System and method for providing a micro-services communication platform

• US 9,363,301 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2015
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Inventors: Lawson, Jeffrey, Wolthius, John
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US14/919,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20160112475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 230 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/38 Telephone uniform resource identifier [URI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2575 using address mapping retrieval, e.g. simple traversal of user datagram protocol through session traversal utilities for NAT [STUN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2589 over a relay server, e.g. traversal using relay for network address translation [TURN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/52 : for operator independent billing system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/62 : based on trigger specification

Abstract

A multi-tenant media communication platform system and methods. The platform system includes media communication micro-services and micro-service configuration for a plurality of entities configured for use of the platform system. Enrolling an entity in the platform system includes setting entity configuration for use of the platform system by the entity. A micro-service request is processed according to the entity configuration. The micro-service request is a request for use of at least one micro-service of the platform system on behalf of the entity. Use of each micro-service is accounted for on behalf of the entity. Billing information for the entity is generated based on the accounting for the use of each micro-service on behalf of the entity. Entity configuration includes micro-service configuration, and micro-service configuration specifies at least one of: an endpoint mapping to at least one application logic URI, an event callback URI, and an event application logic URI.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a multi-tenant media communication platform system that includes a plurality of media communication micro-services and micro-service configuration for a plurality of entities configured for use of the platform system;

enrolling at least one entity in the platform system by setting entity configuration for use of the platform system by the at least one entity;

processing at least one micro-service request according to the entity configuration for the at least one entity, the at least one micro-service request being a request for use of at least one micro-service of the platform system on behalf of the at least one entity;

accounting for the use of the at least one micro-service on behalf of the at least one entity,

wherein the entity configuration is received from at least one external system via an account management interface, the account management interface including a least one of an account portal user interface and an account management API;

wherein the entity configuration includes micro-service configuration for use of at least one of the plurality of media communication micro-services by the at least one entity, micro-service configuration specifying at least one of;

an endpoint mapping to at least one application logic URI of an external system, and an event callback URI of an external system,

wherein entity configuration includes micro-service configuration for use of two or more micro-services, wherein the micro-service configuration for use of the two or more micro-services includes configuration for combined use of the two or more micro-services, and wherein a first micro-service is combined with a second micro service of the two or more micro-services by configuring at least one of an endpoint mapping and an event callback URI of the first micro-service to specify the second micro-service, and

wherein the platform system includes at least one micro-service API resource for each enrolled entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the platform system combines the first micro-service with the second micro-service responsive to user input received via at least one of the account portal user interface and an API of the platform system, and wherein the platform system combines the first micro-service with the second micro-service by generating micro-service configuration for the first micro-service that specifies the second micro-service in at least one of an endpoint mapping and an event callback URI of the first micro-service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein use of the at least one micro-service comprises at least one computing resource of the platform system executing computer-readable instructions of the at least one micro-service, wherein the platform system includes at least one regionally distributed micro-service, the platform system including computing resources in at least two geographic regions for the at least one regionally distributed micro-service, the platform system determining computing resources for use of the at least one distributed micro-service based on a region of at least one media communication endpoint of media communication that uses the at least one regionally distributed micro-service, wherein the first micro-service is a regionally distributed micro-service having computing resources in at least two geographic regions, and wherein the platform system uses computing resources of the first micro-service that are of a geographic region that is nearest to a region of at least one media communication endpoint of media communication that uses the first micro-service.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the media communication micro-services are constructed to provide at least one of:

peer-to-peer media communication;

peer-to-peer real-time media communication; and

real-time media communication, and

wherein media communication includes at least one of;

asynchronous media communication that includes messaging, and

synchronous media communication that includes at least one of voice and video communication.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein an endpoint mapping specifies a mapping of a telephony endpoint to the application URI of the external system,

wherein each application URI is used by the platform system to retrieve application instructions from an external system associated with the application URI, and the platform system executes the retrieved instructions, and

wherein each event callback URI is used by the platform system to notify the associated external system of detection of the event associated with the event callback URI by the platform system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein responsive to detection of an event associated with an event callback URI by the platform system, the platform system provides event information to the external system associated with the event callback URI in a request to the event callback URI, and wherein the request to the event callback URI is an HTTP request.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein micro-service configuration specifies an event application logic URI of an external system, and

wherein each event application logic URI is used by the platform system to retrieve instructions to be executed by the platform system responsive to detection of an event associated with the event application logic URI, the detection being performed by the platform system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each micro-service API resource of the platform system provides at least one of:

access to micro-service configuration of the micro-service for a corresponding entity;

access to micro-service information of the micro-service for the corresponding entity;

access to micro-service data of the micro-service for the corresponding entity;

access to micro-service media of the micro-service for the corresponding entity; and

use of the micro-service for the corresponding entity.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one micro-service API resource of the platform system is accessed by an external system via a public API provided by the platform system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein accounting for micro-service usage of at least one micro-service configured for the at least one entity comprises:

metering access of at least one configured micro-service resource by the at least one entity.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the platform system accounts for micro-service usage by each entity independently.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the platform system accounts for micro-service usage of each micro-service independently, and wherein the platform system performs billing for each entity based on the accounting of micro-service usage by each entity.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising generating billing information for the at least one entity based on the accounting for the use of the at least one micro-service on behalf of the at least one entity.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein use of the at least one micro-service comprises use of a first micro-service and a second micro-service.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a request to the first micro-service includes a data parameter that specifies use of the second micro-service.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein micro-service configuration for the first micro-service specifies use of the second micro-service.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein use of the second-micro-service is directed in response to an event in which the first micro-service calls out to an event application logic URI of an external application server to retrieve processing instructions, and the processing instructions retrieved via the event application logic URI direct the use of the second micro-service, the event application logic URI being configured for the event.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the second micro-service is activated in response to an asynchronously received API request to a micro-service resource of the first micro-service.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing fraud detection for the at least one entity based on the accounting for the use of the at least one micro-service on behalf of the at least one entity.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein use of the at least one micro-service comprises:

operating on media of media communication of the at least one entity.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein operating on media of media communication of the at least one entity comprises:

mutably operating on the media by modifying the media.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one micro-service is a synchronous media micro-service.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one micro-service is a transcoding media micro-service.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one micro-service is an asynchronous media micro-service.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein operating on media of media communication of the at least one entity comprises:

immutably operating on the media by preserving the media.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one micro-service is a synchronous media micro-service.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one micro-service is a real-time speech detection media micro-service.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one micro-service is an asynchronous media micro-service.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the at least one micro-service is at least one of a speech to text micro-service and an emotion detection micro-service.