System and method for enabling dynamic multi-modal communication

• US 9,325,624 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2014
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Twilio, Inc.
• Inventors: Malatack, Patrick, Wilsher, Thomas, To Law, Cheuk, Rao, Gowri
• Primary Examiner(s): GESESSE, TILAHUN
• Application Number:
  US14/489,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20150131444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/335
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0021 Details of Application Programming Interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0024 Services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services arrangements which combine a telephonic equipment and a computer H04M7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0048 where the text-based messaging service is a Short Message Service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0051 where the data service is a multimedia messaging service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 based on the type of the allocated resource

Abstract

A system and method that includes receiving a messaging request that includes communication intent parameters and a set of communication destinations, wherein the messaging request is authenticated as a request of a first account; dynamically transforming messages according to individual communication destinations, wherein for the set of communication destinations: selecting a communication mode according to communication intent parameters, transforming content of the messaging request, and transmitting transformed content to a destination endpoint in the selected communication mode.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a communication system integrated with a multi-tenant communication platform, comprising:

controlling the communication system to receive at least one messaging request provided to the communication system by at least one external system having a first account, the at least one messaging request including intended communication content and a plurality of communication destinations, each communication destination being one of;

a telephony number, and

a username associated with at least one of a telephony number and an IP messaging service username;

controlling the communication system to authenticate the received at least one messaging request;

controlling the communication system to dynamically transform messages according to individual communication destinations, wherein for each communication destination in the plurality of communication destinations the communication system;

selects a communication mode according to the at least one messaging request and communication capabilities of the communication destination;

transforms content associated with the intended communication content according to the communication capabilities of the communication destination; and

transmits transformed content to the communication destination in the selected communication mode,

wherein at least two communication destinations of the plurality of communication destinations have different communication capabilities,

wherein the communication mode selected by the communication system is one of;

an asynchronous messaging communication mode, and

a synchronous voice session communication mode in which speech audio corresponding to a text message is played during a voice session, and

wherein dynamically transforming messages according to individual communication destinations comprises balancing transmissions across a set of origin endpoints.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein balancing transmissions across a set of origin endpoints comprises selecting origin endpoints from which to transmit the transformed content, scheduling transmissions across the selected origin endpoints, and transmitting the transformed content from the selected origin endpoints, wherein the transformed content is transmitted according to a schedule of transmissions.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein balancing transmissions across a set of origin endpoints comprises, according to the set of communication destinations and a timing constraint:

allocating origin endpoints to the first account to satisfy the timing constraint for transmission to each communication destination.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting origin endpoints comprises mapping an origin endpoint to a communication destination, at least in part, according to regional association of the origin endpoint and the communication destination.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising accessing an endpoint information database;

and wherein the communication system selects a communication mode according to communication capability associated with the communication destination as indicated by the endpoint information database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the messaging request includes a transmission time constraint, and wherein balancing transmissions across a set of origin endpoints schedules transmissions at a schedule to satisfy the time constraint while adhering to transmission rate limits of the origin endpoints.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically transforming messages according to individual communication destinations further comprises detecting a resource link in the at least one messaging request;

wherein transforming content comprises converting the resource link to a unique trackable resource link associated with the communication destination; and

further comprising exposing at least a portion of access data of the trackable resource link.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the access data is exposed through an analytics user interface.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein exposing at least a portion of access data of the trackable resource link comprises transmitting an application layer protocol communication to a configured callback URI of the account upon detecting access of the trackable URI.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one messaging request specifies a media file as communication content;

and further comprising converting the media file to a media reference URI included in a textual message body.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising detecting access of the media reference URI and exposing at least a portion of access information to the first account.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one messaging request specifies an asynchronous communication content;

and wherein the selected communication mode is a synchronous communication mode.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the asynchronous communication content is a text message, and the synchronous communication mode is speech audio played during a voice session.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one messaging request specifies a media file in a content parameter;

and wherein the selected communication mode for at least a subset of communication destinations is a short message service (SMS) communication option.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two different communication modes are selected during the dynamic transforming of messages.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein each communication destination is a telephony communication destination.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the asynchronous messaging communication mode includes one of an SMS communication mode, a MMS communication mode, a push notification communication mode, and an application messaging communication mode.

13. The method of 12, further comprising exposing extent of message delivery during the synchronous delivery of the communication.

19. A method for controlling a communication system integrated with a multi-tenant communication platform, comprising:

responsive to at least one messaging request provided to the communication system by at least one external system having a first account, the at least one messaging request including intended communication content and a plurality of communication destinations, controlling the communication system to;

authenticate the first account; and

for each communication destination of the plurality of communication destinations;

select a communication mode according to the at least one messaging request;

select an origin endpoint of a plurality of origin endpoints allocated to the first account; and

transmit content associated with the at least one messaging request in the selected communication mode from the selected origin endpoint to the communication destination,

wherein the communication mode selected by the communication system is one of;

an asynchronous messaging communication mode, and

a synchronous voice session communication mode in which speech audio corresponding to a text message is played during a voice session,

wherein transmissions are balanced across the endpoints allocated to the first account, and

wherein each communication destination is one of;

a telephony number, and

a username associated with at least one of a telephony number and an IP messaging service username.

20. The method of claim 19,

wherein the communication system selects the communication mode according to communication capabilities of the communication destination and message content parameters of the at least one messaging request,

wherein the method further comprises:

for each communication destination, the communication system transforming the intended communication content according to the communication capabilities, wherein the communication capabilities are provided by an endpoint information service, and

wherein at least two communication destinations of the plurality of communication destinations have different communication capabilities.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein transforming content comprises:

converting a resource link associated with the at least one messaging request into a unique trackable resource link for the communication destination,

wherein a unique trackable resource link is generated for each communication destination of the plurality of communication destinations.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein each communication destination and each origination endpoint is a telephony endpoint.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

in a case where a number of origin endpoints allocated to the first account is insufficient to satisfy a timing constraint for transmission to each communication destination while adhering to transmission rate limits of the allocated origin endpoints, the communication system allocating additional origin endpoints to the first account to satisfy the timing constraint and rate limits for transmission to each communication destination.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the asynchronous messaging communication mode includes one of an SMS communication mode, a MMS communication mode, a push notification communication mode, and an application messaging communication mode.