Interactive voice response object
Methods, devices, and systems for creating and using an interactive voice object are provided. An alternative way of providing Interactive Voice Response (IVR) capabilities to a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) endpoint is described. More specifically, the present invention allows the SIP endpoint to have its SIP signaling controlled by an application running in a SIP application server.
1. A Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) application server, comprising:
a SIP application, executed by one or more processors, that supports SIP functions for a SIP User Agent (UA); and
an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Framework executed by the one or more processors that initiates IVR functions that are presented to the SIP UA, wherein the IVR Framework is controlled by the SIP application, wherein the IVR Framework interacts with a corresponding IVRObject WebFramework residing on a web server, wherein the IVRObject WebFramework injects Voice Extendable Markup Language (XML) hooks into a generated Voice XML file that is transmitted to a media server, wherein the interaction between the IVR Framework and the IVRObject WebFramework comprises receiving, at the SIP application server, a callback notification message from the web server indicating that the media server in communication with the web server has at least one of played an IVR message to a user and collected information from a user.
2. The SIP application server of claim 1 , wherein the web server is different than the SIP application server in which the SIP application and IVR Framework are provided, wherein the callback notification message informs the SIP application that a requested IVR function has been executed at a media server, and wherein the IVR Framework comprises an Application Programming Interface (API) that receives commands from the SIP application and generate instructions representative of the received commands for transmission to the media server.
3. The SIP application server of claim 2 , wherein the instructions are transmitted to the media server in a SIP INVITE message that includes Session Description Protocol (SDP) information associated with the SIP UA, a target address for the media server, and an identifier of the IVR message that is to be played to the user by the media server.
4. The SIP application server of claim 3 , wherein the identifier comprises a tag that identifies a Voice eXtensible Markup Language (VoiceXML) template that is to be included in the VoiceXML file provided by the web server to the media server and executed by the media server.
5. The SIP application server of claim 4 , wherein the VoiceXML file comprises at least one of a play, collect, and record template that, when executed by the media server, cause the media server to provide a message to the SIP UA, collect input from the SIP UA, and record input from the SIP UA, respectively.
6. The SIP application server of claim 1 , wherein the IVR Framework requests transmission of a SIP message from the server to the media server that includes a command to transmit an IVR message from the media server to the SIP UA.
7. The SIP application server of claim 6 , wherein the IVR message comprises a streaming message that includes at least one of audio and video content.
8. The SIP application server of claim 1 , wherein the SIP application requests confirmation of execution of a first IVR function, wherein the IVR Framework generates the callback notification in response to receiving the request for confirmation from the SIP application, transmits the callback command to the web server which executes the callback command and, in response to executing the callback command, transmits the callback notification message to the SIP application server after the first IVR function has been executed by the media server.
9. The SIP application server of claim 1 , further comprising:
the web server, wherein the web server stores VoiceXML commands; and
the media server retrieves VoiceXML commands from the web server and execute the retrieved VoiceXML commands to provide the IVR functions presented to the SIP UA.
10. The SIP application server of claim 1 , wherein the web server is different than the SIP application server in which the SIP application and IVR Framework are provided, wherein the web server further comprises:
a VoiceXML generator that builds the VoiceXML file from atomic VoiceXML templates; and
a VoiceXML Flavor Plugin that adjusts a format of the VoiceXML file to allow the media server to properly understand and execute the VoiceXML file.
11. The SIP application server of claim 1 , wherein the VoiceXML hooks include a command that causes the media server to issue a subsequent Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request back to the web server when the at least one of the IVR message is played or the information is collected from the user.
12. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform a method, the instructions comprising:
instructions for a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) application that supports SIP functions for a SIP User Agent (UA);
instructions for an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Framework that initiates IVR functions that are presented to the SIP UA, wherein the IVR Framework is controlled by the SIP application;
instructions for an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Framework that interacts with a corresponding IVRObject WebFramework residing on a web server;
instructions for the IVRObject WebFramework injecting Voice Extendable Markup Language (XML) hooks into a generated Voice XML file;
instructions to transmit the VoiceXML file to a media server, wherein the interaction between the IVR Framework and the IVRObject WebFramework comprises instructions to receive, at the SIP application server, a callback notification message from the web server indicating that the media server in communication with the web server has at least one of played an IVR message to a user and collected information from a user.
13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the web server is different than the SIP application server in which the SIP application and IVR Framework are provided, wherein the callback notification message informs the SIP application that a requested IVR function has been executed at a media server, and wherein the IVR Framework comprises an Application Programming Interface (API) that receives commands from the SIP application and generate instructions representative of the received commands for transmission to the media server.
14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions are transmitted to the media server in a SIP INVITE message that includes Session Description Protocol (SDP) information associated with the SIP UA, a target address for the media server, and an identifier of the IVR message that is to be played to the user by the media server.
15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the identifier comprises a tag that identifies a Voice eXtensible Markup Language (VoiceXML) template that is to be included in the VoiceXML file provided by the web server to the media server and executed by the media server.
16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the VoiceXML file comprises at least one of a play, collect, and record template that, when executed by the media server, cause the media server to provide a message to the SIP UA, collect input from the SIP UA, and record input from the SIP UA, respectively.
17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the IVR Framework includes instructions to request transmission of a SIP message from the server to the media server that includes a command to transmit an IVR message from the media server to the SIP UA.
18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the IVR message comprises a streaming message that includes at least one of audio and video content.
19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the SIP application requests confirmation of execution of a first IVR function, wherein the IVR Framework generates the callback notification in response to receiving the request for confirmation from the SIP application, transmit the callback command to the web server which executes the callback command and, in response to executing the callback command, transmits the callback notification message to the SIP application server after the first IVR function has been executed by the media server.
20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , further comprising:
instructions for storing VoiceXML commands on the web server; and
instructions to retrieve VoiceXML commands from the web server and instructions to execute the retrieved VoiceXML commands to provide the IVR functions presented to the SIP UA.