Acceptance of inputs from various interfaces to a telephony system
View Patent ↗A telephony system that accepts inputs, such as account codes, from a variety of devices and interfaces. The system includes a server with a telephony management software (TMS) unit, a telephony application programming interface (TAPI) unit, and an application unit. The application unit includes a control module, a call status module, an endpoint interface module, a storage interface module, a call transfer module, a TAPI interface module, a configuration module, and an extension library module. A server is capable of prompting several devices for an input and then accepting an input from any of the devices. Thus, a server enables a user to initiate a phone call on one device and then input information using a different device.
1. A method for associating information with a call, the method comprising:
receiving a request initiated by a user to make the call;
determining one or more devices that are associated with the user;
prompting, by sending one or more first signals to the one or more devices, the user to enter account information to associate with the call;
receiving, from one of the one or more devices, a second signal comprising the account information; and
associating the account information with the call.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the format of the first signal is based on a device type of the one or more devices.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first signal indicates whether the information is required or optional.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second signal comprises an identifier of one of the one or more devices that are associated with the user.
5. The method of claim 1 , comprising determining whether the received information is valid.
6. The method of claim 5 , comprising responsive to having determined that the received information is valid, sending a third signal to one of the one or more devices, the third signal indicating that valid information has been received.
7. The method of claim 5 , comprising responsive to having determined that the received information is invalid, terminating the call.
8. The method of claim 5 , comprising responsive to having determined that the received information is invalid, prompting the user to enter information.
9. The method of claim 1 , comprising prompting, by sending a third signal to one of the one or more devices, the user to enter information to associate with the call.
10. The method of claim 1 , comprising receiving a third signal from one of the one or more devices, the third signal comprising a request for valid information.
11. The method of claim 1 , comprising sending a third signal to one of the one or more devices, the third signal comprising valid information, responsive to having received a fourth signal from one of the one or more devices, the fourth signal comprising a request for valid information.
12. The method of claim 1 , comprising transferring the call to a destination number of the call.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein one of the one or more devices is one of an analog phone, an Internet Protocol (IP) phone and a soft phone.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein one of the one or more devices is a call manager.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more devices include both a call manager and an endpoint.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the call manager offers the user an interface through which the user may perform a call-related function.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein the information the user is prompted for is an authorization code for an automated message system.
18. The method of claim 1 wherein the information the user is prompted for is an account code.
19. The method of claim 16 wherein the interface includes a graphical user interface for the user to enter the information the user is prompted for.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the graphical user interface includes a list from which the user can choose the information to be entered.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein the list can be filtered based on a received character such that each remaining entry in the list comprises the received character.
22. A method for associating information with a call, the method comprising:
receiving, by a server, a request to make the call, the call having been initiated by a user on a first device;
prompting, by sending a signal to the first device, by an endpoint interface module, the user to enter information to associate with the call;
receiving, by the endpoint interface module, from a second device, a signal comprising such information; and
associating, by a storage interface module, the information with the call.
23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:
communicating, by a control module, with the endpoint interface module and the storage interface module.
24. A method for associating an account code with a call, the method comprising:
receiving, by a server, a request to make the call, the call having been initiated by a user on a first device;
prompting, by sending a signal to the first device, by an endpoint interface module, the user to enter an account code to associate with the call;
receiving, by the endpoint interface module, from a second device, a signal comprising an account code; and
associating, by a storage interface module, the account code with the call.
25. The method of claim 24 , further comprising:
communicating, by a control module, with the endpoint interface module and the storage interface module.
26. The method of claim 24 , wherein the signal sent to the first device indicates whether the account code is required or optional.
27. The method of claim 24 , wherein the signal received from the second device further comprises an identifier of the second device.
28. The method of claim 24 , further comprising determining, by a storage interface module, whether the received account code is valid.
29. The method of claim 28 , further comprising responsive to having determined that the received account code is valid, sending a signal to one of the first device and the second device, the signal indicating that a valid account code has been received.
30. The method of claim 28 , further comprising responsive to having determined that the received account code is invalid, terminating the call.
31. The method of claim 28 , further comprising responsive to having determined that the received account code is invalid, prompting the user to enter an account code.
32. The method of claim 24 , further comprising prompting, by sending a signal to the second device, by a second prompting module, the user to enter an account code to associate with the call.
33. The method of claim 24 , further comprising receiving, by a call status module, a signal from one of the first device and the second device, the signal comprising a request for one or more valid account codes.
34. The method of claim 24 , further comprising sending, by the endpoint interface module, a signal to one of the first device and the second device, the signal comprising one or more valid account codes, responsive to having received a signal from one of the first device and the second device, the signal comprising a request for one or more valid account codes.
35. The method of claim 24 , further comprising transferring the call to a destination number of the call.
36. The method of claim 24 , wherein one of the first device and the second device is one of an analog phone, an Internet Protocol (IP) phone, and a software phone.
37. The method of claim 24 , wherein one of the first device and the second device is running a software application that controls another device.
38. An apparatus for associating an account code with a call, the apparatus comprising:
a server, the server configured to receive a request to make a call, the call having been initiated by a user on a first device, the server further comprising:
an endpoint interface module, the endpoint interface module configured to prompt, by sending a signal to the first device, the user to enter an account code to associate with the call and configured to receive, from a second device, a signal comprising an account code;
a storage interface module, the storage interface module configured to associate the account code with the call.
39. The apparatus of claim 38 further comprising:
a control module, the control module coupled to and configured to communicate with the endpoint interface module and the storage interface module.
40. The apparatus of claim 38 , wherein the storage interface module is further configured to determine whether the received account code is valid.
41. The apparatus of claim 38 , further comprising a second endpoint interface module, the second endpoint interface module configured to prompt, by sending a signal to the second device, the user to enter an account code to associate with the call.
42. The apparatus of claim 39 , wherein the control module is further coupled to and configured to communicate with the second endpoint interface module.
43. The apparatus of claim 38 , further comprising a call status module, the call status module configured to receive a signal from one of the first device and the second device, the signal comprising a request for one or more valid account codes.
44. The apparatus of claim 39 , wherein the control module is further coupled to and configured to communicate with the call status module.
45. The apparatus of claim 38 , wherein the endpoint interface module is further configured to send a second signal to one of the first device and the second device, the second signal comprising one or more valid account codes, responsive to having received a first signal from one of the first device and the second device, the first signal comprising a request for one or more valid account codes.