Peter Clarke

Abstract

Communication is one of the most fundamental functions of business, government, and society at large. Lately, the convergence of data, voice, and multimedia over digital networks coupled with the continuous improvement in network capacity and reliability has enabled a wide range of communication applications such as VoiceIP technology, voice, video, and multimedia conferencing. Today's communication tools are developed on an ad-hoc basis with limited separation between application needs and logic, device types, and underlying networks. These complex dependencies on one another result in high costs and lengthy development cycles. Such vertically developed systems typically have fixed functionality and interfaces that do not interoperate with each other due to differences in design, architecture, API, and network/device assumptions. It is difficult to adapt the systems to fit the evolution in user needs, underlying network dynamics, and related hardware technology. Users, particularly sophisticated domain specific users, are forced to hop between tools to satisfy their communication needs. Also, a fragmented development approach poses major challenges in integration and in providing integrated communication solutions. Lastly, it hinders the development of new communication tools, particularly for domain specific applications (e.g., telemedicine), because of the complexity, cost, and lengthy cycle required of vertical development.The invention of the Communication Virtual Machine (CVM) is a software technology, which includes a new concept, process, and design for conceiving, synthesizing, and delivering digital communication solutions across application domains. In addition, CVM provides a new means of rich multimedia information exchange. This model-driven process can deliver tailor-made applications to fit users’ communication needs: 1) a domain expert elicits communication requirements; 2) the expert defines the needs as a model in CVM as a communication schema; 3) end users have the option to load and further modify the schema to satisfy their needs; and 4) communication is ready to begin. With this fully-automated, model-driven process, a sophisticated communication model can be built in terms of hours or days, rather than months or years needed for designing and implementing a major communication application. CVM technology eliminates the need for system development in order to fulfill the need of a new communication services or applications – it dramatically reduces the cost and time (from concept to market or time to user). It also provides superior advantage of platform flexibility and adaptivity.

Benefit

Cost-effective & time-efficient communication software developmentFaster development, ease of use, reusable, and reliableSynchronous & Asynchronous communication modesNetwork and Device IndependentPlug-n-Play & Internet deployable

Market Application

An immediate application of CVM is in telemedicine by supporting healthcare communication and information exchange. Other applications include disaster management, defense communication, banking & financing, and any other industry sector that requires sophisticated communication needs. CVM has a promising application as a general communication tool for enterprises such as universities and middle-to-large-sized companies.