JTAPI Introduction

Welcome

JTAPI 1.3 is the latest release of the specification and was endorsed by the Enterprise Computer Telephony Forum on July 23, 1999. Please visit the (ECTF home page) for details on this endorsement.

This page is designed to provide a brief technical overview of JTAPI, a summary of changes from the JTAPI 1.2 release, a short history of JTAPI, and the JTAPI definition.   The complete JTAPI specifications are located at:

• JTAPI 1.2
• JTAPI 1.3

Overview

While this site refers you to implementations, you can only find the JTAPI specification in the form of Java^TM interfaces here.  The JTAPI interfaces are structured by use of Java ^TM packages, with a core package that expresses minimal JTAPI, atomic JTAPI, as it were and other packages that build upon those core features.  These feature packages take the core's simplistic model and extend and specialize it in some way that makes some aspect of the core interfaces better suited for a particular class of applications.  We will leave the details of how the packages extend the core to the documentation that you will find with each of the packages, however, the names of the packages should suffice to give a flavor of their purpose:

• CallControl
• CallCenter
• Media
• Mobile
• Phone
• PrivateData

The work of writing the JTAPI specification, a process that began in August of 1996, has been structured by a combination of ECTF operating procedures and (then) JavaSoft policies.  With the release of JTAPI 1.3, the Java^TM Community Process  defines the  new open process for designing Java^TM APIs. The the creation and release of JTAPI 2.0 will be fully under that process, with JTAPI 1.3 as a first step in that direction.
 

Changes

• The core package now has a listener event pattern in the style of JDK^TM 1.1+.  While observer event pattern has not been deprecated, prepare for that eventuality in JTAPI 2.0. The intent is to fully support the listener event pattern in all JTAPI packages in the JTAPI 2.0 release.

 
• The JTAPI 1.2 media package is now being replaced by the ECTF S.410 media specification.  The JTAPI 1.2 methods are deprecated.

 
• A mobile package is now available to address the special needs of mobile telephony.

 

History

After several draft releases, which were made available to licensees and to the public for review, the working group released version 1.0 of  the Java^TM Telephony API specification (JTAPI) on October 30, 1997. The working group was joined by IBM  for a follow-on  version. JTAPI version 1.1 was released January 31, 1997. JTAPI version 1.2 was released in February, 1998.

Following the release of JTAPI v1.1, other companies, who were members of the Enterprise Computer Telephony Forum (ECTF) , worked to help developed the specification, including Dialogic and Siemens.

Work was initiated on the new JTAPI media package (ECTF S.410) in February 1997.  The JTAPI mobile work began in September of 1997.  The two packages are being released for the first time in JTAPI 1.3.

Sun and ECTF are now working as "partner" on JTAPI.   The ECTF is now the lead organization developing JTAPI for developing JTAPI specification.  An important step in solidifying the partnership was the release of the Java^TM Community Process (JCP) by Sun in December 1998.  Starting with the JTAPI 2.0 release, ECTF will follow the JCP.
 

JTAPI Definition

Applications using the JTAPI interface include (but are not limited to):

• Call logging and tracking software
• Auto-dialing software
• Screen-based telephone applications
• Screen-pop software
• Call routing applications
• Automated attendants
• Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems
• Agent software
• Call center management software
• Fax send and receive
• Voicemail

• Individual telephone sets (both wired and wireless)
• PBXs and CT Servers based on circuit switching technology
• Elements of IP Telephony (and other packet voice networks) including  endpoints, gateways, media services servers, and call control implementations
• Computer platforms and software applications utilizing other call control (CTI) and media services APIs or protocols

JTAPI provides the following:

• Call Control

Call Control refers to control and observation of call processing (such as address translation, call setup, call tear down, call routing, supplementary services, and access to call associated information). This includes support for wired and wireless implementations ranging in complexity from the simplest call control features to the full suite of PBX/ACD call control functionality. In its simplest implementation, JTAPI  gives access to only a single telephony device (e.g. first party).  But, the specification applies equally well to  implementations which provide access spanning multiple devices (e.g. third party).

• Telephone Physical Device Control

Physical Device Control includes monitoring and control over one or more user interface elements of a telephone including: its display, buttons and lamps (real and virtual), auditory components, hook switches associated with physical telephone devices independent of call control functionality.
 

• Media Services for Telephony

Media Services includes manipulation and processing of the media streams associated with calls (including tone generation and detection, fax processing, recording and playback, text to speech, automatic speech recognition, etc.).
 

• Administrative Services for Telephony

Start-up, shut-down, and management (fault, configuration, accounting, performance and security) of telephony resources providing functionality through the JTAPI interface.

The scope of JTAPI corresponds to the top-most layer of interfaces defined by the ECTF architectural framework and encompasses the functionality of the call control (C.xxx), media services (S.xxx), and administrative services (M.xxx) areas. For further information, refer to the ECTF architectural framework (described in documents available at http://www.ectf.org/ectf/tech/tech.htm).
 
 

Please visit this site for updates to JTAPI 1.3 and documentation improvements. You can monitor and participate in JTAPI development activity by joining the 'jtapi-interest' alias and viewing its archives.

JTAPI specifications and related information.

Documentations and technical information about JTAPI.

JTAPI Overview
Main Overview & Core Package
Call Control Package Overview
Call Center Package Overview
Media Package Overview
Phone Package Overview

JTAPI background, data sheets, and informational material.

Press releases, announcements, and articles related to JTAPI.