SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RUNNING A MULTI-MODULE TELEPHONY APPLICATION

• US 20140064467A1
• Filed: 11/11/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Inventors: Wolthuis, John, Cooke, Evan, Lawson, Jeff
• Granted Patent: US 9,210,275 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.03
• 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 of a communication application platform comprising:

receiving a communication session request with at least one communication endpoint and establishing a communication session on behalf of the communication session request;

directing communication control of the communication session to a first module, wherein the first module controls communication of the communication session according to a first set of application logic, wherein the first module includes a first set of permitted platform resources;

during communication control of the first module, receiving a module identity code that directs communication control of the communication session to a second module;

transitioning communication control of the communication session to the second module, wherein the second module controls communication of the communication session according to a second set of application logic, wherein the second module includes a set of permitted platform resources, and wherein the first set of application logic is different from the second set of application logic;

metering use of the first module during the communication session, and metering use of the second module during the communication session; and

accounting the metered use of the first module according to a first usage plan and accounting the metered use of the second module according to a second usage plan.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a module identity code comprises receiving an application programming interface (API) request that directs the communication control to be directed to the second module.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a module identity code comprises executing an instruction within the application logic of the first module that indicates a directive to transition communication control to the second module.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising during communication control of the second module, receiving a second module identity code that directs communication control of the communication session to the second module, and transitioning communication control of the communication session to the first module.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of permitted platform resources includes telephony application processing resources and directing communication control of the communication session to the first module comprises retrieving application instructions and executing telephony instructions during the communication session;

and wherein the second set of permitted platform resources includes communication routing services, and transitioning communication control of the communication session to the second module comprises routing the communication session between the at least one communication endpoint and a second communication endpoint.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of permitted platform resources includes communication routing services, and directing communication control of the communication to the first module comprises routing the communication session between the at least one communication endpoint and a second communication endpoint;

and wherein the second set of platform resources includes telephony application processing resources and transitioning communication control of the communication session to the second module comprises retrieving application instructions and executing telephony instructions during the telephony session.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein routing the communication session between the at least one communication endpoint and a second communication endpoint comprises bridging at least one leg of the telephony session over a SIP connection.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication session has a unique identifier, and wherein accounting the metered use of the first module and the second module are accounted for the unique identifier of the communication session.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein accounting the metered use of the first module according to a first usage plan comprises aggregating use of the first module during the communication session;

and wherein accounting the metered platform resource usage of the second module according to a second usage plan comprises aggregating use of the second application module across the communication session.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first usage plan is accounted at a rate different from the second usage plan.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising charging an account according to a combined accounted resource usage.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the communication session request comprises receiving the communication session request as an inbound call to the telephony application platform.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the communication session request comprises receiving the communication session request as an application programming interface request to establish an outbound communication session connected to the at least one communication endpoint.

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

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

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication session is a bi-directional multi-media messaging session.

17. A method comprising:

initiating a bi-directional communication session within a communication platform, wherein a mapping specifies an initial module;

connecting the communication session through a first module upon receiving direction to transfer application control to the first module;

connecting the telephony session through a second module upon receiving direction to transfer application control to the second module, wherein the functionality of the first module is different from the functionality of the second module;

metering platform resource usage of the telephony session when connected through the first operational state during the communication session;

metering platform resource usage of the telephony session when connected through the second operational state during the communication session; and

accounting the metered platform resource usage according to a first usage plan of the first set of resources and a second usage plan of the second set of platform resources.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

connecting the telephony session through a third module upon receiving direction to transfer application control to the third module, wherein the functionality of the third module are different from the functionality of the module and the second module;

metering platform resource usage of the telephony session when connected through the third module; and

accounting the metered platform resource usage according to the first usage plan of the first module, the second usage plan of the second module, and a third usage plan of the third module.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein connecting the telephony session through the first module comprises routing the communication session between a first communication endpoint and at least a second communication endpoint;

wherein connecting the telephony session through a second module comprises retrieving application instructions and executing telephony instructions during the communication session; and

wherein connecting the communication session through the third module comprises executing service-level application logic during the communication session.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first usage plan, the second usage plan, and the third usage plan are different;

and further comprising charging an account according to a combined accounted resource usage.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the bi-directional communication session is a voice session.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the bi-directional communication session is a video session.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the bi-directional communication session is a multi-media messaging conversation session.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising if the mapping is a service identifier, connecting the communication session through service module;

receiving direction to transfer application control to the service module and transitioning control of the communication session to the service module; and

tracking platform resource usage of the service module during the communication session when controlling the communication session according to the service module.

24. A method comprising:

at a communication platform, receiving a synchronous communication session request with an origin endpoint and directed to a destination endpoint;

identifying a mapping between the destination endpoint and an initial module configuration;

if the mapping is an endpoint configured mapping, controlling the communication session according to routing module comprising connecting origin endpoint and at least a second endpoint in the communication session through routing resources of the routing module;

if the mapping is an application URI configured mapping, controlling the communication session according to an instruction-processing module comprising connecting the communication session through a communication processing resources, retrieving application instructions, and executing telephony instructions during the communication session;

receiving direction to transfer application control to the routing module and transitioning control of the communication session to the routing module;

receiving direction to transfer application control to the instruction-processing module and transitioning control of the communication session to the instruction-processing module; and

tracking platform resource usage of the routing module during the communication session when controlling the communication session according to the routing module;

tracking platform resource usage of the instruction-processing module during the communication session when controlling the communication session according to the instruction-processing module.