Methods and systems for organizing related communications

• US 20050108316A1
• Filed: 11/18/2003
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Parolkar, Satish Jaganeth, Cantu, Diana Maria
• Application Number:
  US10/716,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108316A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Related communications are organized in one or more databases even though communications may originate from different devices (e.g., facsimile machines, telephone voicemail systems, etc . . . ). Once organized, the communications are easily retrieved. Extensible mark-up language (“XML”) based messages, using substantially the same Document Type Definition (“DTD”), associated with the communications are exchanged between a mediation web server and one or more client web servers to allow communications in diverse formats to be exchanged and compared to previously stored messages to determine if they are related and stored in one or more appropriate databases.

Claims

1. A method for organizing related communications in one or more databases comprising:

receiving at least one XML-based message from at least one of many, different communication devices;

comparing one or more XML tags within the at least one XML-based message to one or more references, wherein each reference is associated with one or more previous messages;

selecting a reference that most closely matches one or more of the XML tags;

converting the received message into a converted message having a format associated with at least one database associated with the matching reference; and

forwarding the converted message to the associated database.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the received message and a previous message corresponding to the selected reference are substantially related to one another.

3. The method as in claim 1, further comprising enabling a telecommunications service that organizes related communications in one or more databases.

4. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

converting a next message into a same format as the converted message when the next message has one or more XML tags that match the XML tags of a previous message; and

forwarding the next, converted message to a database associated with the converted message.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the at least one received XML-based message comprises a Document Type Definition (“

DTD”

) which substantially takes the form of;

<

!DOCTYPE GDS [ <

!ELEMENT Correspondence (Envelope+,CallHistory+)>

<

!ELEMENT Envelope (Sender, Receiver, Subject, ReceiptDate, Content, ContentType)>

<

!ELEMENT CallHistory (ContactDate,AgentComments)>

<

!ELEMENT Sender (#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT Receiver(#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT Subject(#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT ReceiptDate (#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT Content (#PCDATA)>

<

!ATTLIST ContentType CType CDATA #REQUIRED>

]>

6. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

selecting an initial database when no reference most closely matches one or more of the XML tags of the received message;

converting the received message into a format corresponding to the selected, initial database; and

forwarding the converted message to the selected, initial database.

7. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding an XML-based message comprising a DTD which substantially takes the form of;

<

!DOCTYPE GDS [<

!ELEMENT Correspondence (Envelope+,CallHistory+)>

<

!ELEMENT Envelope (Sender, Receiver, Subject, ReceiptDate, Content,ContentType)>

<

!ELEMENT CallHistory (ContactDate,AgentComments)>

<

!ELEMENT Sender (#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT Receiver(#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT Subject(#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT ReceiptDate (#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT Content (#PCDATA)>

<

!ATTLIST ContentType CType CDATA #REQUIRED>

]>

to at least one of the many, different communication devices.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the different communication devices are selected from the group consisting of a voicemail server, a facsimile server, an email server, and a web server.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the database format is selected from the group consisting of Oracle, Sybase, MySQL, MsQL, and DB2.

10. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding a responsive XML-based message comprising a DTD which substantially takes the form of

<

!DOCTYPE GDS [<

!ELEMENT Correspondence (Envelope+,CallHistory+)>

<

!ELEMENT Envelope (Sender, Receiver, Subject, ReceiptDate, Content,ContentType)>

<

!ELEMENT CallHistory (ContactDate,AgentComments)>

<

!ELEMENT Sender (#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT Receiver(#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT Subject(#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT ReceiptDate (#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT Content (#PCDATA)>

<

!ATTLIST ContentType CType CDATA #REQUIRED>

]>

to a mediation web server.

11. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding a confirmation message to at least one of the group consisting of a customer agent and a customer.

12. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding certain types of related messages to a customer agent, wherein the message types are selected from the group consisting of voicemail, facsimile, email and Internet messages.

13. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving at least one XML-based message from a customer agent;

comparing one or more XML tags within the at least one XML-based message to one or more references, wherein each of the one or more references is associated with one or more previous messages;

selecting a reference that most closely matches one or more of the XML tags;

converting the received message into a converted message having a format associated with the matching reference; and

forwarding the converted message to the associated database.

14. A system for organizing related communications in one or more databases, the system comprising:

a mediation web server operable to;

receive at least one XML-based message from at least one of many, different communication devices;

compare one or more XML tags within the message to one or more references, wherein each reference is associated with one or more previous messages;

select a reference that most closely matches one or more of the XML tags;

convert the received message into a format associated with at least one database associated with the matching reference; and

forward the converted message to the associated database.

15. The system as in claim 14, wherein the received message and a previous message corresponding to the selected reference are substantially related to one another.

16. The system as in claim 14, wherein the web server is further operable to enable a telecommunications service that organizes related communications in one or more databases.

17. The system as in claim 14, wherein the web server is further operable to:

convert a next message into a same format as a previously converted message when the next message'"'"'s one or more XML tags match the XML tags of a previous message; and

forward the next, converted message to a same database associated with the previously converted message.

18. The system as in claim 14, wherein the at least one received XML-based message comprises a Document Type Definition (“

DTD”

) which substantially takes the form of;

<

!DOCTYPE GDS [ <

!ELEMENT Correspondence (Envelope+,CallHistory+)>

<

!ELEMENT Envelope (Sender, Receiver, Subject, ReceiptDate, Content, ContentType)>

<

!ELEMENT CallHistory (ContactDate,AgentComments)>

<

!ELEMENT Sender (#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT Receiver(#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT Subject(#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT ReceiptDate (#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT Content (#PCDATA)>

<

!ATTLIST ContentType CType CDATA #REQUIRED>

]>

19. The system as in claim 14, wherein the web server is further operable to:

select an initial database when no reference most closely matches one or more of the XML tags of the received message;

convert the received message into a format corresponding to the selected, initial database; and

forward the converted message to the selected, initial database.

20. The system as in claim 14, wherein the web server is further operable to:

forward an XML-based message comprising a Document Type Definition (“

DTD”

) which substantially takes the form of;

<

!DOCTYPE GDS [<

!ELEMENT Correspondence (Envelope+,CallHistory+)>

<

!ELEMENT Envelope (Sender, Receiver, Subject, ReceiptDate, Content,ContentType)>

<

!ELEMENT CallHistory (ContactDate,AgentComments)>

<

!ELEMENT Sender (#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT Receiver(#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT Subject(#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT ReceiptDate (#PCDATA)>

<

!ELEMENT Content (#PCDATA)>

<

!ATTLIST ContentType CType CDATA #REQUIRED>

]>

to at least one of the many, different communications devices.

21. The system as in claim 14 wherein the database format is selected from the group consisting of Oracle, Sybase and MySQL, MsQL, DB2.

22. The system as in claim 14 further comprising:

at least one communications control device responsive to the mediation web server, the communication control device operable to forward a responsive XML-based message comprising a Document Type Definition.

23. The system as in claim 22, wherein the communication control device is selected from the group consisting of a voicemail server, a facsimile server, an email server, and a web server.

24. The system as in claim 14 wherein the web server is further operable to forward a confirmation message to at least one of the group consisting of a customer agent and a customer.

25. The system as in claim 14 wherein the web server is further operable to forward certain types of related messages to a customer agent, wherein the message types are selected from the group consisting of voicemail, facsimile, email and Internet messages.

26. The system as in claim 14 wherein the web server is further operable to:

receive at least one XML-based message from a customer agent;

compare one or more tags within the message to one or more references, wherein each reference is associated with one or more previous messages;

select a reference that most closely matches one or more of the XML tags;

convert the received message into a format associated with the matching reference; and

forward the converted message to the associated database.