Telephony application platform

1. A private branch exchange (PBX) platform, comprising one or more computing devices deployed in a network computing environment, the one or more computing devices being configured to provide telephony services to a plurality of independent enterprises, each of the enterprises having a plurality of users and extensions defined for that enterprise within the PBX platform, the one or more computing devices implementing a plurality of telecommunications interfaces with a plurality of independent telecommunications providers that facilitate at least a portion of the telephony services, the one or more computing devices also implementing one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) that enable each of a plurality of internal telephony applications hosted by the PBX platform and each of a plurality of external telephony applications developed and hosted on one or more other platforms independent of the PBX platform to integrate with the PBX platform at a corresponding plurality of integration points, the one or more APIs enabling each of the internal telephony applications and each of the external telephony applications to access the users and extensions for subscribing ones of the enterprises, and to control call flows for the subscribing enterprises at the corresponding integration points during execution of the call flows by the PBX platform, thereby enabling each of the enterprises to customize the telephony services using one or more of the internal or external telephony applications without requiring the enterprises to re-specify their respective users and extensions for the internal or external telephony applications.

2. The PBX platform of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the internal telephony applications are developed in an application developer environment.

3. The PBX platform of claim 2 , wherein at least some of the developers are also users associated with one or more of the enterprises.

4. The PBX platform of claim 2 , wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to provide a telephony application store in which at least some of the internal telephony applications are available for purchase by the enterprises.

5. The PBX platform of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of telecommunications interfaces include a stateless low-level interface that provides signaling and media telephony primitives, and a high-level interface that tracks session states and provides function building blocks for the external telephony applications.

6. The PBX platform of claim 1 , further comprising one or more data stores comprising an account data repository storing account data representing the users and extensions for each enterprise, a sessions data repository, a message data repository, and a call log data repository.

7. The PBX platform of claim 1 , wherein the PBX platform has a plurality of client devices for which the PBX platform provides the telephony services, and wherein the PBX platform communicates with the client devices using the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

8. The PBX platform of claim 1 , wherein billing for use of one or more of the external telephony applications by one of the enterprises is integrated with billing for use of the PBX platform by the enterprise.

9. The PBX platform of claim 1 , wherein the telephony applications relate to one or more of interactive voice response functionality, call center functionality, call statistics functionality, voice mail functionality, or call blocking functionality.

10. A computer implemented method, comprising:

providing telephony services to a plurality of independent enterprises via a private branch exchange (PBX) platform deployed in a network computing environment, each of the enterprises having a plurality of users and extensions defined for that enterprise within the PBX platform, wherein a plurality of telecommunications interfaces with a plurality of independent telecommunications providers facilitate at least a portion of the telephony services;

providing one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) that enable each of a plurality of internal telephony applications hosted by the PBX platform and each of a plurality of external telephony applications developed and hosted on one or more other platforms independent of the PBX platform to integrate with the PBX platform at a corresponding plurality of integration points;

enabling each of the internal telephony applications and each of the external telephony applications to access the users and extensions for subscribing ones of the enterprises; and

enabling each of the external telephony applications to control call flows for the subscribing enterprises at the corresponding integration points during execution of the call flows by the PBX platform, thereby enabling each of the enterprises to customize the telephony services using one or more of the internal or external telephony applications without requiring the enterprises to re-specify their respective users and extensions for the internal or external telephony applications.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least some of the internal telephony applications are developed in an application developer environment.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least some of the developers are also users associated with one or more of the enterprises.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising providing a telephony application store in which at least some of the internal telephony applications are available for purchase by the enterprises.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of telecommunications interfaces include a stateless low-level interface that provides signaling and media telephony primitives, and a high-level interface that tracks session states and provides function building blocks for the external telephony applications.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the PBX platform includes one or more data stores comprising an account data repository storing account data representing the users and extensions for each enterprise, a sessions data repository, a message data repository, and a call log data repository.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the PBX platform has a plurality of client devices for which the PBX platform provides the telephony services, and wherein the PBX platform communicates with the client devices using the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising integrating billing for use of one or more of the external telephony applications by one of the enterprises with billing for use of the PBX platform by the enterprise.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the telephony applications relate to one or more of interactive voice response functionality, call center functionality, call statistics functionality, voice mail functionality, or call blocking functionality.

19. A computer program product, comprising one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) for use with a private branch exchange (PBX) platform deployed in a network computing environment and configured to provide telephony services to a plurality of independent enterprises, each of the enterprises having a plurality of users and extensions defined for that enterprise within the PBX platform, and wherein the PBX platform employs a plurality of telecommunications interfaces with a plurality of independent telecommunications providers to facilitate at least a portion of the telephony services, the computer program product comprising one or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer program instructions stored therein, the computer program instructions being configured such that, when executed by one or more computing devices, the computer program instructions cause the one or more computing devices to:

enable each of a plurality of internal telephony applications hosted by the PBX platform and each of a plurality of external telephony applications developed and hosted on one or more other platforms independent of the PBX platform to integrate with the PBX platform at a corresponding plurality of integration points;

enable each of the internal telephony applications and each of the external telephony applications to access the users and extensions for subscribing ones of the enterprises; and

enable each of the external telephony applications to control call flows for the subscribing enterprises at the corresponding integration points during execution of the call flows by the PBX platform, thereby enabling each of the enterprises to customize the telephony services using one or more of the internal or external telephony applications without requiring the enterprises to re-specify their respective users and extensions for the internal or external telephony applications.