Establishing call-based audio sockets within a componentized voice server

A machine-readable storage having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections, said code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

• receiving a call;
• initializing a voice server to handle the call;
• establishing at least one audio socket in a media converting component of the voice server for interfacing the voice server with an external speech engine, said at least one audio socket remaining available for approximately a duration of the call;
• detecting a work unit of said call that requires processing by an external speech engine;
• conveying an identifier for the audio socket and data relating to the work unit to a selected external speech engine;
• and
• receiving work unit results from the selected external speech engine via the at least one audio socket.

A system for establishing call-based audio sockets within a voice server for communicating with speech engines, the system comprising:

• at least one input for receiving a call from a telephone gateway;
• and
• at least one computer capable of processing the call received from the at least one input, the at least one computer configured to implement:
• initializing the voice server to handle the call;
• establishing at least one audio socket in a media converting component of the voice server for interfacing the voice server with at least one speech engine, the at least one audio socket remaining available for approximately a duration of the call;
• detecting a work unit of the call that requires processing by a speech engine from the at least one speech engine;
• conveying an identifier for the at least one audio socket and data relating to the work unit to the speech engine;
• and
• receiving work unit results from the speech engine via the at least one audio socket.