Defining a call control interface for browser-based integrations using representational state transfer

While integrating telephony call control signaling into a desktop application is not a new concept, the emergence of web browser-based applications drives the need for feature parity between desktop and browser-based telephony call control applications. Desktop call control applications typically have the advantage of being able to use local protocol stacks or API libraries. A browser-based application does not have the same capabilities by default, especially when running on a constrained device. Traditional telephony call control APIs and architectures do not currently lend themselves for use with web browser-based applications without requiring some form of download which is not desirable. Is it possible to design a call control interface that can be consumed in browser-based applications natively without requiring additional downloads? Representational State Transfer (REST) is a resource oriented architectural style which, when used with HTTP as a uniform interface offers the possibility to use an existing defined set of interfaces to manipulate state transitions for resources. We propose that the REST architectural style can be used with an identified interface design methodology to define an interface for telephony call control capable of being consumed by browser-based applications. Furthermore by utilizing existing industry standards as an example, we suggest that existing standards can be extended to support browser-based integrations using REST.