System and method for running a multi-module telephony application

• US 9,491,309 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2015
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Inventors: Lawson, Jeff, Wolthuis, John, Cooke, Evan
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahee, MD S
• Application Number:
  US14/933,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20160057289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• Field of Search: 379111-141, 370/352, 455/432.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/38 Telephone uniform resource identifier [URI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/61 based on the service used
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8228 Session based

Abstract

A system and method of a telephony application platform can include receiving a communication session request specifying a destination endpoint, connecting the communication session through a first application module according to the destination endpoint, receiving an instruction to transition communication control to a second application module, transitioning communication control of the communication session to the second application module, independently metering resource usage of the communication session of each application module, and accounting the metered usage of the communication session.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

controlling a telephony communication application platform system to;

direct communication control of an established telephony communication session of the system to a first module, wherein the first module controls communication of the communication session for a first time period of the communication session;

during communication control of the telephony communication session by the first module, and responsive to direction to transfer control of the telephony communication session to a second module, transitioning communication control of the telephony communication session to the second module during the telephony communication session, wherein the second module controls communication of the communication session for a second time period of the communication session that is different from the first time period;

metering use of the first module during the first time period of the telephony communication session; and

metering use of the second module during the second time period of the telephony communication session; and

accounting the metered use of the first module for a unique identifier of the communication session according to a duration of the first time period and a first rate of a first usage plan of the first module; and

accounting the metered use of the second module for the unique identifier according to a duration of the second time period and a second rate of a second usage plan of the second module,

wherein functionality of the first module is different from functionality of the second module.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the second module is a routing module having a second set of platform system resources,

wherein the first module is an application module having a first set of platform system resources, and

wherein the application module controls communication of the established telephony communication session according to a first set of application logic.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first module is a routing module having a first set of platform system resources,

wherein the second module is an application module having a second set of platform system resources, and

wherein the application module controls communication of the established telephony communication session according to a first set of application logic.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the second module is a routing module having a second set of platform system resources,

wherein the first module is a service module having a first set of platform system resources, and

wherein the service module controls communication of the established telephony communication session according to a first set of application logic.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first module is a routing module having a first set of platform system resources,

wherein the second module is a service module having a second set of platform system resources, and

wherein the service module controls communication of the established telephony communication session according to a first set of application logic.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first module is a SIP communication module having a first set of platform system resources,

wherein the second module is an application communication module having a second set of platform system resources, and

wherein the application communication module controls communication of the established telephony communication session according to a first set of application logic.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein the second module is a SIP communication module having a second set of platform system resources,

wherein the first module is an application communication module having a first set of platform system resources, and

wherein the application communication module controls communication of the established telephony communication session according to a first set of application logic.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first module has a first set of platform system resources, wherein the second module has a second set of platform system resources, and wherein the first set of platform system resources is different from the second set of platform system resources.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephony communication session is a voice session.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephony communication session is a video session.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephony communication session is a multi-media messaging conversation.

12. The method of claim 8,

wherein the first set of platform system resources includes telephony application processing resources,

wherein directing communication control of the established telephony communication session of the system to the first module comprises:

retrieving application instructions and executing the application instructions during the communication session,

wherein the second set of platform system resources includes communication routing services, and

wherein transitioning communication control of the telephony communication session to the second module comprises;

routing the communication session between at least two communication endpoints.

13. The method of claim 8,

wherein the first set of platform system resources includes communication routing services,

wherein directing communication control of the established telephony communication session of the system to the first module comprises:

routing the communication session between at least two communication endpoints,

wherein the second set of platform system resources includes telephony application processing resources, and

wherein transitioning communication control of the telephony communication session to the second module comprises;

retrieving application instructions and executing the application instructions during the communication session.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein routing the communication session between at least two communication endpoints comprises:

bridging at least one leg of the communication session over a SIP connection.

15. The method of claim 1,

wherein accounting the metered use of the first module according to the first usage plan comprises:

aggregating use of the first module during the communication session, and

wherein accounting the metered use of the second module according to the second usage plan comprises;

aggregating use of the second module during the communication session.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first usage plan is accounted at a rate different from a rate of the second usage plan, the method further comprising controlling the telephony communication application platform system to charge an account according to a combined accounted resource usage.

17. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first module includes a first set of platform resources of the platform system,

wherein the second module includes a second set of platform resources of the platform system that is different form the first set of platform resources of the first module,

wherein metering use of the first module comprises:

tracking usage of the first set of platform resources,

wherein metering use of the second module comprises;

tracking usage of the second set of platform resources,

wherein the first module and the second module are included in the telephony communication application platform system.

18. The method of claim 17,

wherein metering use of the first module comprises:

tracking duration of use of the first set of platform resources, the duration of use of the first set of platform resources being the duration of the first time period, and

wherein metering use of the second module comprises;

tracking duration of use of the second set of platform resources, the duration of use of the second set of platform resources being the duration of the second time period.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication session is a bi-directional synchronous call session.

20. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first module and the second module are included in the telephony communication application platform system, and

wherein for each module of the platform system that controls the communication session:

the platform system meters use of the module during each time period of the communication session during which the module controls communication of the communication session; and

the platform system accounts the metered use of the module according to a duration of each time period and a respective rate of the module.