Agent architecture employed within an integrated message, document and communication system

• US 20050060638A1
• Filed: 07/12/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Catalyst Web Services LLC
• Original Assignee: Catalyst Web Services LLC
• Inventors: Mathew, Boban, John, Thomas, Evans, Dagny
• Granted Patent: US 7,484,213 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/255
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

A system is described for managing messages, communications and/or documents comprising: a plurality of task agents, each task agent to perform one or more specified message processing actions, document processing actions, and/or communications processing actions on different types of messages, documents and/or communication channels, respectively; and one or more manager agents to coordinate the actions of the plurality of task agents responsive to a plurality of message and/or document processing rules.

Claims

1. A system for managing messages, communications and/or documents comprising:

a plurality of task agents, each task agent to perform one or more specified message processing actions, document processing actions, and/or communications processing actions on different types of messages, documents and/or communication channels, respectively; and

one or more manager agents to coordinate the actions of the plurality of task agents responsive to a plurality of message and/or document processing rules.

2. The system as in claim 1 wherein the plurality of task agents include both electronic messaging task agents for processing electronic message types and telephony task agents for processing telephony communications and messaging.

3. The system as in claim 2 wherein the electronic messaging task agents include task agents for processing email messages, instant messages and text messages.

4. The system as in claim 2 wherein the telephony task agents include telephony task agents for processing standard PSTN, voice-over-IP (“

VoIP”

) calls, voice messages, and faxes.

5. The system as in claim 1 wherein the manager agents are arranged in a hierarchy with certain specified manager agents positioned relatively higher in the hierarchy coordinate management activities of other manager agents positioned relatively lower in the hierarchy.

6. The system as in claim 5 wherein the manager and task agents communicate by passing messages.

7. The system as in claim 6 wherein the manager and task agents employ Internet sockets to pass messages.

8. The system as in claim 6 wherein messages between any two task or manager agents are transmitted through one or more manager agents positioned relatively further up the hierarchy.

9. The system as in claim 1 wherein the task and manager agents are distributed across multiple computers according to the functions performed by the task and manager agents.

10. The system as in claim 5 further comprising a main task manager agent to coordinate all other manager agents and associated task agents.

11. The system as in claim 1 further comprising interfaces configured on one or more of the manager agents for receiving requests to perform specified message and/or document processing functions and wherein, depending on the nature of the request, a task is initiated on one or more task agents coordinated by the manager agent.

12. A method for managing messages, documents and/or communication channels comprising:

providing a plurality of task agents, each task agent to perform one or more specified message processing actions, document processing actions, and/or communications processing actions on different types of messages, documents and/or communication channels, respectively; and

providing one or more manager agents to coordinate the actions of the plurality of task agents responsive to a plurality of message, document, and/or communication channel processing rules.

13. The method as in claim 12 wherein the plurality of task agents include both electronic messaging task agents for processing electronic message types and telephony task agents for processing telephony communications and messaging.

14. The method as in claim 13 wherein the electronic messaging task agents include task agents for processing email messages, instant messages and text messages.

15. The method as in claim 13 wherein the telephony task agents include telephony task agents for processing standard PSTN calls, voice-over-IP (“

VoIP”

) calls, voice messages, and faxes.

16. The method as in claim 12 further comprising:

arranging the manager agents in a hierarchy with certain specified manager agents positioned relatively higher in the hierarchy coordinate management activities of other manager agents positioned relatively lower in the hierarchy.

17. The method as in claim 16 wherein the manager and task agents communicate by passing messages.

18. The method as in claim 17 wherein the manager and task agents employ Internet sockets to pass messages.

19. The method as in claim 17 wherein messages between any two task or manager agents are transmitted through one or more manager agents positioned relatively further up the hierarchy.

20. The method as in claim 12 further comprising:

distributing the task and manager agents across multiple computers according to the functions performed by the task and manager agents.

21. The method as in claim 16 further comprising coordinating all other manager agents and associated task agents through a main task manager agent.

22. The method as in claim 12 further comprising:

receiving requests to perform specified message and/or document processing functions at interfaces on one or more of the manager agents; and

initiating a task on one or more of the task agents coordinated by the manager agent depending on the nature of the request.

23. An article of manufacture including program code which, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform the operations of:

providing a plurality of task agents, each task agent to perform one or more specified message processing actions, document processing actions, and/or communications processing actions on different types of messages, documents and/or communication channels, respectively; and

providing one or more manager agents to coordinate the actions of the plurality of task agents responsive to a plurality of message, document, and/or communication channel processing rules.

24. The article of manufacture as in claim 23 wherein the plurality of task agents include both electronic messaging task agents for processing electronic message types and telephony task agents for processing telephony communications and messaging.

25. The article of manufacture as in claim 24 wherein the electronic messaging task agents include task agents for processing email messages, instant messages and text messages.

26. The article of manufacture as in claim 24 wherein the telephony task agents include telephony task agents for processing standard PSTN, voice-over-IP (“

VoIP”

) calls, voice messages, and faxes.

27. The article of manufacture as in claim 23 further comprising program code to cause said machine to perform the operations of:

arranging the manager agents in a hierarchy with certain specified manager agents positioned relatively higher in the hierarchy coordinate management activities of other manager agents positioned relatively lower in the hierarchy.

28. The article of manufacture as in claim 27 wherein the manager and task agents communicate by passing messages.

29. The article of manufacture as in claim 28 wherein the manager and task agents employ Internet sockets to pass messages.

30. The article of manufacture as in claim 28 wherein messages between any two task or manager agents are transmitted through one or more manager agents positioned relatively further up the hierarchy.

31. The article of manufacture as in claim 23 further comprising program code to perform the operations of:

distributing the task and manager agents across multiple computers according to the functions performed by the task and manager agents.

32. The article of manufacture as in claim 27 further comprising program code to perform the operations of coordinating all other manager agents and associated task agents through a main task manager agent.

33. The article of manufacture as in claim 23 further comprising program code to perform the operations of:

receiving requests to perform specified message and/or document processing functions at interfaces on one or more of the manager agents; and

initiating a task on one or more of the task agents coordinated by the manager agent depending on the nature of the request.