System and method for providing user input information to multiple independent, concurrent applications
View Patent ↗In a system for providing user input information to multiple independent, concurrent applications, the applications send subscription messages to a device receiving user input such as a telephone receiving key presses from a keypad. Each subscription message identifies a pattern of user input that the application is to be notified of. The device monitors the user input to identify the occurrence of the identified patterns. When a specified pattern of user input is detected, the device notifies the corresponding application via a signaling channel linking the application with the device. The subscription messages use regular expressions including various formats to specify the patterns of interest, such as a single digit (explicitly or wildcard), one of a set of digits, a range of digits, and a repeating pattern of digits. The subscription messages can also contain tags associated with the regular expressions, which are returned to the application upon reporting the occurrence of a pattern to enable the application to readily identify the context of the notification.
1. A method of providing user input information to a plurality of independent, concurrent applications, comprising:
for each application, generating a respective subscription message and providing the subscription message to a device receiving input of a predetermined type from a user, the subscription message for each application identifying a respective pattern of user input upon whose occurrence the application is to be notified; and
at the device, (1) monitoring the user input to identify the occurrence of the respective patterns identified in the subscription messages, and (2) upon the occurrence of the user input pattern identified in a given subscription message, notifying the corresponding application via a signaling channel linking the application with the device,
wherein each subscription message optionally includes a persistence indicator indicating that the device is to notify the application for each of multiple occurrences of the user input pattern identified in the message, and further comprising, at the device, (1) determining for each subscription message whether the persistence indicator is included, (2) if the persistence indicator is included, then repeating the monitoring and notifying steps for a subsequent occurrence of the user input pattern, and (3) if the persistence indicator is not included, then ceasing the monitoring for the input pattern upon the first notification of the application that the user input pattern has occurred.
2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the device receives the user input directly.
3. A method, according to claim 2 , wherein the device is a telephone.
4. A method according to claim 3 , wherein the user input received by the device comprises key presses.
5. A method according to claim 4 , wherein each pattern of input key presses is identified in a respective one of the subscription messages in the form of a respective digit regular expression.
6. A method according to claim 5 , wherein each digit regular expression includes one or more elements taken from the following classes: a specified digit, a wildcard digit, a multiple digit selector, a range of digits, and a repetition of digits.
7. A method according to claim 5 , wherein each digit regular expression optionally includes a tag to be provided back to the application as part of notifying the respective application of the occurrence of the pattern specified in the digit regular expression.
8. A method according to claim 4 , wherein monitoring the key presses from the user comprises continually comparing the key presses to the patterns identified in the subscription messages.
9. A method according to claim 8 , wherein the comparing is done on a shortest-match basis.
10. A method according to claim 8 , wherein the comparing is done on a longest-match basis.
11. A method according to claim 8 , wherein the comparing is done on a most-specific-match basis.
12. A method according to claim 4 , wherein the key presses from the user are buffered within the device.
13. A method according to claim 12 , wherein the key presses are buffered in a circular buffer.
14. A method according to claim 12 , wherein the key presses are discarded from a buffer after a fixed time period.
15. A method according to claim 12 , wherein the key presses are discarded from a buffer after a variable time period.
16. A method according to claim 12 , further comprising, within the device, quarantining key presses occurring after an application has been notified and before receiving a subsequent subscription message.
17. A method according to claim 4 , further comprising, at the device upon notifying an application via the respective signaling channel of the occurrence of the respective pattern of user key presses, suppressing the transmission of the user key presses on a media channel on which media emanating from the user is generally transmitted by the device.
18. A method according to claim 3 , wherein the user input received by the device comprises speech.
19. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the device obtains the user input from a media stream between the user and the applications.
20. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the input of the predetermined type from the user comprises key presses.
21. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the user input comprises speech.
22. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a touch-sensitive screen and the user input comprises touches and/or strokes on the screen.
23. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the user input is provided by a human user.
24. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the user input is provided by a computer.
25. A device for receiving input of a predetermined type from a user and providing corresponding user input information to a plurality of independent, concurrent applications, the device comprising:
a processor;
said processor being operative to execute a plurality of instructions (1) to receive, for each application, a respective subscription message identifying a respective pattern of user input upon whose occurrence the application is to be notified, (2) to monitor the user input to identify the occurrence of the respective patterns identified in the subscription messages, and (3) upon the occurrence of the user input pattern identified in a given subscription message, to notify the corresponding application via a signaling channel linking the application with the device, wherein each subscription message optionally includes a persistence indicator indicating that the processor is to notify the application for each of multiple occurrences of the user input pattern identified in the subscription message, and wherein the processor is further operative:
(1) to determine for each subscription message whether the persistence indicator is included (2) if the persistence indicator is included, then to repeat the monitoring and notifying for a subsequent occurrence of the user input pattern, and (3) if the persistence indicator is not included, then to cease the monitoring for the input pattern upon the first notification of the application that the user input pattern has occurred.
26. A device according to claim 25 , wherein said processor is operative to receive the user input directly.
27. A device according to claim 26 , wherein said processor comprises a telephone.
28. A device according to claim 27 , wherein the user input received by said processor comprises key presses.
29. A device according to claim 27 , wherein the user input received by said processor comprises speech.
30. A device according to claim 25 , wherein said processor is operative to obtain the user input from a media stream between the user and the applications.
31. A device according to claim 25 , wherein the input of the predetermined type from the user comprises key presses.
32. A device according to claim 25 , wherein the user input comprises speech.
33. A device according to claim 25 , further including a touch-sensitive screen, and wherein the user input comprises touches and/or strokes on the screen.
34. A device according to claim 25 , wherein the user input is provided by a human user.
35. A device according to claim 25 , wherein the user input is provided by a computer.