Abstract: Automated servers can provide a wide-variety of services and information to users via communications vehicles such as telephones. Such servers are often designed to interact specifically with an abstract model of user input/output equipment having well-defined features, such as telephones having text screens and programmable “softkeys”. A web interface apparatus adapts communications between server logic and a web browser, wherein data exchanged with the server logic is associated with features of an abstract model of user input/output equipment, and wherein the web browser lacks at least one of the features of the abstract model of the user input/output equipment. In one embodiment, data packets received from the server logic are converted into web pages. In another aspect of the invention, the web interface apparatus itself models some aspects of the abstract model of the user input/output equipment (such as softkeys) which are not otherwise supported by the web browser.

Abstract: A development system for generating an automated server application program includes a server and a development tool. The server is responsive to a set of server control signals for providing a service to an expanded capability telephone via a telephone network, the service being in the form of signals that are exchanged with the expanded capability telephone. The development tool generates the set of server control signals, and operates by generating a set of graphical interfaces for displaying current service parameters to a developer, and receiving new values of the service parameters from the developer. A set of objects are provided in the development tool, each possessing predefined properties and exhibiting predefined behavior, whereby the set of objects defines the functionality of the development tool.