Instant messaging system using voice enabled web based application server

• US 6,807,565 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2000
• Issued: 10/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Danner, Ryan Alan, Barban, Susan Harrow, Dodrill, Lewis Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/604,655
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 370/259, 370/352, 370/353, 370/389, 370/400, 370/401, 370/493, 379/67.1, 379/68, 379/88.04, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 704/201, 709/204, 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 709/224, 709/227, 709/238, 719/328, 719/329
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

An application server receives an HTTP request for execution of an instant messaging application operation for a sending party. A selected extensible markup language (XML) document is accessed in response to reception of the HTML request. A first HTML page is generated based on the XML document for recording a voice message by the sending party. A registry is accessed to determine whether a receiving party is available to receive the voice message. A second HTML page is generated for the receiving party having instructions for playing the voice message for the receiving party. Hence instant messaging services may be deployed on a platform that is customizable, scalable, and built upon open standards such as Internet protocol. By preserving multiple sessions, parties involved in instant messaging can suspend their present session or activity for a moment to create a new session to exchange audio messages and when finished, can instantly resume the suspended session.

Claims

1. A method in an application server for executing an instant messaging application, the method comprising:

receiving an HTTP request for execution of an instant messaging application operation for a sending party;

accessing a selected extensible markup language (XML) document in response to reception of the HTML request;

generating a first HTML page based on the accessed XML document, for recording a voice message by the sending party;

accessing a registry to determine whether a receiving party is available to receive the voice message; and

generating, for the receiving party, a second HTML page having instructions for playing the voice message for the receiving party.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second HTML page includes a prompt enabling the receiving party to respond to the voice message.

3. The method of claim 1, further including updating the registry to indicate that the sending party is active for instant voice messaging operations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the second HTML page includes inserting a first audio tag including a .wav file of the voice message and a second media tag configured for controlling playing of the .wav file.

5. The method of claim 1, further including storing the voice message in a data store of the receiving party.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein storing of the voice message is performed in accordance with IMAP protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the second HTML page includes generating a URL for obtaining the voice message.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising generating a new session identifier that specifies a new application session for the receiving party, wherein the URL includes the new session identifier for interrupting a present session of the receiving party with the new application session.

9. The method of claim 1, further including accessing attribute information of the receiving party to determine whether the receiving party authorizes receipt of the voice message from the sending party.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the attribute accessing step includes accessing a database server according to LDAP protocol.

11. An application server configured for executing an instant messaging application, the application server including:

an application runtime environment configured for dynamically generating, in response to a HTTP request, a first hypertext markup language (HTML) document for recording a voice message by a sending party, the application runtime environment being configured for determining whether the receiving party is available to receive the voice message, the application runtime environment selectively generating a second HTML page having instructions to interrupt a present voice application session of the receiving party for playing the voice message, based on the determined availability, for the receiving party.

12. The application server of claim 11, further comprising a registry configured for identifying whether a user is available for instant messaging operations, the application runtime environment accessing the registry to determine whether the receiving party is active.

13. The application server of claim 11, wherein the second HTML page includes a prompt enabling the receiving party to respond to the voice message.

14. The application server of claim 13, wherein the application runtime environment is configured to update the registry to indicate that the sending party is active for instant voice messaging operations.

15. The application server of claim 11, wherein the second HTML page includes a first audio tag including a .wav file of the instant voice message and a second media tag configured for controlling playing of the .wav file.

16. The application server of claim 11, wherein application runtime environment is configured to generating, as part of the second HTML page, a URL for obtaining the voice message.

17. The application server of claim 16, wherein the application runtime environment is configured for generating a new application session identifier that specifies a new application session for the receiving party and wherein the URL includes the new session identifier for interrupting a present session of the receiving party with the new application session.

18. The application server of claim 11, wherein the application runtime environment is configured to access attribute information of the receiving party to determine whether the receiving party authorizes receipt of the voice message from the sending party.

19. The application server of claim 18, wherein the application runtime environment is configured to access a database server containing the attribute information according to LDAP protocol.

20. A computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions for executing an instant messaging application, the sequences of instructions including instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving an HTTP request for execution of an instant messaging application operation for a sending party;

accessing a selected extensible markup language (XML) document in response to reception of the HTML request;

generating a first HTML page based on the accessed XML document, for recording a voice message by the sending party;

accessing a registry to determine whether a receiving party is available to receive the voice message; and

generating, for the receiving party, a second HTML page having instructions for playing the voice message for the receiving party.

21. The medium of claim 20, wherein the second HTML page includes a prompt enabling the receiving party to respond to the voice message.

22. The medium of claim 20, further including updating the registry to indicate that the sending party is active for instant voice messaging operations.

23. The medium of claim 20, wherein the step of generating the second HTML page includes inserting a first audio tag including a .wav file of the voice message and a second media tag configured for controlling playing of the .wav file.

24. The medium of claim 20, further including storing the voice message in a data store of the receiving party.

25. The medium of claim 24, wherein storing of the voice message is performed in accordance with IMAP protocol.

26. The medium of claim 20, wherein the step of generating the second HTML page includes generating a URL for obtaining the voice message.

27. The medium of claim 26, further comprising generating a new session identifier that specifies a new application session for the receiving party, wherein the URL includes the new session identifier for interrupting a present session of the receiving party with the new application session.

28. The medium of claim 20, further including accessing attribute information of the receiving party to determine whether the receiving party authorizes receipt of the voice message from the sending party.

29. The medium of claim 28, wherein the attribute accessing step includes accessing a database server according to LDAP protocol.

37. The application server of claim 20, wherein the generating means is configured to access attribute information of the receiving party to determine whether the receiving party authorizes receipt of the voice message from the sending party.

38. The application server of claim 37, wherein the generating means is configured to access a database server containing the attribute information according to LDAP protocol.

30. An application server configured for executing a messaging application, the application server including:

a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) interface for receiving an HTTP request specifying execution of a prescribed messaging application operation for a subscriber; and

means for dynamically generating, in response to the HTTP request, a first hypertext markup language (HTML) document for recording a voice message by a sending party and, when the receiving party is determined to be active to receive the instant voice message, generating a second HTML page having instructions to interrupt a present voice application and for playing the voice message for the receiving party.

31. The application server of claim 30, further comprising a registry configured to be updated to identify whether a user is active for instant messaging operations, the generating means accessing the registry to determine whether the receiving party is active.

32. The application server of claim 30, wherein the second HTML page includes a prompt enabling the receiving party to respond to the voice message.

33. The application server of claim 31, wherein the generating means is configured to update the registry to indicate that the sending party is active for instant voice messaging operations.

34. The application server of claim 30, wherein the second HTML page includes a first audio tag including a .wav file of the instant voice message and a second media tag configured for controlling playing of the .wav file.

35. The application server of claim 30, wherein generating means is configured to generating, as part of the second HTML page, a URL for obtaining the voice message.

36. The application server of claim 35, wherein the generating means is configured for generating a new application session identifier that specifies a new application session for the receiving party and wherein the URL includes the new session identifier for interrupting a present session of the receiving party with the new application session.