Abstract: Resource management for controlling allocation of a resource to competing computer processes is achieved through the use of a joining function. A resource manager is responsive to identification of a thread for a first process requesting allocation of the resource, when the resource is already allocated to a thread for a second process, to establish a joining function to the thread for the second process. The joining function is operable to notify the resource manager on termination of the thread for the second process. The resource manager can therefore be operable in response to termination of the thread for the second process to allocate the resource to the first process. The first and second processes can be call handling processes for telecommunications apparatus where the resource manager provides allocation of a telephony resource, such as a modem or network interface, to the competing call handling applications. A telephony interface and the applications can be implemented in the Java™ language.

Abstract: A resource manager is operable to control the allocation of a resource to competing computing processes. The resource manager responds to a request from a requesting process for allocation of the resource and, when the resource is currently allocated to another process, it provides an indication to the requesting process of the expected time before the resource will become available. The expected time indication can be derived, for example, by requesting information from a process to which the resource is currently allocated, or by heuristic methods, or by a combination of both. In a telecommunications apparatus, the processes can be applications requiring access to a telephony resource, for example a modem. The applications are implemented as objects, in particular beans, in an object oriented environment whereby the resource manager is able to ascertain parameters from the objects.

Abstract: A telephony control is provided in the form of a relocatable serialized object having an identical route node to a directed graph. The directed graph includes modules performing telephony control functions. By providing modules implementing simple primitive elements of a telephony control, a telephony control of any desired degree of complexity can be created. Also, by providing the telephony control as a relocatable serialized object, it is possible to offer a user a number of different telephony controls at a web server and to enable to user to relocate a copy of that telephony control to the user's telecommunications apparatus for implementing a telephony control, for example, a voicemail system, of any desired degree of complexity, at the user's telecommunications apparatus.

Abstract: A telephony control is provided in the form of a relocatable serialised object having an identical route node to a directed graph. The directed graph includes modules performing telephony control functions. By providing modules implementing simple primitive elements of a telephony control, a telephony control of any desired degree of complexity can be created. Also, by providing the telephony control as a relocatable serialised object, it is possible to offer a user a number of different telephony controls at a web server and to enable to user to relocate a copy of that telephony control to the user's telecommunications apparatus for implementing a telephony control, for example, a voicemail system, of any desired degree of complexity, at the user's telecommunications apparatus.

Abstract: A call handling mechanism provides a resource manager for controlling the allocation of functional modules to process a received call. Each of the functional modules can be implemented as a software application, preferably implemented in the form of a bean, such as a Java bean. The resource manager allocates the functional modules in accordance with the priority order. Different types of applications are given priority numbers within different ranges so that, for example, a voice application such as a voicemail application will always precede a facsimile application, which in turn will precede a data application. In this manner, reliable call answering can be provided using third party supplied call handling applications which are pre-allocated priority numbers in an appropriate range for the type of application.