System and method for managing media in a distributed communication network

• US 9,602,586 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Inventors: Tarricone, Brian, Wolthuis, John, Boerjesson, Jonas
• Primary Examiner(s): Elpenord, Candal
• Application Number:
  US14/278,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20140289303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/124 using a combination of metrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1086 session scope modification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• 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 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location

Abstract

A system and method for processing communication media in a regionally distributed communication platform that includes at a first platform region, establishing a communication session comprising establishing a media communication to at least one endpoint from the first region and establishing signaling communication to a second platform region; selecting a media resource in response to a change in media processing requirements of the communication session; when the selected media resource is outside the first region, routing media communication through a media resource outside of the first region; when the media resource is available in the first region, routing media communication through the media resource of the first region; and when the media resource is outside of the second region, storing the media communication in the first region at least temporarily and tunneling a branch of the media communication to a central media service in the second region.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a regionally distributed communication platform system that includes at least a communication processing server of a second region, a first media service located in a first region and a second media service located in one of the second region and a third region, the first media service and the second media service each constructed to process media of a communication session in accordance with a first media processing command;

the communication processing server establishing a media communication session to at least one endpoint of the first region and establishing signaling communication;

responsive to the first media processing command for the communication session of the first region, the communication processing server selecting the first media service, which is located in the first region and which is constructed to process media in accordance with the first media processing command; and

responsive to the selection of the first media service;

the platform system routing media of the established communication session through the first media service, the first media service processing media of the established communication session in accordance with the first media processing command;

responsive to the first media service processing the media;

the first media service asynchronously communicating data generated by the first media service to a storage device of the second region, wherein the storage device is communicatively coupled to the communication processing server; and

the platform system storing the communicated data as a first application programming interface (API) resource of an API sub-system of the second region,

wherein the API sub-system is constructed to provide an external system with access to the first API resource, and

wherein the first media service and the second media service are passive media services.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the first media service, at least temporarily, storing the media of the communication session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media service and the second media service are recording services.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the first media service in the first region storing the media of the communication session in the first region at least temporarily and tunneling the media to the second media service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media service and the second media service are active media services that are constructed to mutably operate on media of the communication session.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first command is at least one of:

an audio communication recording command, a video communication recording command, a Dual-tone Multi-frequency (DTMF) detection command, a text-to-speech (TTS) command, a speech recognition command, a transcoding command, an input detection command, an answering machine detection command, a conferencing command, and a communication queueing command.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media service and the second media service each include at least one of:

a recording service, a Dual-tone Multi-frequency (DTMF) detection service, a text-to-speech (TTS) service, a speech recognition service, a transcoding service, an input detection service, an answering machine detection service, a conferencing service, and a communication queueing service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media service processing media comprises:

generating media in the communication session.

9. The method of claim 8, the first media service and the second media service are text-to-speech media services.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication processing server selects the first media service according to communication quality.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting the first media service according to communication quality comprises selecting the first media service, at least in part, according to communication latency.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the media is real-time video media, and wherein the communication session is a real-time communication session.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the media is real-time audio media, and wherein the communication session is a real-time communication session.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first region is a local regional system and the second region is a central core infrastructure system, wherein the local regional system supports a subset of the communication features of the central core infrastructure system.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the media communication to at least one endpoint is transacted with a public switched telephone network (PSTN) provider.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the media communication to at least one endpoint is transacted with a session initiation protocol (SIP) provider.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the media communication to at least one endpoint is transacted with an internet protocol (IP) communication provider.

18. A method comprising:

at a communication platform system that includes a communication processing server of a first region and a plurality of media services;

the communication processing server establishing a media communication session to a first endpoint of a second region;

the communication processing server selecting a first media service that is located in the second region and that is constructed to process media in accordance with a first media processing command for the communication session;

the platform system routing media of the communication session through the selected first media service;

the selected first media service processing the media in accordance with the first media processing command and generating data during the processing of the media; and

the platform system storing the generated data as a first application programming interface (API) resource of an API sub-system of the platform system that is located in the first region, wherein the API sub-system is constructed to provide an external system with access to the first API resource.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

the external system accessing the first API resource via the API sub-system.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the platform system includes a second media service that is constructed to process media in accordance with the first media processing command and that is located in one of the first region and a third region.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the platform system is a multi-tenant platform system having a plurality of platform accounts, wherein the first API resource is an API resource of a first platform account, and wherein an external system of the first platform account accesses the first API resource via the API sub-system.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the media is real-time media, and wherein the communication session is a real-time communication session.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the media processing command is a communication recording command, and wherein the generated data is recording data.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the media processing command is a text-to-speech (TTS) command, and wherein the generated data is text-to-speech data.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the media processing command is a speech recognition command, and wherein the generated data is speech recognition data.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the media processing command is an input detection command, and wherein the generated data is input detection data.

27. A system comprising:

a communication processing server located in a first region;

a plurality of media service servers; and

an API sub-system that is located in the first region;

wherein the system is a communication platform hardware system,

wherein the communication processing server is constructed to;

establish a media communication session to a first endpoint of a second region, and

select a first media service server, of the plurality of media service servers, that is located in the second region and that is constructed to process media in accordance with a first media processing command for the communication session,

wherein the platform hardware system is constructed to route media of the communication session through the selected first media service server,

wherein the selected first media service server is constructed to process the media in accordance with the first media processing command and generate data during the processing of the media,

wherein the platform hardware system is constructed to store the generated data as a first application programming interface (API) resource of the API sub-system, and

wherein the API sub-system is constructed to provide an external hardware system with access to the first API resource.

28. The system of claim 27,

further comprising:

the external hardware system,

wherein the communication platform hardware system is a multi-tenant platform hardware system having a plurality of platform accounts, wherein the first API resource is an API resource of a first platform account, wherein the external hardware system is a hardware system of of the first platform account, and wherein the external hardware system is constructed to access the first API resource via the API sub-system.