System and method for connecting a communication to a client

• US 10,560,485 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2018
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Inventors: Lawson, Jeffrey Gordon, Wolthuis, John Robert, Cooke, Evan Mansfield, Boerjesson, Jonas Mikael
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, Randy A
• Application Number:
  US16/113,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20180367577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 726 1, 726 3, 726 5, 4554121, 4554141, 455466, 379 8819, 379 8821, 37914202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/30 Types of network names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/33 containing protocol addresses or telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A method and system for connecting a communication to a client including at a system bridge, establishing a client subscription connection with a client device; receiving an incoming communication request at the system bridge; publishing an incoming communication notification from the system bridge to the client device; receiving a client communication at the system bridge; and merging the incoming communication request into the client communication at the system bridge.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a system bridge, a verification for a first client device, the first client device having been verified by a policy engine based on a unique identifier associated with the first client device;

in response to receiving the verification, establishing, by the system bridge, a client subscription channel and subscribing the first client device to the client subscription channel;

receiving, from an outside client device, a first incoming communication directed to the first client device, the first incoming communication including the unique identifier associated with the first client device;

in response to receiving the first incoming communication, broadcasting the unique identifier via the client subscription channel to a set of client devices that are subscribed to the client subscription channel, the set of client devices including the first client device and at least a second client device;

receiving a second incoming communication from the first client device, the first client device having transmitted the second incoming communication to the system bridge in response to receiving the unique identifier broadcasted by the system bridge; and

initiating a communication session between the first client device and the outside client device by merging the second incoming communication received from the first client device with the first incoming communication received from the outside client device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the unique identifier to the policy engine.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the verification for the first client device comprises:

receiving an authentication token from the policy engine; and

authenticating the first client device based on verification of the authentication token.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein broadcasting the unique identifier to the set of client devices that are subscribed to the client subscription channel comprises:

encrypting the unique identifier with a key associated with the unique identifier, yielding an encrypted unique identifier; and

broadcasting the encrypted unique identifier via the client subscription channel.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second incoming communication received from the first client device includes an encrypted token, and the communication session is initiated using the encrypted token.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the encrypted token identifies the system bridge within a distributed computing cluster comprising at least two system bridges.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the system bridge receives the encrypted token from the first client device via the client subscription channel.

8. A system bridge comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the system bridge to perform operations comprising;

receiving a verification for a first client device, the first client device having been verified by a policy engine based on a unique identifier associated with the first client device;

in response to receiving the verification, establishing a client subscription channel and subscribing the first client device to the client subscription channel;

receiving, from an outside client device, a first incoming communication directed to the first client device,

the first incoming communication including the unique identifier associated with the first client device;

in response to receiving the first incoming communication, broadcasting the unique identifier via the client subscription channel to a set of client devices that are subscribed to the client subscription channel, the set of client devices including the first client device and at least a second client device;

receiving a second incoming communication from the first client device, the first client device having transmitted the second incoming communication to the system bridge in response to receiving the unique identifier broadcasted; and

initiating a communication session between the first client device and the outside client device by merging the second incoming communication received from the first client device with the first incoming communication received from the outside client device.

9. The system bridge of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

providing the unique identifier to the policy engine.

10. The system bridge of claim 9, wherein receiving the verification for the first client device comprises:

receiving an authentication token from the policy engine; and

authenticating the first client device based on verification of the authentication token.

11. The system bridge of claim 8, wherein broadcasting the unique identifier to the set of client devices that are subscribed to the client subscription channel comprises:

encrypting the unique identifier with a key associated with the unique identifier, yielding an encrypted unique identifier; and

broadcasting the encrypted unique identifier via the client subscription channel.

12. The system bridge of claim 11, wherein the second incoming communication received from the first client device includes an encrypted token, and the communication session is initiated using the encrypted token.

13. The system bridge of claim 12, wherein the encrypted token identifies the system bridge within a distributed computing cluster comprising at least two system bridges.

14. The system bridge of claim 12, wherein the system bridge receives the encrypted token from the first client device via the client subscription.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computer processors of a system bridge, cause the system bridge to perform operations comprising:

receiving a verification for a first client device, the first client device having been verified by a policy engine based on a unique identifier associated with the first client device;

in response to receiving the verification, establishing a client subscription channel and subscribing the first client device to the client subscription channel;

receiving, from an outside client device, a first incoming communication directed to the first client device, the first incoming communication including the unique identifier associated with the first client device;

in response to receiving the first incoming communication, broadcasting the unique identifier via the client subscription channel to a set of client devices that are subscribed to the client subscription channel, the set of client devices including the first client device and at least a second client device;

receiving a second incoming communication from the first client device, the first client device having transmitted the second incoming communication to the system bridge in response to receiving the unique identifier broadcasted by the system bridge; and

initiating a communication session between the first client device and the outside client device by merging the second incoming communication received from the first client device with the first incoming communication received from the outside client device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

providing the unique identifier to the policy engine.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein receiving the verification for the first client device comprises:

receiving an authentication token from the policy engine; and

authenticating the first client device based on verification of the authentication token.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein broadcasting the unique identifier to the set of client devices that are subscribed to the client subscription channel comprises:

encrypting the unique identifier with a key associated with the unique identifier, yielding an encrypted unique identifier; and

broadcasting the encrypted unique identifier via the client subscription channel.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the second incoming communication received from the first client device includes an encrypted token, and the communication session is initiated using the encrypted token.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the encrypted token identifies the system bridge within a distributed computing cluster comprising at least two system bridges.