초록 ▼

An enhanced computer telephony (CT) network design for a private branch exchange (PBX) telephone system network improves the computer telephony interface (CTI) capabilities of the network. Bi-directional data from remote telephone switching nodes of different PBX systems, each using a common softwar

An enhanced computer telephony (CT) network design for a private branch exchange (PBX) telephone system network improves the computer telephony interface (CTI) capabilities of the network. Bi-directional data from remote telephone switching nodes of different PBX systems, each using a common software application, is combined into a single data stream by the network to simplify control of the remote PBX systems. Commands to, and events received from, the different PBX switching nodes are combined by use of a gateway to automatically and transparently route digital information for control of the correct remote system node.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A computer telephony (CT) network for a private branch exchange (PBX) telephone system network including in combination:a plurality of private branch exchange (PBX) systems using a common software application and linked together through a network, each of the PBX systems having a unique address;a

1. A computer telephony (CT) network for a private branch exchange (PBX) telephone system network including in combination:a plurality of private branch exchange (PBX) systems using a common software application and linked together through a network, each of the PBX systems having a unique address;a gateway processing system located on the network with one of the plurality of PBX systems, the gateway processing system having a plurality of application sockets with each application socket corresponding a CT application;a memory in the gateway processing system for storing a translation table identifying extension numbers on each of the PBX systems and combining these extension numbers with the unique addresses for each PBX system to provide mapping information for sending a command from any of the application sockets to a node socket for the PBX system, the node socket representing a physical location for an affected party extension number. 2. The CT network according to claim 1 wherein the gateway processing system receives a system event from one of the plurality of PBX systems through the corresponding node socket for that one of the PBX systems, with the system event processed by the CT network applied to the translation table in the memory. 3. The CT network according to claim 1 further including means coupled with the gateway processing system to change the mapping of an extension number and address in the memory whenever changes in the physical location of an extension number occurs. 4. The CT network according to claim 3 wherein the changes supplied to the memory are received from any one of the plurality of PBX systems where the change is to be effected. 5. The CT network according to claim 1 wherein the gateway processing system receives a system command from one of the CT applications through the corresponding socket for that application, with the system command applied to the translation table in the memory, whereupon the command is processed and provided to the socket for a PBX system having an extension number for a device corresponding to the requested command, whereupon the translation by the gateway processing system is transparent to the application sending the system command. 6. A method for expanding PBX systems from a single PBX system to multiple interconnected PBX systems including the steps of:providing a gateway at a PBX system for translating bi-directional commands over a packet network to a community of PBX nodes, each utilizing a common software application; andproviding a translation table in the gateway to allow PBX network changes and rearrangements by translating addresses for the PBX systems and individual extension numbers for individual devices to transparently route a system event through the gateway from and to the different PBX nodes. 7. The method according to claim 6 further including the step of receiving changes from the PBX nodes for updating the information in the translation table of devices on a continuous basis. 8. The method according to claim 6 further including polling a plurality of node sockets, each of which correspond to one of the PBX nodes in the community, to retrieve data from the PBX nodes. 9. The method according to claim 8 further including, in response to receiving a command from the gateway at the PBX node, sending a notification to the corresponding node socket at the gateway, and routing the notification to an application originating the command. 10. A telecommunications system comprising:a remote site communicating with a gateway site over a packet network;the remote site having,a plurality of individual PBX nodes identifiable by a unique IP address for the node, each PBX node including a plurality of associated endpoints and each endpoint identified by an extension number, andeach PBX node communicating with a PSTN; andthe gateway site having,a CT gateway processor having a software application executing thereon for unifying a plurality of bi-directional data to and from the remote site and the gateway site,a plurality of node communication ports wherein each of the ports interacts with one of the PBX nodes,a gateway stream system that periodically polls the node communication ports to retrieve data received from the PBX nodes,a memory having retrievable storage comprising the plurality of extension numbers for the endpoints and the plurality of IP addresses for the PBX nodes, the gateway stream system receiving an event from one of the PBX nodes at its corresponding node communication port and, in combination with the memory, addressing the event and sending the event to an intended application socket and sending control commands from the processor to the PBX nodes. 11. The telecommunications system of claim 10 wherein the event comprises a change in of one of the extension numbers from a first PBX node to a second PBX node and the addressing comprises updating the memory accordingly. 12. The telecommunications system of claim 10 wherein upon receipt of a control command from the processor, the PBX node posts a response at its corresponding node communication port and the gateway stream system forwards the response to an application originating the command. 13. The telecommunications system of claim 10 wherein the gateway stream system is configured to determine if any the data retrieved from the port has been lost and if so, to generate an error to all interested applications which use corresponding PBX node. 14. The telecommunications system of claim 10 wherein the system is configured as node-aware such that if communication fails between one of the PBX nodes and the gateway site, then the gateway site is able to communicate with the remaining PBX nodes. 15. The telecommunications system of claim 10 wherein the system is configured as non-node-aware such that if communication fails between one of the PBX nodes and the gateway site, then the gateway site is unable to communicate with the remaining PBX nodes until communication is restored to the failing PBX node. 16. The telecommunications system of claim 10 wherein the event comprises either an addition or a deletion of extension numbers from one of the PBX nodes and the addressing comprises an update of the memory accordingly. 17. The telecommunications system of claim 10 wherein the packet network comprises one of a WAN, a LAN, or the Internet. 18. A method for linking multiple CTI applications to control a network of multiple interconnected PBX systems such that the PBX systems appear to the CTI applications as a single PBX system, the method comprising:coupling the CTI applications and the PBX systems to a gateway function over a packet network;processing, at the gateway, bi-directional data routed between the CTI applications and the PBX systems;using a translation table in the gateway to selectively route commands from one of the CTI applications to the applicable PBX system;using a translation table in the gateway to selectively route events from one of the PBX systems to the applicable CTI application; andoperating a service within the gateway to make modifications to the translation table in response to a change comprising a PBX network or a device change, such that the change appears transparent to the CTI applications. 19. The method according to claim 18 further including, receiving the change from one of the PBX systems for updating the translation table on a continuous basis. 20. The method according to claim 18 further including, in response to receiving a specific command at the gateway from one of the PBX systems, sending notification of the change to the selected CTI application.