Integrating messaging server directory service with a communication system voice mail message interface

• US 20060177025A1
• Filed: 02/07/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Adomo, Inc. (Avaya Incorporated)
• Inventors: Frifeldt, Heine, Forney, David, Shaffer, Anthony, Potze, Willem R.B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,330,537 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 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4509 Unified messaging with single point of access to voicemail and other mail or messaging systems unified messaging in packet switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal

Abstract

An integrated messaging system for performing various types of messaging across different types of networks, including integrated user interfaces and administrator interfaces. Embodiments include a communication server that couples among networks of different types, and an interface module that couples to the communication server. The interface module may be hosted on a messaging server of a network. The interface module pulls various user information from the messaging server, including information relevant to at least the network that includes the messaging server. A cache couples to the communication server and to the interface module to hold information from the communication server and/or the user information pulled from messaging server. The interface module directs a message from the messaging server and/or the cache to at least one device on the networks using the user information.

Claims

1. An integrated messaging system, comprising:

a messaging communication server (MCS) coupled to multiple networks of different types; and

an interface module coupling the mobile communication server to a first type of network, wherein the first type of network includes a groupware application and a directory service, wherein the MCS performs messaging of a second type, including storing and accessing information particular to the second type in the directory service and wherein the messaging of the second type is independent of the first type of network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first type of network includes an enterprise email network, and wherein the second type of messaging includes voice mail messaging.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the information particular to the second type of messaging includes voice mail user attributes and voice mail message information.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the voice mail user attributes include levels of telephone and VM service, whether a user is enabled to access the MCS to use a voice mail system, the user'"'"'s phone extension, whether the user'"'"'s VM notification is enabled, whether an auto attendant is enabled for a user'"'"'s phone number, and whether an active greeting is on.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the voice mail user attributes include data specific to a user of a voice mail system hosted by the MCS, and wherein the user attributes are relatively small and are changed relatively infrequently.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the voice mail message information includes data of indefinite length, including stored voice messages and one or more recorded greetings.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the voice mail user attributes are stored in the directory service, and wherein the voice mail message information is stored on an email database of the enterprise email network.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the voice mail user attributes are stored in the directory service, and are used to access the voice message information that is stored in a database of the groupware application.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the voice mail user attributes are stored in a schema of the directory service, and wherein the interface module receives a voice mail-related request from the user and directs the request to the voice mail user attributes in the schema in a manner customary for an email-related request within the enterprise email network.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the voice mail user attributes are stored in a schema of the directory service by extending the schema.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein all the voice mail user attributes are stored in a custom attribute of the directory service.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the voice mail related request includes a request to access the voice mail message information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the voice mail user attributes include data that points to a location of the voice mail message information in the database.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more recorded greetings are stored in the email database as an attachment to a specific hidden email message.

15. A communication method, comprising:

performing voice applications within an enterprise network, including telephony applications;

coupling to a plurality of network types to perform the voice applications, including the enterprise network, and a conventional telephone network;

using a groupware application of the enterprise network to store and access information specific to the voice applications; and

accessing the information to perform the voice applications, including using a network external to the enterprise network.

16. The communication method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of network types further include wired and wireless and wireless networks and the Internet.

17. The communication method of claim 15, wherein the voice applications include a voice mail (VM) application for voice mail messaging, and wherein storing information specific to the voice applications includes storing VM user data that is particular to VM users, and storing VM message information that includes VM messages.

18. The communication method of claim 17, wherein storing includes storing the VM user data in a directory service of the enterprise network.

19. The communication method of claim 17, wherein storing includes storing the VM message information in a database of the groupware application.

20. The communication method of claim 17, wherein storing includes storing the VM message information in an email database of the groupware application.

21. The communication method of claim 17, wherein storing includes storing the VM user data in a directory service of the enterprise network that also stores email user data, and storing the VM message information in an email database of the groupware application.

22. The communication method of claim 17, further comprising performing a voice mail application function, including:

receiving a request from a VM user to access the VM message information;

looking up the VM user data for the user;

determining a location of a user VM mailbox from the VM user data; and

accessing the VM message information in the VM mailbox.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the request includes a request to retrieve one or more VM messages.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the request includes a request to record an outgoing voice message.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the request includes a request to delete a voice message.

26. The communication method of claim 17, further comprising performing a voice mail application function, including:

receiving a call from a caller for a VM;

determining that the user does not answer;

looking up the VM user data for the user;

determining a location of a user VM mailbox from the VM user data;

accessing the VM message information in the VM mailbox;

retrieving a recorded greeting; and

playing the recorded greeting to the caller.

27. The communication method of claim 18, wherein the storing further includes storing the VM user data in an attribute of a user object in the directory service.

28. The communication method of claim 18, wherein the storing further includes storing the VM user data in multiple attributes in an extended schema of the directory service.

29. The communication method of claim 19, wherein the storing further includes storing the VM message data in an email database of the groupware application, including storing recorded greeting in a hidden message in a user mailbox.

30. A voice messaging method, comprising:

receiving a request to access enterprise voice mail applications in an enterprise;

accessing voice mail user attributes specific to the user in a directory service of an enterprise groupware application;

accessing user voice mail message information in a database of the groupware application; and

using at least one of the voice mail user attributes to perform a voice mail function.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the voice mail functions include:

recording a caller voice message left for the user and storing the caller voice message as voice mail message information on the database; and

playing a recorded greeting for a caller, including fetching the recorded greeting stored as voice mail message information on the database.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the voice mail user attributes include an email mailbox number.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

using the email mailbox number to access a hidden email message stored as voice mail message information on the database;

retrieving the recorded greeting as an attachment to the hidden message.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the voice mail functions include:

receiving a user request for access to a user voice mail mailbox stored as voice mail message information in an email database of the groupware application;

accessing voice mail user attributes specific to the user in a directory service of the enterprise groupware application to determine a location of the user'"'"'s email mailbox; and

accessing the user'"'"'s email mailbox to retrieve voice mail information for the user.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the voice mail user attributes are stored in a custom attribute.