UNIVERSAL MAILBOX
First Claim
1. A mailbox in a telecommunications system comprising:
- means for receiving information from a caller in a caller format;
means for sending the information to a subscriber in a first subscriber format independent of the caller format;
means for receiving a response from the subscriber in a second subscriber format independent of the caller format and the first subscriber format; and
means for sending the response to the caller in the caller format.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A messaging center, connected to a communications network, processes messages intended for a subscriber. A caller sends a message to the message center in a first caller format. The message center stores the message in the first caller format, notifies the subscriber, and awaits a request for the stored message from the subscriber. In response to the message request, the message center sends the stored message to the subscriber in a first subscriber format independent of the first caller format. If the subscriber desires, the subscriber constructs a response to the message and sends it to the message center in a second subscriber format independent of the first caller format and the first subscriber format. The message center stores the response in the second subscriber format and sends the stored response to the caller in a second caller format independent of the first caller format and the first and second subscriber formats.
32 Citations
43 Claims
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1. A mailbox in a telecommunications system comprising:
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means for receiving information from a caller in a caller format;
means for sending the information to a subscriber in a first subscriber format independent of the caller format;
means for receiving a response from the subscriber in a second subscriber format independent of the caller format and the first subscriber format; and
means for sending the response to the caller in the caller format. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for exchanging information of different formats, comprising the steps of:
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receiving information from a caller in a caller format;
sending the information to a subscriber in a first subscriber format independent of the caller format;
receiving a response from the subscriber in a second subscriber format independent of the caller format and the first subscriber format; and
sending the response to the caller in the caller format. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An information processing system comprising:
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means for receiving information in a caller format from a caller using caller equipment;
means for storing the information in the caller format in a mailbox belonging to a subscriber;
means for determining a first subscriber format from a normal type of equipment used by the subscriber to retrieve information from the subscriber mailbox;
means for converting the stored information from the caller format to the first subscriber format if the caller format is different than the first subscriber format;
means for receiving a request from the subscriber to retrieve the stored information from the subscriber mailbox;
means for detecting a type of equipment used by the subscriber to send the request;
means for converting the stored information to a second subscriber format when the detected type of equipment is different than the caller equipment and the normal type of equipment; and
means for sending the stored information to the subscriber in the second subscriber format when the detected type of equipment is different than the caller equipment and the normal type of equipment. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method for relaying information of different formats, comprising the steps of:
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receiving information in a caller format from a caller using caller equipment;
storing the information in the caller format in a mailbox belonging to a subscriber;
determining a first subscriber format from a normal type of equipment used by the subscriber to retrieve information from the subscriber mailbox;
converting the stored information from the caller format to the first subscriber format if the caller format is different than the first subscriber format;
receiving a request from the subscriber to retrieve the stored information from the subscriber mailbox;
detecting a type of equipment used by the subscriber to send the request;
converting the stored information to a second subscriber format when the detected type of equipment is different than the caller equipment and the normal type of equipment; and
sending the stored information to the subscriber in the second subscriber format when the detected type of equipment is different than the caller equipment and the normal type of equipment. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A messaging center comprising:
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means for receiving a message from a caller in a first caller format;
means for notifying a subscriber of the received message;
means for storing the message in the first caller format;
means for receiving a request for the stored message from the subscriber;
means for sending the stored message to the subscriber in a first subscriber format independent of the first caller format;
means for receiving a response to the message from the subscriber in a second subscriber format independent of the first caller format and the first subscriber format;
means for storing the response in the second subscriber format; and
means for sending the stored response to the caller in a second caller format independent of the first caller format and the first and second subscriber formats. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method for exchanging messages in different formats, comprising the steps of:
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receiving a message from a caller in a first caller format;
storing the message in the first caller format;
notifying a subscriber of the received message;
receiving a request for the stored message from the subscriber;
sending the stored message to the subscriber in a first subscriber format independent of the first caller format;
receiving a response to the message from the subscriber in a second subscriber format independent of the first caller format and the first subscriber format;
storing the response in the second subscriber format; and
sending the stored response to the caller in a second caller format independent of the first caller format and the first and second subscriber formats. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A network comprising:
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a plurality of subscriber equipment of different types;
caller equipment operated by a caller;
a communications medium connecting the subscriber equipment and the caller equipment; and
a mailbox connected to the communications medium and configured to receive messages from the caller equipment and to send the messages to the subscriber equipment, the mailbox comprising means for receiving a message from the caller in a first caller format, means for storing the message in the first caller format, means for receiving a request for the stored message from a subscriber operating one of the subscriber equipment, means for sending the stored message to the subscriber in a first subscriber format independent of the first caller format, means for receiving a response to the message from the subscriber in a second subscriber format independent of the first caller format and the first subscriber format, means for storing the response in the second subscriber format, and means for sending the stored response to the caller in a second caller format independent of the first caller format and the first and second subscriber formats.
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Specification