Application server system and method

• US 7,593,980 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2004
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chaney, Adam, deCocq, James L., Marascio, Louis R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz; Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): El-Zoobi; Maria
• Application Number:
  US10/999,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,757 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/207, 709/223, 379/220.01, 379/211.01, 379/229, 717/124, 717/109, 717/11, 715/967, 395/712
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1053 IP private branch exchange [PBX] functionality entities or arrangements circuit switched PBXs H04M3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0012 Details of application programming interfaces [API] for telephone networks; Arrangements which combine a telephonic communication equipment and a computer, i.e. computer telephony integration [CPI] arrangements

Abstract

An application server system is provided having a core engine connecting one or more protocol providers to one or more applications. In a preferred embodiment, the one or more applications run on a respective one or more virtual machines having their own execution threads. A thread pool may be used to spawn instances of applications or scripts. Preferably, the core engine, the protocol providers, and each of the one or more virtual machines run in separate AppDomains. In another embodiment, a visual designer is provided preferably having XML conversion capability and interactive debug capability.

Claims

1. A method of creating a telephony application using a graphical user interface, the method comprising:

displaying a visual designer having the graphical user interface, wherein the visual designer is displayed on a display screen using instructions executed by a computer processor, wherein the computer processor is coupled to a user input device, wherein the visual designer provides user interface controls for creating the telephony application;

displaying a toolbox area in a first area on the display screen, wherein the toolbox area includes elements;

displaying an application canvas area in a second area on the display screen;

displaying an overview window in a third area on the display screen, the overview window displaying a smaller current view of the application canvas area;

accepting a signal from the user input device to select a first AnswerCall element in the toolbox, wherein the first AnswerCall element has associated functionality for answering a call;

accepting a signal from the user input device to move a copy of the first AnswerCall element into the application canvas area;

accepting a signal from the user input device to select a second AnswerCall element in the toolbox, wherein the second AnswerCall element has associated functionality for answering a call;

accepting a signal from the user input device to move a copy of the second AnswerCall element into the application canvas area;

accepting a signal from the user input device to select a SetMedia element in the toolbox, wherein the SetMedia element has associated functionality for setting parameters in a media device;

accepting a signal from the user input device to move a copy of the SetMedia element into the application canvas area;

accepting a signal from the user input device to make a first connection from an output of the first AnswerCall element in the application canvas area to the SetMedia element in the application canvas area, wherein the first connection includes an arrow at the SetMedia element in the application canvas area;

accepting a signal from the user input device to make a second connection from an output of the first AnswerCall element in the application canvas area to the second AnswerCall element in the application canvas area, wherein the second connection includes an arrow at the second AnswerCall element in the application canvas area;

receiving a signal from the user input device to compile the application; and

generating executable statements that include script commands associated with the first and second AnswerCall elements and the SetMedia element to generate at least a portion of the functionality of the telephony application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a plurality of tabs in the application canvas area for the associated functionality for answering a call when the first or the second AnswerCall element is selected.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying event handler actions in a text box area in the application canvas area for the associated functionality for answering the call when the first or the second AnswerCall element is selected.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising accepting a signal from a user input device to select one of the plurality of tabs for display of the associated functionality related to the selected AnswerCall element.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of tabs comprises call complete and call hang-up functionality related to the selected AnswerCall element.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising accepting a signal from the user input device to select a SendUserInput element, wherein the SendUserInput element has associated functionality for defining user inputs when answering a call.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the defined user inputs include a dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signal.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising accepting a signal from the user input device to make a third connection from an output of the SetMedia element in the application canvas area to the SendUserInput element in the application canvas area, wherein the third connection includes an arrow at the SendUserInput element in the application canvas area.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising accepting a signal from the user input device to select an EndFunction element.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising accepting a signal from the user input device to make a fourth connection from an output of the SendUserInput element in the application canvas area to the EndFunction element in the application canvas area, wherein the fourth connection includes an arrow at the EndFunction element in the application canvas area.

11. An apparatus for creating a telephony application using a graphical user interface, the apparatus comprising:

a computer processor; and

logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution by the computer processor, and when executed, operable to perform the following steps;

display a visual designer having graphical user interface, wherein the visual designer is displayed on a display screen using instructions executed by the computer processor, wherein the computer processor is coupled to a user input device, wherein the visual designer provides user interface controls for creating the telephony application;

display a toolbox area in a first area on the display screen, wherein the toolbox area includes elements;

display an application canvas area in a second area on the display screen;

display an overview window in a third area on the display screen, the overview window displaying a smaller current view of the application canvas area;

accept a signal from the user input device to select a first AnswerCall element in the toolbox, wherein the first AnswerCall element has associated functionality for answering a call;

accept a signal from the user input device to move a copy of the first AnswerCall element into the application canvas area;

accept a signal from the user input device to select a second AnswerCall element in the toolbox, wherein the second AnswerCall element has associated functionality for answering a call;

accept a signal from the user input device to move a copy of the second AnswerCall element into the application canvas area

accept a signal from the user input device to select a SetMedia element in the toolbox, wherein the SetMedia element has associated functionality for setting parameters in a media device;

accept a signal from the user input device to move a copy of the SetMedia element into the application canvas area;

accept a signal from the user input device to make a first connection from an output of the first AnswerCall element in the application canvas area to the SetMedia element in the application canvas area, wherein the first connection includes an arrow at the SetMedia element in the application canvas area;

accept a signal from the user input device to make a second connection from an output of the first AnswerCall element in the application canvas area to the second AnswerCall element in the application canvas area, wherein the second connection includes an arrow at the second AnswerCall element in the application canvas area;

receive a signal from the user input device to compile the application; and

generate executable statements that include script commands associated with the first and second AnswerCall elements and the SetMedia element to generate at least a portion of the functionality of the telephony application.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the logic when executed by the computer processor is further operable to display a plurality of tabs in the application canvas area for the associated functionality for answering a call when the first or the second AnswerCall element is selected.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the logic when executed by the computer processor is further operable to accept a signal from a user input device to select one of the plurality of tabs for display of the associated functionality related to the selected AnswerCall element.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the logic when executed by the computer processor is further operable to accept a signal from the user input device to select a SendUserInput element, wherein the SendUserInput element has associated functionality for defining user inputs when answering a call.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the logic when executed by the computer processor is further operable to accept a signal from the user input device to make a third connection from an output of the SetMedia element in the application canvas area to the SendUserInput element in the application canvas area, wherein the third connection includes an arrow at the SendUserInput element in the application canvas area.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the logic when executed by the computer processor is further operable to accept a signal from the user input device to select an EndFunction element.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the logic when executed by the computer processor is further operable to accept a signal from the user input device to make a fourth connection from an output of the SendUserInput element in the application canvas area to the EndFunction element in the application canvas area, wherein the fourth connection includes an arrow at the EndFunction element in the application canvas area.

18. A computer-readable storage medium for execution on a computer processor to create a telephony application using a graphical user interface, the storage medium comprising:

one or more instructions for displaying a visual designer having the graphical user interface, wherein the visual designer is displayed on a display screen using instructions executed by the computer processor, wherein the computer processor is coupled to a user input device, wherein the visual designer provides user interface controls for creating fin telephony application;

one or more instructions for displaying a toolbox area in a first area on the display screen, wherein the toolbox area includes elements;

one or more instructions for displaying an application canvas area in a second area on the display screen;

one or more instructions for displaying an overview window in a third area on the display screen, the overview window displaying a smaller current view of the application canvas area;

one or more instructions for accepting a signal from the user input device to select a first AnswerCall element in the toolbox, wherein the first AnswerCall element has associated functionality for answering a call;

one or more instructions for accepting a signal from the user input device to move a copy of the first AnswerCall element into the application canvas area;

one or more instructions for accepting a signal from the user input device to select a second AnswerCall element in the toolbox, wherein the second AnswerCall element has associated functionality for answering a call;

one or more instructions for accepting a signal from the user input device to move a copy of the second AnswerCall element into the application canvas area;

one or more instructions for accepting a signal from the user input device to select a SetMedia element in the toolbox, wherein the SetMedia element has associated functionality for setting parameters in a media device;

one or more instructions for accepting a signal from the user input device to move a copy of the SetMedia element into the application canvas area;

one or more instructions for accepting a signal from the user input device to make a first connection from an output of the first AnswerCall element in the application canvas area to the SetMedia element in the application canvas area, wherein the first connection includes an arrow at the SetMedia element in the application canvas area;

one or more instructions for accepting a signal from the user input device to make a second connection from an output of the first AnswerCall element in the application canvas area to the second AnswerCall element in the application canvas area, wherein the second connection includes an arrow at the second AnswerCall element in the application canvas area;

one or more instructions for receiving a signal from the user input device to compile the application; and

one or more instructions for generating executable statements that include script commands associated with the first and second AnswerCall elements and the SetMedia element to generate at least a portion of the functionality of the telephony application.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, further comprising one or more instructions for displaying a plurality of tabs in the application canvas area for the associated functionality for answering a call when the first or the second AnswerCall element is selected.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising one or more instructions for displaying event handler actions in a text box area in the application canvas area for the associated functionality for answering the call when the first or the second AnswerCall element is selected.