COMPUTER TELEPHONY SYSTEM USING MULTIPLE HARDWARE PLATFORMS TO PROVIDE TELEPHONY SERVICES

A computer telephony system includes a multi-platform architecture that provides a layer of abstraction between application software and hardware associated with a platform. According to this architecture, service modules residing on different platforms access computer telephony resources to facilitate performance of a variety of computer telephony services. Although local access to such resources is governed by diverse, platform-dependent protocols, the service modules communicate with one another according to a common, platform-independent protocol. In this manner, cross-platform communication is abstracted to isolate system software and firmware from hardware-based platform dependencies. Instead of threaded drivers creating a persistent, dedicated link with resources, communication can be accomplished via a common, platform-independent message packet protocol.