Cisco Technology, Inc.

Ryan Alan Danner

Steven J Martin

Lewis Dean Dodrill

Satish Joshi

Susan Harrow Barban

Geetha Ravishankar

Swaminathan Ravishankar

David William Geen

Keith McKinley Basil

William M Wolfe

William Bateford Willaford, Iv

Narasimha K Nayak

Melissa Lee Denbar

Tin Thanh Dang

James Richard Grove, Jr

A unified web-based voice messaging system provides voice application control between a web browser and an application server via an hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) connection on an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The web browser receives an HTML page from the application server having an XML element that defines data for an audio operation to be performed by an executable audio resource. The web browser selectively executes the audio operation based on whether the web browser detects the presence of the executable audio resource. If the web browser does not have the executable audio resource, then the web browser ignores the XML element, and merely presents any other recognized HTML tags. However if the web browser has access to an executable audio resource that understands the XML element, then the web browser executes the audio operation based on enhanced audio control specified by the XML element. Hence, a web browser can be used to provide enhanced voice control for voice enabled web applications, merely by possession of an executable audio resource that recognizes the XML element that specifies the enhanced audio control required for the audio operation to be performed.

Apparatus and method for providing browser audio control for voice enabled web applications

A unified web-based voice messaging system uses an application server, configured for executing a voice application defined by XML documents, that accesses subscriber attributes from a standardized information database server (such as LDAP), and messages from a standardized messaging server (such as IMAP), regardless of message format. The application server, upon receiving a request from a browser serving a user, accesses the standardized database server to obtain attribute information for responding to the voice application operation request. The application server generates an HTML document having media content and control tags for personalized execution of the voice application operation based on the attribute information obtained from the standardized database server. The application server also is configured for storing messages for a called party in the standardized messaging server by storing within the message format information that specifies the corresponding message format. Hence, the application server can respond to a request for a stored message from a subscriber by accessing the stored message from the standardized messaging server, and generating an HTML document having media content and control tags for presenting the subscriber with the stored message in a prescribed format based on the message format and the capabilities of the access device used by the subscriber.

Unified messaging system using web based application server for management of messages using standardized servers

A unified web-based voice messaging system provides voice application control between a web browser and an application server via an hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) connection on an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The application server, configured for executing a voice application defined by XML documents, selects an XML document for execution of a corresponding voice application operation based on a determined presence of a user-specific XML document that specifies the corresponding voice application operation. The application server, upon receiving a voice application operation request from a browser serving a user, dynamically generates a personalized HTML page having media content and control tags for personalized execution of the voice application operation. Hence, a user can personalize any number of voice application operations, enabling a web-based voice application to be completely customized or merely partially customized.

Application server providing personalized voice enabled web application services using extensible markup language documents

A unified web-based voice messaging system provides voice application control between a web browser and an application server via an hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) connection on an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The application server, configured for executing a voice application defined by XML documents, selects an XML document for execution of a corresponding voice application operation based on a determined presence of a user-specific XML document that specifies the corresponding voice application operation. The application server, upon receiving a voice application operation request from a browser serving a user, determines whether a personalized, user specific XML document exists for the user and for the corresponding voice application operation. If the application server determines the presence of the personalized XML document for a user-specific execution of the corresponding voice application operation, the application server dynamically generates a personalized HTML page having media content and control tags for personalized execution of the voice application operation; however if the application server determines an absence of the personalized XML document for the user-specific execution of the corresponding voice application operation, the application server dynamically generates a generic HTML page for generic execution of the voice application operation. Hence, a user can personalize any number of voice application operations, enabling a web-based voice application to be completely customized or merely partially customized.

The invention is directed to techniques for navigating a network based on audio input to retrieve information from a network. A user enters audio commands into a two-way communication device to access information located on a network, such as the Internet. For example, a user enters a voice request for a web page into a telephone, which sends the request to a proxy browser for the World Wide Web which in turn provides the request to a web navigation application executing on an application server. The web navigation application generates a text-based request based on the voice request and retrieves a web page from the World Wide Web based on the text-based request. The web navigation application uses a script or an XML page to generate a file suitable for audio output from the retrieved web page. The web navigation application then produces an audio output file from the generated file, which it sends to the proxy browser to provide audio output signals to the user over the telephony connection to the user's telephone.

Apparatus and methods for providing network-based information suitable for audio output

A method for inter-process communication between non-persistent application instances includes establishing a first non-persistent application instance serving a first party and establishing a second non-persistent application instance serving a second party. In the first application instance, an HTML page is generated having instructions for a persistent browser instance having received the HTML page to initiate a new application session for the second party. Thus, inter-application communication is possible where one non-persistent application instance is able to notify and/or interrupt another non-persistent application instance by way of an associated real time component (web browser or proxy browser).

IP unified agent using an XML voice enabled web based application server

The invention is directed to techniques for providing an audibly controlled interface for a user of a limited audio-based communication device, for example, a telephony device such as a desktop telephone or a cellular telephone. The communication device has an interface connection with a proxy browser. The user initially accesses the device, such as by picking up the handset, and the proxy browser provides a communication path over a network to a call services application on an application server. The application server provides a response to the initial access signal. The proxy browser receives the response from the application server and plays back an audio output based on the response to the communication device for the user. The user can then respond with a request to the call services application to place an outbound call or to initiate another service provided by the application server via the proxy browser.

Apparatus and methods for providing an audibly controlled user interface for audio-based communication devices

The invention is directed to techniques for providing an event notification string over a network to a notification server. An application server includes a notifying application that monitors, or otherwise determines, the occurrence of an event of interest to a target user who uses a device that can receive notification of the event. The notifying application generates an event notification string that indicates that a notification to the target user should be made. The notifying application then sends the event notification string over a network, such as an IP (Internet Protocol) network, to a notification server, which provides an event notification application that processes the event notification string. The event notification application determines the identity of the target user, if the event notification string does not provide this information itself, and which devices accessed by the target user should receive the notification. The event notification application then sends event notifications to one or more of the devices.

Apparatus and methods for requesting an event notification over a network

A method is provided in an application server for executing a calling application. The method includes receiving an HTTP request for execution of a calling application operation for a caller. A selected extensible markup language (XML) document is accessed in response to reception of the HTML request. Based on the XML document, a first HTML page including prompts is generated for the caller. A directory is accessed based on an input from the caller to obtain called party information. A second HTML page is generated having instructions for contacting the called party. Hence, calling services may be deployed on a platform that is customizable, scalable, and built upon open standards such as Internet protocol. By directly contacting an application server upon picking-up a telephone device, an intelligent system is provided for making telephone calls over an IP network.

Calling service using voice enabled web based application server

A system for providing text-to-speech conversion of a body of text is presented. The system includes a first executable resource which generates text portions from the body of text in response to receiving an initial web request to convert the body of text to speech and provides an output in response to generating the text portions comprising a sequence of resource identifiers suitable for use in the text-to-speech conversion of the text portions. The system further includes a second executable resource which receives a text portion web request that requests the conversion of at least one text portion to an audio format, the text portion web request comprising the at least one text portion and one of the resource identifiers, and further provides at least one media file suitable for audio output based on the text portion web request.

Apparatus and methods for converting textual information to audio-based output

A unified web-based voice messaging system provides voice application control between a web browser and an application server via an hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) connection on an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The application server generates and maintains a server-side data record, also referred to as a 'brownie', that includes application state information and user attribute information for an identified user session with the web browser. The application server, in response to receiving a new web page request from the browser, initiates a web application instance to begin a transient application session with the browser. The brownie also includes a session identifier that uniquely identifies the session with the user of the application session. The application server stores the brownie in a memory resident within the server side of the network, and sends to the browser the session identifier and the corresponding web page requested by the web browser.

Apparatus and method for providing server state and attribute management for voice enabled web applications

A unified web-based voice messaging system provides voice application control between a web browser and an application server via an hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) connection on an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The application server executes the voice-enabled web application by runtime execution of a first set of extensible markup language (XML) documents that define the voice-enabled web application to be executed. The application server generates an HTML form specifying selected application parameters from an XML document executable by the voice application. The HTML form is supplied to a browser, enabling a user of the browser to input or modify application parameters for the corresponding XML document into the form. The application server inserts the received input application parameters into the XML document, and stores the document.

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Glen Allen, VA, United States of America

Ryan Alan Danner