Method and apparatus for building multimedia applications using interactive multimedia viewers

1. In an object-oriented programming interface for use by a programmer in a computer readable medium, a software Interactive Media Viewer (IMV) module, comprising:

a code set adapted to access and present media code from multimedia files stored in a data repository; and

an editable layer allowing the programmer to program selective control of access by the IMV to the multimedia files;

wherein the multimedia files include at least telephony, interactive voice response (IVR), and e-mails, and the programmed selective control in the editable layer restricts selected multimedia files from being accessed by the IMV.

2. The IMV of claim 1 wherein the LMV further comprises one or more software interfaces to other software modules that may be grouped in an Interactive Media Application (IMA) with one or more IMVs.

3. An IMV as in claim 1 wherein the IMV accesses and presents multimedia code of one type.

4. An IMV as in claim 1 wherein the IMV accesses and presents multimedia code of more than one type.

5. The IMV of claim 1 wherein the multimedia files stored in the data repository represent multimedia transactions, and are characterized with tags according to one or more of date, time, participants, file type, company affiliation of participants, subject or issue, and relationship to other multimedia files, and wherein IMVs are restricted through the editable layer according to the tags of the multimedia files.

6. A programming application for creating an Interactive Multimedia Application (IMA), in a computer readable medium, which includes access to and presenting of multimedia files stored in a data repository, comprising:

first selectable software modules providing functionality for an Interactive Multimedia Application; and

at least one selectable Interactive Multimedia Viewer (IMV) software module including a code set for accessing and presenting media code from multimedia files stored in a data repository and an editable layer allowing a programmer to program selective control of access by the IMV to the multimedia files;

wherein the multimedia files include at least telephony, interactive voice response (IVR), and e-mails, and the programmed selective control in the editable layer restricts selected multimedia files from being accessed by the IMV, and by selecting, including, and editing software modules the programmer is enabled to create the IMA.

7. The programming application of claim 6 wherein the IMV further comprises one or more software interfaces to the first selectable software modules.

8. A programming application as in claim 6 wherein the IMV accesses and presents multimedia code of only one type.

9. A programming application as in claim 6 wherein the IMV accesses and presents multimedia code of more than one type.

10. The programming application of claim 6 wherein the multimedia files stored in the data repository represent multimedia transactions, and are characterized with tags according to one or more of date, time, participants, file type, company affiliation of participants, subject or issue, and relationship to other multimedia files, and wherein IMVs are limited through the editable layer according to the tags of the multimedia files.

11. A multimedia communication center, having a programming application for creating an Interactive Multimedia Application (IMA), in a computer readable medium, comprising:

an access interface for outside communication;

an interface to communication center personnel;

a storage system for recording multimedia transactions in a data repository, the stored transactions characterized by tags representing one or more of date, time, participants, file type, company affiliation of participants, subject or issue, and relationship to other multimedia files; and

a programming application for creating the IMA which includes access to and presenting of the multimedia files stored in the data repository;

wherein the programming application is characterized by first selectable software modules providing functionality for an Interactive Multimedia Application including at least one selectable Interactive Multimedia Viewer (IMV) software module including a code set for accessing and presenting media code from multimedia files stored in a data repository and an editable layer allowing the programmer to program selective control of access by the IMV to the multimedia files, wherein the multimedia files include at least telephony, interactive voice response (IVR), and e-mails, and the programmed selective control in the editable layer restricts selected multimedia files from being accessed by the IMV, and, by selecting, including, and editing software modules the programmer is enabled to create the IMA.

12. The multimedia communication center of claim 11 wherein the IMV further comprises one or more software interfaces to the first selectable software modules.

13. A multimedia communication center as in claim 11 wherein the IMV accesses and presents multimedia code of only one type.

14. A multimedia communication center as in claim 11 wherein the IMV accesses and presents multimedia code of more than one type.

15. A multimedia communication center as in claim 11 wherein the multimedia files stored in the data repository represent multimedia transactions, and are characterized with tags according to one or more of date, time, participants, file type, company affiliation of participants, subject or issue, and relationship to other multimedia files, and wherein IMVs are limited through the editable layer according to the tags of the multimedia files.

16. In a Multimedia Communication Center environment which includes access to and processing of multimedia files stored in a data repository, a method for assembling an Interactive Multimedia Application (IMA), comprising steps of:

selecting software modules providing functionality for an Interactive Multimedia Application, including at least one selectable Interactive Multimedia Viewer (IMV) software module having a code set for accessing and presenting media code from multimedia files stored in a data repository, wherein the multimedia files include at least telephony, interactive voice response (IVR), and e-mails;

editing an editable layer of the at least one IMV by programming limitations restricting access by the IMV to preselected multimedia files; and

joining the selected and edited modules to form the IMA.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the IMV further comprises one or more software interfaces to the first selectable software modules.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the IMV accesses and presents multimedia code of only one type.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the IMV accesses and renders multimedia code of more than one type.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the multimedia files stored in the data repository represent multimedia transactions, and are characterized with tags according to one or more of date, time, participants, file type, company affiliation of participants, subject or issue, and relationship to other multimedia files, and wherein IMVs are limited through the editable layer according to the tags of the multimedia files.