System and method for message storage assurance in a geographically distributed voice messaging system

• US 20060002522A1
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Glenayre Electronics Incorporated (EDCI Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Glenayre Electronics Incorporated (EDCI Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lowman, Philip L., Bettis, Sonny R., Plotky, Jon S., Spencer, James H., Moraes, Ian M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,023 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.220
• 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 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

A voice messaging system comprises a common message store, a local data store located remotely from the common message store, and a media server. The media server is operable to receive a call directed to a number serviced by the media server, prompt the user for a voice message, direct the voice message to the local data store for temporary storage, notify the common message store that the voice message is present in the local data store, respond to a request to transfer the voice message to the common message store, and direct the local data store to erase the message upon receipt of a communication from the common message store that the voice message was successfully saved.

Claims

1. A method for voice message storage assurance, comprising:

polling a local data store co-located with a local voice mail system to determine if a voice message has been stored to the local data store;

notifying a common message store, located remotely from the local data store, when the voice message is present in the local data store;

transferring the voice message from the local data store to the common message store; and

waiting for a communication from the common message store of successful receipt of the voice message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein polling a local data store comprises using a message deposit application executed by a media server to generate a request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying a common message store comprises communicating with a document server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the voice message from the local data store comprises responding to a request from the common message store to forward a portion of the voice message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the voice message from the local data store comprises responding to a request from the common message store to forward metadata associated with the voice message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein waiting for a communication from the common message store comprises communicating with a document server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein waiting for a communication from the common message store comprises communicating with a message deposit application executed by a media server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein waiting for a communication from the common message store comprises receiving an alert from a document server.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

granting access to the stored voice message in the common message store to an originating subscriber communicatively coupled to the media server.

10. A voice messaging system having a geographically distributed architecture that provides voice message storage assurance, the voice messaging system comprising:

a common message store;

a local data store located remotely from the common message store; and

a media server communicatively coupled to the common message store and the local data store, the media server having an interface to a wide area network for receiving a call from a subscriber of the voice messaging system, the media server being operable to;

receive a call directed to a number serviced by the media server;

prompt the user for a voice message;

direct the voice message to the local data store for temporary storage;

notify the common message store that the voice message is present in the local data store using a sender process that provides a socket connection for an application;

respond to a request to transfer the voice message to the common message store; and

direct the local data store to erase the message upon receipt of a communication from the common message store that the voice message was successfully saved; and

a document server interposed between the media server and the common message store, the document server comprising;

a receiver communicatively coupled to the sender process and configured to retrieve message information and an attachment;

a unified message service coupled to the receiver and configured to save the message both in a message server and the common message store.

11. The voice messaging system of claim 10, wherein the receiver invokes the unified message service to generate a message compatible with a Java message service.

12. The voice messaging system of claim 10, wherein the message server provides persistent storage to the message information and related data in the attachment.

13. The voice messaging system of claim 10, wherein the message server provides asynchronous message delivery.

14. The voice messaging system of claim 10, wherein the message server is configured to ensure once-and-only-once delivery of the message to the common message store.

15. The voice messaging system of claim 10, wherein the message server is configured to delete the message when the message has been successfully delivered to the common message store.

16. The voice messaging system of claim 10, further comprising:

a message manager configured to acknowledge a message delivery status.

17. The voice messaging system of claim 10, further comprising:

a message manager configured to retry delivery when the message is not successfully saved to the common message store.

18. The voice messaging system of claim 10, wherein attachment content received by the receiver is delivered to the message server with header information as a Java message service compatible message.

19. The voice messaging service of claim 10, wherein attachment content received by the receiver is saved into a file and the name of the file and a message header are delivered to the message server.

20. The voice messaging service of claim 10, wherein the document server and the common message store are coupled via a layered service provider server, a first library, and a second library.