Method and apparatus for automatic notification and response based on communication flow expressions

• US 20030215067A1
• Filed: 06/26/2002
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Petsche, Thomas A., Ordille, Joann J., Wadler, Philip L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,436,947 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A disclosed notification and response system enables applications to communicate with recipients using a number of different media. The notification and response system (i) sends requests to one or more recipients, using the medium specified by each individual recipient; (ii) collects and processes responses; and (iii) forwards the responses to their final destination by means of the medium specified by the final destination. Applications frame requests in at least one supported human language and media format, and the request is delivered to the appropriate recipient(s), according to their preferences. Communication flow expressions specify the recipients for a given request, and how, when and where each recipient shall receive the request. Requests are dynamically updated, and the parameters of a communication flow expression are not evaluated, until the request is delivered. Communication flow rules specify recipient'"'"'s communication preferences and tailor communication flows to characteristics of the sender, the topic or scheduling constraints. Communication flow expressions are evaluated using a three-valued logic: notification failure (maybe), response failure (false) and response success (true). Primitives specify simultaneous or sequential contact, and when execution of the sub-expression should terminate by defining a logical combination of success test results.

Claims

1. A method for providing a message from a sender to at least one recipient in accordance with a communication flow having a plurality of potential paths, said method comprising:

receiving said message from said sender;

evaluating said communication flow, wherein said communication flow is controlled by a communication flow expression containing at least one primitive keyword indicating how said message should be processed; and

processing said message based on said communication flow expression.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said primitive keyword indicates that two specified operands, A and B, should be contacted simultaneously and that the communication flow expression will succeed if and only if both A and B respond successfully.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said primitive keyword indicates that for two specified operands, A and B, B should be contacted only if A responds successfully and that the communication flow expression will succeed if and only if both A and B respond successfully.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said primitive keyword indicates that two specified operands, A and B, should be contacted simultaneously and that the communication flow expression will succeed as long as either A or B respond successfully.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said primitive keyword indicates that for two specified operands, A and B, B should be contacted only if the attempt to contact A is a failure and that the communication flow expression will succeed if either A or B responds successfully.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said primitive keyword indicates that two specified operands, A and B, should be contacted simultaneously and that the communication flow expression shall have a value of the first contact to respond.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said primitive keyword indicates that for two specified operands, A and B, B should be contacted only if the attempt to contact A is a failure and that the communication flow expression shall have a value of the first non-maybe response.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said primitive keyword indicates that recipients should be contacted simultaneously and that the communication flow expression will succeed if a certain threshold of success responses is received.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said primitive keyword indicates that recipients should be contacted sequentially and that the communication flow expression will succeed if a certain threshold of success responses is received.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said primitive keyword indicates that recipients should be contacted in parallel.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of canceling outstanding requests when said outstanding requests are complete.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said primitive keyword indicates that recipients should be contacted sequentially.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said primitive keyword indicates that one or more potential operand values should be reversed.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication flow expression is evaluated using a three-valued logic.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said three possible logic values are notification failure (maybe), response failure (false) and response success (true).

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication flow expression includes a success test indicating when said communication flow expression should terminate.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said success test specifies a three-valued logical expression on the variables that may be included in the response received from said at least one recipient.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said success test can perform aggregation and process said responses over all the responses received.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication flow expression permits a matter to be escalated to a next level and cancels pending messages associated with a current level prior to said escalation.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication flow expression permits a matter to be escalated to a next level and maintains pending messages associated with a current level prior to said escalation.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication flow expression define the preferences of said sender and said at least one recipient.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication flow expression is evaluated at the time of delivery to said at least one recipient.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication flow expression references a communication flow rule defined by said at least one recipient, wherein said communication flow rule can adjust said communication flow to characteristics of said sender.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication flow expression references a communication flow rule defined by said at least one recipient, wherein said communication flow rule can adjust said communication flow to characteristics of said message.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication flow expression indicates one or more actions to perform if said at least one recipient does not respond to said message.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication flow expression allows said at least one recipient to delegate said message to another recipient.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication flow expression allows said at least one recipient to delegate said message to another recipient after reading said message.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication flow expression indicates preferences of said at least one recipient using temporal constraints

29. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication flow expression indicates preferences of said at least one recipient using temporal domains.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication flow expression notifies one or more designated persons in the event of an emergency.

31. A method for providing a message from a sender to at least one recipient in accordance with a communication flow having a plurality of potential paths, said method comprising:

receiving said message from said sender;

evaluating said communication flow, wherein said communication flow is controlled by a communication flow expression indicating how said message should be processed, wherein said communication flow expression is evaluated using a three-valued logic; and

processing said message based on said communication flow expression.

32. A system for providing a message from a sender to at least one recipient in accordance with a communication flow having a plurality of potential paths, said system comprising:

a memory that stores computer-readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to implement said computer-readable code, said computer-readable code configured to;

receive said message from said sender;

evaluate said communication flow, wherein said communication flow is controlled by a communication flow expression containing at least one primitive keyword indicating how said message should be processed; and

process said message based on said communication flow expression.

33. A system for providing a message from a sender to at least one recipient in accordance with a communication flow having a plurality of potential paths, said system comprising:

a memory that stores computer-readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to implement said computer-readable code, said computer-readable code configured to;

receive said message from said sender;

evaluate said communication flow, wherein said communication flow is controlled by a communication flow expression indicating how said message should be processed, wherein said communication flow expression is evaluated using a three-valued logic; and

process said message based on said communication flow expression.

34. A system for providing a message from a sender to at least one recipient in accordance with a communication flow having a plurality of potential paths, said system comprising:

means for receiving said message from said sender;

means for evaluating said communication flow, wherein said communication flow is controlled by a communication flow expression containing at least one primitive keyword indicating how said message should be processed; and

means for processing said message based on said communication flow expression.

35. The system of claim 34, further comprising means for evaluating said communication flow expression using a three-valued logic.

36. An article of manufacture for providing a message from a sender to at least one recipient in accordance with a communication flow having a plurality of potential paths, said article of manufacture comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;

a step to receive said message from said sender;

a step to evaluate said communication flow, wherein said communication flow is controlled by a communication flow expression containing at least one primitive keyword indicating how said message should be processed; and

a step to process said message based on said communication flow expression.

37. The article of manufacture of claim 36, wherein said computer readable program code means further comprises a step to evaluate said communication flow expression using a three-valued logic.