Abstract: A method comprising establishing, with a telecommunications management system, a first conference call comprising a first caller at a first telecommunications terminal, a second caller at a second telecommunications terminal, and a third caller at a third telecommunications terminal. Once the first conference call is established, the telecommunications management system appraises the first caller's contribution, the second caller's contribution, and the third caller's contribution to the first conference call.

Abstract: A method is provided for the use of a signaling protocol stack by telephony applications which run on different system software images. When a telecommunications session is conducted by a first telephony application, the first telephony application typically controls the state of the telecommunications session through a signaling protocol stack executing on the same system software image as the first telephony application. When control over the telecommunications session is passed from the first telephony application to a second telephony application, the second telephony applications begins controlling the state of the telecommunications session through the same signaling protocol stack by using remote procedure calls.

Abstract: A method for synchronizing telephony applications running on different system software images is provided. When a telecommunications session is conducted by a first telephony application, the first telephony application controls the state of the telecommunications session through a signaling protocol stack executing on the same system software image as the first telephony application (or on a virtualization layer). The present invention allows the sharing of the signaling protocol stack by multiple telephony applications running on different system software images.

Abstract: A method is provided for detecting interactions between call-related and web-enabled features. In some embodiments, communication application components are configured to transmit an indication to a feature interaction detector every time a feature is invoked by the user. When the interaction detector receives an indication that a feature is being invoked, it compares the invoked feature against features that have previously been invoked (or executed) and determines whether the invoked feature interacts with any of the features that have been previously executed.

Abstract: A method for tracking the context around moving objects without some of the disadvantages of the prior art is disclosed. This is done by correlating the spatial information of what is around an object with the temporal (or time) information of an object's movements.

Abstract: Techniques for detecting and resolving feature interactions during calls are disclosed. In particular, a finite-state machine and a corresponding method detect when a feature that is invoked during a call would interact with another previously-activated feature, and ensure that both features are not active simultaneously. Three different techniques for resolution are disclosed: in one technique, activation of the latter feature is always refused; in a second technique, the former feature is always deactivated and the latter feature is then activated; and in a third technique, one of the two features is selected to be the active feature—perhaps based on priorities assigned to the features—and the features are activated and/or deactivated accordingly.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for detecting feature interactions in multi-party calls (i.e., calls involving more than two endpoints), and in calls with bridged appearances. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, a set of rules is applied to the specifications of two features in order to detect interactions between the features. The rules specify conditions for, or relationships among, the original connections for the features, the resulting connections for the features, the triggering party for the features, and the originating and terminating parties of connections. A rule is considered matched for a multi-party call when any of the original and resulting connections for the call match the conditions of the rule. Similarly, a rule is considered matched for a call with one or more bridged appearances when any of the original and resulting connections for the call, including those of bridged appearances, match the conditions of the rule.

Abstract: Methods are disclosed for detecting feature interactions during a call that has a signaling path comprising two or more legs. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, feature state information is maintained for each of the legs of the call and is propagated along the signaling path. The illustrative embodiment is capable of detecting interactions between features in different legs of a call, as well as interactions between features in the same leg of a call. Moreover, the illustrative embodiment is capable of accommodating a variety of feature resolution techniques. In one illustrative embodiment specific to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony, a Back-to-Back User Agent (B2BUA) stores and propagates the feature state information, and performs address mapping for two specially-defined headers in addition to the usual Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) headers.

Abstract: A method for determining the privacy settings for location-based services without some of the disadvantages of the prior art is disclosed. This is done by establishing a session between the location generator and the location recipient. The session is created by a validator that is capable of keeping track of the rules for a stream of location objects created by a location generator. The validator determines what information to send to the location recipient without having to determine the rules for each location object and each location recipient every time a new location object is received by the location server.

Abstract: Traditional, server-oriented architectures have focused on providing location-based services by using publish-subscribe, efficient message buses, and filtering mechanisms. However, given an enterprise's unique requirements, these techniques have offered mixed results when used in an enterprise context. The present invention enables an efficient way to provide location-based services to an enterprise, as well as to integrate those location-based services into the enterprise's communications platform. A platform for supporting converged, location-based communications comprises one or more application servers such as a transactional server, a Session Initiation Protocol server, and so forth. In addition, the platform advantageously comprises an event processor for managing arriving location streams that are generated by targets being monitored.

Abstract: An application-layer multicast-based (ALM-based), peer-to-peer conferencing system is disclosed that leverages the differing capabilities of the participating peer nodes. A conference call can be set up among peer nodes of three different types. A bridging node is capable of mixing individual audio signals that are associated with a call into a composite audio signal and of providing the composite audio signal to another node. A mixing-capable node is capable of mixing the individual audio signals that are associated with a call, but not of relaying those signals to another node. A mixing-incapable node does not support the mixing of individual audio signals. The conferencing architecture of the illustrative embodiment is able to account for the differences between the three types of nodes that are to participate in a conference call, resulting in an optimal allocation of bandwidth and processing resources.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for providing customer treatment information over a network. A transaction communication is established between a first enterprise and a second enterprise by receiving a request from a user associated with the first enterprise to establish the transaction communication; determining if the second enterprise is authorized to access enterprise information of the first enterprise; obtaining enterprise information from an enterprise database of the first enterprise; and providing the obtained information to the second enterprise as part of the establishment of the transaction communication if the second enterprise is authorized to access the enterprise information of the first enterprise. The enterprise information is typically related to the transaction and may comprise one or more of customer priority information and a transaction history.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for reducing wireless telecommunication costs for enterprises having a plurality of PBX-equipped sites, connected by either a public network (e.g., the PSTN, the Internet, etc.), a private network (e.g., leased lines, a virtual private network [VPN] over the Internet, etc.), or some combination of public and private networks. In particular, the illustrative embodiments of the present invention attempt to reduce telecommunication costs by advantageously routing calls from an off-premises wireless terminal belonging to the enterprise via one or more of the enterprise's private branch exchanges. The present invention is especially advantageous in that it can reduce telecommunication costs for calls from an off-premises wireless terminal to any type of destination: another cell phone, a wireline terminal, a private branch exchange, etc.

Abstract: A method of administering a distributed priority queue structure that includes removing a highest priority item from a current root node of a tree structure to create a temporary root node, determining for each subtree connected to the temporary root node a subtree priority comprising the priority of the highest priority data item in the each subtree, determining as the highest priority subtree connected to the temporary root node the subtree connected to the temporary root node having the highest subtree priority, determining whether any of the one or more data items stored at the temporary root node has a higher priority than the highest subtree priority and directing an arrow to the subtree having the highest priority or to the temporary root itself if the priority of the data items stored at temporary root is higher than the priorities of the connected subtrees.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are disclosed that provide a privilege-granting technique for enabling a service-providing domain to grant a privilege to a requesting user in a service-requesting domain. A request handler in the service-providing domain, which comprises one or more service-associated resources, receives a user request to use a service and requests a token from a privilege-granting server, in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Upon receiving the token that specifies a granted privilege from the privilege-granting server, the request handler extends the privilege to the requesting user. Alternatively, the request handler can request a plurality of tokens in advance from the privilege-granting server; after receiving the tokens, the request handler extends a privilege to each requesting user as the handler receives requests to use one or more services.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for delivering enhanced messages to a calling party. A message document address is provided to the calling party that is a pointer or hyperlink to a message document containing a message for the calling party, such as a uniform resource locator (URL) identifying an Internet document. The calling party may receive a message, e.g., when the called party is not available or containing a list of user-specific menu options in an IVR system. The message document can be (i) a static document created; (ii) a default document created; or (iii) a dynamically generated document based on one or more rules that alter the content of the document based on various characteristics of the calling party or the call (or both). The presentation of the message document address to the user can be conditioned upon the satisfaction of one or more rules, such as when the called party is unavailable or based on one or more predefined characteristics of the calling party or the call (or both).

Abstract: A method is disclosed that coordinates the presentation of speech signals and screen images to a receiver of a call, without some of the costs, disadvantages, and limitations of techniques in the prior art. The illustrative embodiment of the present invention builds upon the infrastructure of the Session Initiation Protocol (or “SIP”) to distribute and transfer calls to agents who are associated with a call center or contact center system. A server-based system is used in conjunction with call distribution based on SIP to replace some desktop and agent computer/telephony integration arrangements, thereby providing first-party call control. Customer-related information is embedded in the call transfer itself; as a result, the display of the customer-related information occurs at the agent's telecommunications terminal at the same time the call arrives.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for delivering enhanced caller identification services to a called party. Caller ID information is extended to include a user document address that is a pointer or hyperlink to a user document containing additional information about the calling party. The user document address may be, for example, a uniform resource locator (URL) identifying an Internet document or a database address identifying a database document or entry. The user document generally contains information that the calling party would like to be presented to the called party and may be stored by the called party or accessed over a network. The user document can be (i) a static document; (ii) a document created in accordance with predefined default document content rules; or (iii) a dynamically generated document based on one or more rules that alter the content of the document.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for delivering enhanced messages to a calling party. A message document address is provided to the calling party that is a pointer or hyperlink to a message document containing a message for the calling party, such as a uniform resource locator (URL) identifying an Internet document. The calling party may receive a message, e.g., when the called party is not available or containing a list of user-specific menu options in an IVR system. The message document can be (i) a static document created; (ii) a default document created; or (iii) a dynamically generated document based on one or more rules that alter the content of the document based on various characteristics of the calling party or the call (or both). The presentation of the message document address to the user can be conditioned upon the satisfaction of one or more rules, such as when the called party is unavailable or based on one or more predefined characteristics of the calling party or the call (or both).

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for delivering enhanced caller identification services to a called party. Caller ID information is extended to include a user document address that is a pointer or hyperlink to a user document containing additional information about the calling party. The user document address may be, for example, a uniform resource locator (URL) identifying an Internet document or a database address identifying a database document or entry. The user document generally contains information that the calling party would like to be presented to the called party and may be stored by the called party or accessed over a network. The user document can be (i) a static document; (ii) a document created in accordance with predefined default document content rules; or (iii) a dynamically generated document based on one or more rules that alter the content of the document.