Relaying of message waiting indications to support distributed telephony networks

• US 20050278436A1
• Filed: 04/03/2002
• Published: 12/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tasker, Michael E., Sharma, Anil, Inampudi, Kishore
• Granted Patent: US 7,640,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/009 in systems involving PBX or KTS networks

Abstract

In a telephony system have management of telephony devices distributed among multiple call management devices, the call management devices use call redirection and relaying of message waiting indications to provide voicemail services to the telephony devices using a centralized voicemail server.

Claims

1. A method for supporting centralized voicemail services in a distributed telephony system, the method comprising:

receiving a message waiting indication from a voicemail server, the message waiting indication identifying a telephony device;

determining whether the telephony device is locally managed; and

if not locally managed, determining a call management device managing the telephony device and relaying the message waiting indication to the call management device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to receiving the message waiting indication, receiving a registration message from the call management device, the registration message identifying the telephony device and an address for the call management device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the registration message uses session initiation protocol (SIP) event subscription.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to receiving the message waiting indication, receiving a call redirect request from the call management device, the call redirect request identifying a call from a remote device to the telephony device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the telephony device is locally managed:

determining an internet protocol (IP) address for the telephony device; and

communicating a message waiting signal to the telephony device using the IP address.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein relaying the message waiting indication comprises generating a session initiation protocol (SIP) notification identifying the telephony device and communicating the SIP notification to the call management device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the call management device managing the telephony device comprises accessing a memory mapping digits assigned to the telephony device to an internet protocol (IP) address assigned to the call management device.

8. A call management device comprising:

a controller operable to receive a message waiting indication from a voicemail server, the message waiting indication identifying a telephony device, and to determine whether the telephony device is locally managed, the controller further operable, if the telephony device is not locally managed, to determine a remote call management device managing the telephony device and to relay the message waiting indication to the remote call management device.

9. The call management device of claim 8, further comprising a wide area network (WAN) interface operable to receive a registration message from the remote call management device, the registration message identifying the telephony device and an address for the remote call management device.

10. The call management device of claim 9, wherein the registration message uses session initiation protocol (SIP) event subscription.

11. The call management device of claim 9, further comprising a memory operable to maintain an association between the telephony device and the address for the remote call management device in response to the registration message.

12. The call management device of claim 8, wherein the controller is further operable, prior to receiving the message waiting indication, to receive a call redirect request from the remote call management device, the call redirect request identifying a call from a remote device to the telephony device.

13. The call management device of claim 8, wherein:

the controller is further operable, if the telephony device is locally managed, to determine an internet protocol (IP) address for the telephony device; and

the call management device further comprising a local area network (LAN) interface operable to communicate a message waiting signal to the telephony device using the IP address.

14. The call management device of claim 8, wherein the controller is further operable to relay the message waiting indication by generating a session initiation protocol (SIP) notification identifying the telephony device and communicating the SIP notification to the call management device.

15. The call management device of claim 8, further comprising a memory mapping digits assigned to the telephony device to an internet protocol (IP) address assigned to the remote call management device, and wherein the controller is further operable to determine the remote call management device managing the telephony device by accessing the memory.

16. Logic for supporting centralized voicemail services in a distributed telephony system, the logic encoded in media and operable when executed to:

receive a message waiting indication from a voicemail server, the message waiting indication identifying a telephony device;

determine whether the telephony device is locally managed; and

if not locally managed, determine a call management device managing the telephony device and relay the message waiting indication to the call management device.

17. The logic of claim 16, further operable, prior to receiving the message waiting indication, to receive a registration message from the call management device, the registration message identifying the telephony device and an address for the call management device.

18. The logic of claim 17, wherein the registration message uses session initiation protocol (SIP) event subscription.

19. The logic of claim 16, further operable, prior to receiving the message waiting indication, to receive a call redirect request from the call management device, the call redirect request identifying a call from a remote device to the telephony device.

20. The logic of claim 16, further operable, if the telephony device is locally managed, to:

determine an internet protocol (IP) address for the telephony device; and

communicate a message waiting signal to the telephony device using the IP address.

21. The logic of claim, 16, further operable to relaying the message waiting indication by generating a session initiation protocol (SIP) notification identifying the telephony device and communicating the SIP notification to the call management device.

22. The logic of claim 16, further operable to determine the call management device managing the telephony device by accessing a memory mapping digits assigned to the telephony device to an internet protocol (IP) address assigned to the call management device.

23. A call management device comprising:

means for receiving a message waiting indication from a voicemail server, the message waiting indication identifying a telephony device;

means for determining whether the telephony device is locally managed; and

means for if not locally managed, determining a call management device managing the telephony device and relaying the message waiting indication to the call management device.

24. A method for supporting centralized voicemail services in a distributed telephony system, the method comprising:

receiving a registration message from a call management device, the registration message identifying a telephony device and an address for the call management device;

storing an association between the telephony device and the address for the call management device;

receiving a call redirect request from the call management device, the call redirect request identifying a call from a remote device to the telephony device;

redirecting the call to a voicemail server;

receiving a message waiting indication from the voicemail server, the message waiting indication identifying the telephony device;

accessing the memory to identify the association and to determine the address of the call management device; and

relaying the message waiting indication to the call management device.