Service chaining

• US 20070116224A1
• Filed: 10/28/2005
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meizu Technology Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Burke, Paul, Winsor, Gerald, Isaacson, David, Evans, Gregory, Shillinger, Sandra
• Granted Patent: US 9,497,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/201.120
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• 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: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services

Abstract

Systems and methods, including computer executable instructions, are provided for telephony service chaining. One method includes invoking a first application in a telephony session. The method includes retrieving a session context associated with the first application and using the session context an input to invoke a second application in the telephony session.

Claims

1. A method for telephony service chaining, comprising:

invoking a first application in a telephony session;

retrieving a session context associated with the first application; and

using the session context as an input to invoke a second application in the telephony session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes using a robot (BOT) to retrieve the session context.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and the second application are atomic applications.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein invoking the first atomic application includes invoking a push-to-talk (PTT) session including a buddy list feature.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method includes:

storing a participant of the PTT session in a context repository; and

accessing the buddy list from the context repository.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method includes using the buddy list as input to invoke a second application selected from the group of:

a conference service;

a location service;

a short message service; and

an email service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the session context is used in throughout the telephony session and can be retained and re-instantiated at a later time.

8. A method for telephony service chaining, comprising:

invoking a first wireless application service as part of a telephony session;

creating a session ID associated with the first wireless application service;

using the session ID to establish a session context in a context repository;

receiving additional information to implement a second wireless application service; and

associating the second wireless application service and the additional information with the session ID and adding to the session context.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method includes:

accessing the session context using the session ID; and

using the session context as input to invoke the second wireless application service.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method includes:

receiving additional information to implement a third wireless application service;

associating the third wireless application service and the additional information with the session ID to add to the session context;

accessing the session context using the session ID; and

using the session context as input to invoke the third wireless application service.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein invoking a first wireless application service includes invoking a push to talk (PTT) session;

and

wherein the method includes retrieving a group list from a group list management service in association with the PTT session and forwarding the group list to the first wireless application service.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving additional information to implement the second wireless application service includes receiving selected names from among the group list.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second wireless application service is a location service, and wherein adding to the session context includes adding location information for selected names from among the group list.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the third wireless application service is a conferencing service, and wherein:

receiving additional information to implement the third wireless application service includes receiving selected locations; and

wherein using the session context as input to invoke the third wireless application service includes using phone numbers for names at the selected locations.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the third wireless application service is an short message service, and wherein:

receiving additional information to implement the third wireless application service includes receiving selected locations; and

wherein using the session context as input to invoke the third wireless application service includes using text message addresses for names at the selected locations.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the third wireless application service is an email service, and wherein:

receiving additional information to implement the third wireless application service includes receiving selected locations; and

wherein using the session context as input to invoke the third wireless application service includes using email addresses for names at the selected locations.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein creating a session ID includes creating the session ID using a call control XML application and forwarding the session ID to the first wireless application service;

18. A method for service chaining, comprising:

using a software agent (BOT) to retrieve a session context associated with a telephony application from a context repository based on a session identification (ID); and

using the BOT to invoke a web service application.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the method includes:

launching a telephony session;

using the BOT to create a session identification (ID) through a ccXML application;

retrieving the session context based on the session ID; and

using the session context as an input to invoke the web service application.

20. The method claim 19, wherein the method includes:

launching a push to talk (PTT) telephony session; and

using a PTT BOT to create the session ID.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the method includes:

launching an instant messaging (IM) telephony session; and

using an IM BOT to create the session ID.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein using the BOT to retrieve the session context includes retrieving parameters associated with the telephony session selected from the group of:

a session participant;

an address;

a presence status; and

a phone number.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the method includes:

receiving additional information in association with the web service application;

adding the additional information to the session context in the context repository based on the session ID; and

using the BOT to retrieve the session context and to invoke another web service application.

24. A computer readable medium having executable instructions stored thereon to cause a device to perform a method for telephony service chaining, comprising:

invoking a first service feature of a telephony session;

retrieving a first session context associated with the first service feature;

using the first session context associated with the first service feature as an input to invoke a second service feature in association with the telephony session.

25. The medium of claim 24, wherein the first and the second service features are atomic applications.

26. The medium of claim 24, wherein invoking the first service feature of the telephony session includes invoking a buddy list service in a push to talk telephony session.

27. The medium of claim 26, wherein the method includes:

using a context repository to store a participant of the push to talk telephony session;

invoking the second service feature includes invoking a conference service feature using the first session context associated with the first service feature; and

maintaining a second session context associated with the conference service feature in the context repository and using the second session context to invoke an SMS message to the participant in the conference service feature.

28. A service chaining system, comprising:

an application server having access to a web service;

a wireless device with an application to request the web service from the application server over a network; and

wherein the application server includes program instructions which are executable to;

retrieve a session ID in association with a first application invoked by the wireless device in a telephony session;

store session context for the first application based on the session ID in a context repository; and

use the session context as an input to invoke a second application in the telephony session.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the application server includes program instructions which are executable to:

expose an operator service as a web service; and

expose the web service to a development tool with the ability to associate a web service implemented in the development tool with a session ID.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the development tool includes a macromedia flash development tool.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the operator service is selected from the group of:

a push to talk service;

an instant messaging service;

a location service;

a voice conferencing service;

an email service;

a general location management service; and

a conferencing service.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein the web service is implemented using call control XML.

33. The system of claim 28, wherein the network is a global system for mobile general packet radio service network.

34. A service chaining system, comprising:

an application server having access to a number of atomic web service applications;

a wireless device to request the number of atomic web services from the application server over a network; and

means for chaining two of the number of atomic web services using information from one service as input to another service.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the means for chaining two of the number of atomic web services produces a set of application functionality greater than a sum of features of each individual atomic web services.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the means includes adding an IM BOT to an existing IM client, and wherein the IM BOT acts as a member of a group list to the IM client.

37. The system of claim 34, wherein the means includes adding a PTT BOT to an existing PTT client, and wherein the PTT BOT acts as a member to a group list to the PTT client.