step provides a plurality of second library software components each corresponding to one of the plurality of first library software components;

said cooperation information transmitting step dynamically selects one first library software component, from the plurality of first library software components, depending on a cooperation function between the first and second communication environment devices, to cooperate with the second communication environment device through a corresponding one of the plurality of second library software components via the corresponding first and second cooperation management steps; and

said cooperation information transmitting step transmits a response to the cooperation information, transmitted to the second communication environment device, from the second communication environment device to the first communication environment device,

wherein the application services on the first and second communication environment devices are collaborative with each other to establish Web-VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) convergence;

wherein said first management step includes a first user management step of operating and managing user information in the SIP, said second management step including a second user management step of accessing the user information;

wherein said second user management step accesses the user information using a stub conforming with remote access;

wherein said first management step includes a first signaling management step of operating and managing signaling information in the SIP, said second management step including a second signaling management step of accessing the signaling information; and

wherein, when the first communication environment device and the second communication environment device are provided in a same server, said first manager transmitting and receiving the cooperation information using a function call.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said cooperation information transmitting step transmits the cooperation information between the first communication environment device and the second communication environment device using SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol).

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein said cooperation information transmitting step transmits the cooperation information between the first communication environment device and the second communication environment device using CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture).

11. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of first library software components and the plurality of second library software components respectively include at least one of a presence management component, a user management component and a signaling management component.

7. A service providing program recorded on non-transitory computer-readable media to control a computer, wherein a first communication environment device exploiting an SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) and a second communication environment device exploiting an HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) or an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) render a service for a client device, said program comprising:

a first service providing step of providing an application service from the first communication environment device to the client device, using the SIP, to provide the service for the client device;

a first management step of accessing the second communication environment device from the first communication environment device for managing the second communication environment device;

a second service providing step of providing an application service from the second communication environment device to the client device, using the HTTP or FTP, to provide the service for the client device;

a second management step of accessing the first communication environment device from the second communication environment device for managing the first communication environment device; and

a cooperation information transmitting step of transmitting the cooperation information for the first and second communication environment devices to cooperate with each other from the first communication environment device to the second communication environment device, wherein

said first management step includes a first presence management step of operating and managing presence information, and a first cooperation management step of cooperating with said second communication environment device;

said second management step includes a second presence management step of accessing the presence information, and a second cooperation management step, in response to the first cooperation management step, of cooperating with said first communication environment device;

said first management step provides a plurality of first library software components, and said second management step provides a plurality of second library software components each corresponding to one of the plurality of first library software components;

said cooperation information transmitting step dynamically selects one first library software component, from the plurality of first library software components, depending on a cooperation function between the first and second communication environment devices, to cooperate with the second communication environment device through a corresponding one of the plurality of second library software components via the corresponding first and second cooperation management steps; and

said cooperation information transmitting step transmits a response to the cooperation information, transmitted to the second communication environment device, from the second communication environment device to the first communication environment device,

wherein the application services on the first and second communication environment devices are collaborative with each other to establish Web-VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) convergence;

wherein said first management step includes a first user management step of operating and managing user information in the SIP, said second management step including a second user management step of accessing the user information;

wherein said second user management step accesses the user information using a stub conforming with remote access;

wherein said first management step includes a first signaling management step of operating and managing signaling information in the SIP, said second management step including a second signaling management step of accessing the signaling information; and

wherein, when the first communication environment device and the second communication environment device are provided in a same server, said first management step transmitting and receiving the cooperation information using a function call.

8. The media according to claim 7, wherein said cooperation information transmitting step transmits the cooperation information between the first communication environment device and the second communication environment device using SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol).

9. The media according to claim 7, wherein said cooperation information transmitting step transmits the cooperation information between the first communication environment device and the second communication environment device using CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture).

12. The media of claim 7, wherein the plurality of first library software components and the plurality of second library software components respectively include at least one of a presence management component, a user management component and a signaling management component.