Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Tellme Networks, Inc.

Jeff C Kunins

Brandon William Porter

Max Edward Metral

Hadi Partovi

Christopher E Mitchell

Eckart Walther

James Robert Everingham

John Giannandrea

Matthew T Marx

Tom Thai

Andrew Clarke

Daniel Joseph Howard

Patrick McCormick

Angus Macdonald Davis

Daphne Huetu Luong

Ramy Adeeb

Ali Partovi

Beth McKinnon

E Castedo Ellerman

Shirish Andhare

Erik Haakenson

Matt Vernooy

Ross B Fubini

Angus MacDonald

A zero-footprint remotely hosted phone application development environment is described. The environment allows a developer to use a standard computer without any specialized software (in some embodiments all that is necessary is a web browser and network access) together with a telephone to develop sophisticated phone applications that use speech recognition and/or touch tone inputs to perform tasks, access web-based information, and/or perform commercial transactions. For example, in preparation for a sales pitch for selling hosting services, a non-programmer can develop a short application appropriate to the target customer. After the pitch, access to the demonstration could be given to the target customer to allow them to more fully develop the application. When the target customer is satisfied with the application, they can have their application live for their actual (as opposed to test users) at a suitable phone number simply by having the hosting provider configure the appropriate access. Once the source code of phone application is identified to the development environment, the developer can use a telephone to immediately call the application on the hosted development environment. Some embodiments support concurrent call flow tracking that allows a developer to observe, using a web browser, the execution of her/his application. A variety of reusable libraries are provided to enable the developer to leverage well-developed libraries for common playback, input, and computational tasks. This focuses the development on application specific logic. Embodiments of the invention simplify the process of defining speech recognition grammars within their applications. Embodiments of the invention support rapid application deployment from the development environment to hosted application deployment to the intended audience.

Zero-footprint telephone application development

A method and system for implementing run-time control over voice application behavior. The method includes identifying a plurality of control point locations within a given voice application and a plurality of corresponding required responses to the control points. A design-for-control methodology is used to instrument the control points of voice application. A control agent is configured with web-based controls to manage the control points. The control points are used to alter the voice application's behavior during run-time.

Method and system for design for run-time control of voice XML applications

A version number is associated with an encrypted key executable to allow real time updating of keys for a system which facilitates users signing on to multiple websites on different domains using an encrypted ticket. Two keys may be used at each site during updating of keys, each having an associated one digit Hex version tag. When a key is to be updated with a new key, the existing or old key is provided an expiration time. A second key is provided from the system in a secure manner with a new version number and made the current key which provides decryption of the encrypted ticket. The system tracks both keys while they are concurrent. After the existing key expires, only the second, or updated key is used to provide login services for users. The system periodically flushes old keys.

Encryption key updating for multiple site automated login

A zero-footprint remotely hosted phone application development environment is described. The environment allows a developer to use a standard computer without any specialized software (in some embodiments all that is necessary is a web browser and network access) together with a telephone to develop sophisticated phone applications that use speech recognition and/or touch tone inputs to perform tasks, access web-based information, and/or perform commercial transactions. Some embodiments support concurrent call flow tracking that allows a developer to observe, using a web browser, the execution of her/his application. A variety of reusable libraries are provided to enable the developer to leverage well-developed libraries for common playback, input, and computational tasks. Embodiments support rapid application deployment from the development environment to hosted application deployment to the intended audience.

Method and apparatus for zero-footprint phone application development

A method and apparatus for linking a web based account to a phone based account is described. The method avoids the need to directly reveal account information, e.g. username/password, about one account to the provider of the other. The linking occurs on the web in one embodiment, with a user's browser being redirected from the web site to the web site of the provider of the voice service. The redirection URL will include account linking information. Once the user identifies herself to the web site of the provider of the voice service, the linking information can be stored in the user's phone account as a cookie. When the user access the voice service over the phone, her telephone identifying information can be used to identify her profile. When she visits the phone application corresponding to the web site, the cookie&#x2014;now including linking information&#x2014;can be passed to the application to identify the appropriate web account.

Web-to-phone account linking using a linking code for account identification

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Jeff C Kunins