The present invention relates to the configuring of an enhanced services platform, and more particularly, to a Web- based system and method of implementing the platform configuration.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known how to remotely configure the enhanced services platform of a telephone switch by telephone over the telephone trucks. With reference to Figure 1, the remote configuration of a telephone switch 10 is accomplished in generally known systems through access over the telephone system, i. e. a modem 12 at the graphical user interface ("GUI") 14 of a computer, the public switching telephone network ("PSTN") 16 and a modem 18 connected to the switch 10.

The user at the GUI 14 effects the telephone connection to the switch 10, and thereafter initiates the desired configuration changes directly to the switch 10.

The telephone switch is a real time switch, often proprietary, such as the Harris Corporation 20/20, which is configured by a software application integral with the switch.

Such switches are required to effect trunk to trunk switching of large numbers of lines and are generally mounted in a metal enclosure to reduce the effects of electromagnetic radiation, and include redundancy in power supplies and the application hardware to reduce the consequences of a failure of some part of the telephone system.

It has been necessary in the remote control of such telephone switches to access the software controlling the switch through the telephone lines and the PSTN, to either install directly at the remote site or download significant portions of an application from the switch to the computer at the remote site over the telephone lines and PSTN so that the desired changes can be made at the computer, and then to again load the modifications through the telephone lines and PSTN to the server at the switch to effect the changes in control of the switch. Because the changes must be made in real time, a "thick"application is used and large volumes of data passed over PSTNs which are likely to be proprietary.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel system and method of avoiding many of the problems associated with known systems and methods of remotely configuring an enhanced services telephone platform.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel system and method of configuring a remote telephone switch in which the use of the costly and sometimes inaccessible PSTN may be avoided.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a novel system and method of configuring a remote telephone switch in which the use of a specific thick application at the controlling computer may be avoided in favor of a relatively thin application such as any Web browser, and in which a higher degree of standards based protection for the application is provided.

It is still a further object of the present system and method of configuring a remote telephone switch in which more ubiquitous access to the application and remote access may be achieved.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel system and method of configuring a remote telephone switch in which the switch may be configured in real time.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a novel system and method of configuring a remote telephone switch in which the configuration may be effected by the combination of an application server and a Web server.

It is yet still a further object of the present invention to provide a novel system and method of configuring a remote telephone switch in which the configuration may be effected by the modification of an abstract of the switch rather than directly to the switch.

These and many other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a perusal of the claims, the appended drawings, and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a functional block diagram of a known system of remotely configuring a telephone switch.

Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in Figure 2, the switch 10 may be configured without going through proprietary PSTNs. In a preferred embodiment, a Web user interface ("WUI") 20 may be connected to the Internet/Intranet 22 by any conventional Web browser application. The connection from the WUI 20 may be through a modem 24, but the communication path need not include such a device. Similarly, the Internet/Intranet may be connected to a computer 26 associated with the switch 10 through a modem 28, but such devices are desirable avoided.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figure 2, the computer 26 serves both as the Web server to effect Internet/Intranet connection and the application server which controls the configuration of the switch 10. By the use of a computer 26 to effect switch control, these two functions may be combined in one server and the configuration of the application rather than the switch directly permits the modification to be made in human time rather than the real time changes required by the switch 10.

The use of the Internet/Intranet rather than the pubic telephone system as the communication medium significantly reduces the volume of data to be transferred due largely to the sophisticated encoding standards such as HTTP and thus the amount of time, effort, and expensive bandwidth needed to effect configuration of the switch is greatly reduced. This permits the use of a relatively thin application or WUI which often already exists on the remote computer.

Where the switch 10 of Figure 2 is a legacy device, i. e., a previously installed switch, the application and Web server 26 of Figure 2 may be a proxy server, and may be reached by multiple concurrent users in the point-to-multipoint system of the Internet/Intranet.

As shown in Figure 3, any WUI may access the Internet/Intranet 22 for connection to an application proxy and Web server 28, which may directly interface with the switch 10.

Alternatively, the proxy server may access the switch 10 through the PSTN 30 and modems 32 and 34.

Where the switch is a legacy device and it is desired to upgrade the switch or any other subsystem in the enhanced services platform, the manager of the system may effect from a remote Web browser the downloading of the software from the switch to the server under the remote control of the server.

Once resident in the server, the switch software may be modified in the server remotely and then returned to the switch to accomplish an upgrade in the switch software. This is a significant advantage in that upgrades may be accomplished remotely from anywhere access to the Internet/Intranet may be achieved, thus eliminating the need to physically visit the site of each of the switches in the telephone system.

Switch security is also improved due to the standards based Web security and Internet/Intranet firewalls. While dial up connections to the switch or Application Server provide easy access to vital switch functions, such access is much more easily restricted via a web browser and modern web server.

Another advantage of the present invention is its use of reusable configuration objects. Due to object technology such as ActiveX (Microsoft) and Java Beans (Sun), many existing components already exist that can easily be combined together to build and enhance configuration capabilities.

Further, the Web paradigm offers random access to configuration data as opposed to the typical sequential access of GUI's and ASCII based programs.

Other advantages include the ability embedded within the system to link to other related sites (e. g., to MS web site for help), the seamless integration to other Web based configuration or administration facilities such as those of the web server itself, and the availability of an automated audit trail of who logged in, when, and from where, and what web pages the user accessed, via the built-in feature of server.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it is to be understood that the embodiments described are illustrative only and the scope of the invention is to be defined solely by the appended claims when accorded a full range of equivalence, many variations and modifications naturally occurring to those of skill in the art from a perusal hereof.