CN1359497A

CN1359497A - System and method for supporting multiple vendor telephony hardware on a computing platform

Info

Publication number: CN1359497A
Application number: CN00809651A
Authority: CN
Inventors: N·南斯; T·伯厄尔
Original assignee: ALEX COM
Current assignee: ALEX COM
Priority date: 1999-06-30
Filing date: 2000-05-22
Publication date: 2002-07-17
Also published as: WO2001002966A1; KR20020048311A; EP1190328A1; AU5038700A; JP2003507950A; CA2340696A1

Abstract

A system and method for supporting multiple vendor telephony hardware (telephone) on a computing platform. By supporting multiple vendors, many network interfaces from PSTN to Packet-Based voice can be seamlessly integrated. Within the present invention a client-server model (PC, Telephone Server) is defined where client applications use a collection of hardware resources.

Description

On computing platform, be used to support the system and method for multiple vendor telephony hardware

The invention technical field

The present invention generally directly relates to computer network and telephone system, relates in particular to a kind of system and method that is used to manage the multiple vendor resource in a computer platform.The present invention includes PBX, the connectivity of PSTN and packet-based voice network.The present invention not only directly relates to the hardware interface of network element, and especially, the present invention directly relates to a kind of system and method, is used to make integrated hardware can visit a plurality of network types.

Background of invention

In history, adopted the computer platform that separates fully with PSTN, PBX connects together with packet-based voice network.Each platform uses single type voice network particular technology, and uses analog of telephone line that each platform is interconnected.

Through a century, exploitation analog electrical phone network delivery simulated audio signal.Along with the growth of commerce, need the private telephone network of exploitation to require telephone operator to set up PBX, it is a less version of big Central Exchange of telephone operator.

Conventional keys system, the person's character of PBX system and hybrid phone system make the telephone circuit of a shared resource.Yet traditional switch manufacturing merchant sets up suitable platform, and it needs the third party to come in conjunction with new technology (as packet-based speech) by the analog telephone port of PBX.This causes between the platform lacking compatible, and this can cause postponing or system in other problems.

Therefore, need have a kind of system and method, eliminating causes that the invalid required exchange of system is integrated.Particularly, need carry out all exchanges, so that do not need in conjunction with outside switching plane in the inside of the computer platform that uses multiple vendor and network.

Summary of the invention

In order to overcome the deficiency of above-mentioned work on hand, the invention provides a kind of effective method, development computer phone application on the counting system structure of an opening.In addition, it has defined a Client/Server, wherein use to use a group objects monitoring and the realization details of control telephony hardware resource and abstract extraction call treatment hardware and switching fabric, thereby set up phone application and do not have dependence the supplier.

For reaching above-mentioned fundamental purpose, the invention provides a kind of system and method, be used on a criterion calculation machine platform, supporting the telephony hardware of multiple vendor.This finishes by carrying out a software module, wherein carries out all exchanges in using the computer platform of a plurality of suppliers and network, so that remove from and required combining of outside switching plane.Usually, this system comprises two formants, client and server module.

Server module comprises server architecture, and it has that distributed by explorer and hardware abstraction layer control.Explorer utilizes equipment factory to determine available hardware abstraction resource.

The client is connected to explorer and calls out so that monitor and start.Client's module has a structural system that comprises various unit, but preferably only comprises an application dialogue that is connected to explorer.

Inbound calling will can be carried out to use according to one handles operation, this application be mounted and and registration as parts of setting up dialogue, and these parts by use and server between calling of agreement control.

Therefore, system and method for the present invention is used abstract extraction hardware and switching fabric from the client.This system comprises:

(1) hardware abstraction layer, it defines a common interface, and wherein explorer can address hardware and need not know the supplier.Based on applied equipment in the computing platform, hardware abstraction layer is also realized supplier's special function.Hardware abstraction layer includes, but are not limited to:

-telephone wire

-main line

-extension

-can write down and play a kind of multimedia resource of audio stream

-fax resource

Speech on the-IP storehouse

(2) have an equipment factory for each hardware abstraction layer, its by explorer in order to determining hardware abstraction parts available and that must be initialised in system.

(3) explorers are described and the contact of the abstract parts of various types of hardware of management server.Explorer also provides an external call control interface to application.

(4) the telephony mixed-media network modules mixed-media is a level of abstraction, and its allows explorer to carry out CCF on resource and needn't know the type of the telephony network of the system of being connected to.

(5) as a kind of mechanism, use dialogue for one and produce interaction with explorer, in view of the above, application can control system in an effectively operation on the resource.

The summary accompanying drawing

In order more fully to understand the present invention and advantage wherein, now carry out following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 example computer network and the telephone system that in the environment that the present invention can move, forms.

Fig. 2 example client and server component how mutual operation is to realize main target.

Fig. 3 example have a computing platform of the telephone for special use hardware of installation.

Preferred embodiment is described in detail in detail

At first with reference to figure 1, example a computer network that in the environment that the present invention can move, forms.As directed network, comprise a telephone device, such as by Nortel NetworksCorporation of Brampton, the VentureTM telephone set that Ontario (Canada) makes, connect same client PC or portable PC, such as by Dell Computers of Austin, Texas (U.S.) makes, and they are connected to a computer network.Other telephone device can be coupled to PC in case on computer network transporting speech.The elaboration of transporting speech on computer network can comprise any speech transmissions form well known in the prior art.Yet, the invention is intended to the calling of seamless combination from PSTN or packet-based speech.

PC equipment and portable computer are connected to computer network and are connected to the Internet so that a graphical user interface is provided, and have screen and call a meeting, and transmit, and keep and suspend the ability of call.Except phone was directly connected to the situation of PC, audio service occurred by PSTN or by internal telephone system.

Such as by Dell Computers, Austin, the telephony server that Texas (U.S.) makes are connected to telephone device and further are connected to computer network.Phone is used to transmission of audio, and computer network is used to transmit the control command between PC equipment and the server.

Fig. 2 example required main software parts among the present invention.Use dialogue and event dialog and described the critical piece of client in the client-server architecture.Use dialogue and use a distributed elements structure, use the remote procedure call Connection Service device in the TCP/IP connection.Application dialogue transmission is asynchronous asks server component so that the behavior of control call.Event dialog is opened a TCP/IP port to server and monitor TCP/IP broadcasting, and this broadcasting is notified the client variation in switch with asynchronous system.Explorer is a server component, and it reads a tabulation of the equipment factory of registration, and the example of the equipment of generation.Explorer is a main modular, and wherein client's event dialog is connected to it, and the state in the resource changes on the switch so that be notified in.Telephony network (Telephony Network) is a server component, and it is constructed to the type of the PSTN switch that is connected to the maintenance server.In addition, the telephony network is responsible for calling out at each PSTN network type, transmits, and the institute of meeting and the required execution of terminated call in steps.For example, a server can be connected to a central Private Branch Exchange PBX, and it requires to carry out a quick on-hook so that pass on a calling.Equipment factory is a server-side components, and it generates the hardware abstraction parts, is exclusively used in each the unique supplier who is supported by server.Equipment factory keeps the resource (promptly fax is recorded and broadcast) that all intelligence is used for initialization plate and structure support, and hardware abstraction layer is a server-side components, and it keeps the plate that all special softwares are used to control each supplier.The manufacturer of every block of plate uses certain protocol to come initialization and their hardware of control.For control hardware, hardware abstraction layer has by using the common interface that dialogue is used.Hardware abstraction layer obtains order and they is converted to supplier's specialized protocol calling so that finish the work from using dialogue.

Use dialogue and be connected to explorer so that operate and controlling call.Yet event dialog only is connected to explorer so that receive the incident that relevant switching plane internal state changes.

Explorer and telephony combination of network provide a software abstract layer to the phone application client.Equipment factory and hardware abstraction layer are combined as explorer a common interface are provided, and in view of the above, they are isolated the complicacy of explorer and the telephony hardware that each is dissimilar.

Fig. 3 example a criterion calculation platform adopting of the present invention.This example has a PRI plate (such as by Dialogic Corporation of Parsippany, New Jersey (U.S.) makes), expansion board is (such as by Dialogic Corporation of Parsippany, New Jersey (U.S.) makes), with the fax plate (such as by Dialogic Corporation ofParsippany, New Jersey (U.S.) makes), they are provided by different suppliers and they are installed in the single computing machine.Voice bus (such as by DialogicCorporation of Parsippany, New Jersey (U.S.) makes) connects a plurality of plates simultaneously and be used for transmitting voice service between phone plate.

A voice bus is and the irrelevant a kind of bus of computer control plug-in card to allow audio frequency and signaling information to pass through between different speech processing element.Integrated such as fax, speech recognition and text-become to the characteristic of-voice and so on (often realizing through the integrated circuit board that a voice bus is connected by interpolation) are more general, and this voice bus that this mode is constructed is even more important.The voice bus option can be realized according to these requirements, but the PCM Expansion Bus (PEB) of Dialogic, integrated agreement of multiple vendor (MVIP) and SCBus will be comprised in a preferred embodiment.

Like this, by the mode of example, be described in an inbound calling of processing controls on the above-mentioned hardware.Each application will be by the setting of identical foundation structure, call treatment or close.At first, an executable application program is mounted and is registered as parts.Application program is at first set up a dialogue by an example from the system request explorer.By generating an event synchronization, its is its interested incident of registration in addition also, by explorer as a callback.This moment, application program was prepared receipt of call.The second, by a command agreement between client's application and service device, application program obtains the control to a calling.The API function calls a server operation on server and server is responded with a result asynchronously.

The present invention adopts a special computing hardware platform.This platform comprises " existing " compuphone power board, such as by Dialogic Corporation of Parsippany, and those plates that New Jersey (U.S.) makes, they are by common being connected on the independent voice bus.Can use such as by Austin the computer platform of the standard that the Dell Computer of Texas (U.S.) is made.

A typical standard that is used for the exchange of the compuphone between many plates in the independent platform is called as MVIP.Various structural arrangements can realize the MVIP bus in the use known technology, but preferably by Dialogic Corporation of Parsippany, New Jersey (U.S.) makes, and comprises eight 2,000,000 serial main lines and be routed to another clock signal through a flat cable from a plug-in card.Therefore, on the MVIP bus, these main lines are divided into all told that 32 channels are used for 256 full duplex voice channels.

Therefore, telephony hardware and the such configuration of MVIP bus have been arranged, removed outside exchange from,, can make in the unblock switching matrix of digital switched call in the telephony hardware bus and carry out by a hardware platform is provided.

Foregoing has been summarized characteristics of the present invention and technological merit quite all sidedly, so that detailed description of the present invention can be more readily understood.Hereinafter feature of the present invention and advantage will be described at the subject of claim of the present invention.Should be understood that,, can easily utilize disclosed notion and specific embodiment, and make amendment on this basis or the structure that designs other is finished identical purpose of the present invention as those of ordinary skills.What those of ordinary skills it is also to be understood that is that Deng Xiao structure can not break away from the spirit of the present invention and the category of setting forth in the claims like this.

Claims

1. computer based device, the telephony resource that is used to manage multiple vendor in the computer platform, wherein this device comprises:

A telephony server that interconnects with a telephone network is used for local and long-range telephone customer visit;

A software abstract layer that resides on the described server is used for being connected with telephone customer;

A computing platform with at least one voice bus and a plurality of phone plate; With

A software abstract layer is used for the described computing platform of abstract extraction.

2. computer-based method, the telephony resource that is used to manage multiple vendor:

Determine the type of the hardware abstraction layer that on a computer platform, exists;

Every type at the hardware of current existence in described computing platform starts an equipment factory;

Generate request from using dialogue;

Based on request control computing platform from described application dialogue;

Utilize telephone supervisor to set up client's event dialog, so that set up a notice, the state that reflection and described computing platform change to telephone customer;

Through a hardware abstraction layer, control described computing platform according to request from described telephone customer to described telephone supervisor.