Method and system for directly interconnecting a TDM PBX to a voice mail system

• US 20070127662A1
• Filed: 12/06/2005
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Morehead, Glen
• Granted Patent: US 7,613,279 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/198
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53308 Message originator indirectly connected to the message centre, e.g. after detection of busy or absent state of a called party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308

Abstract

A method is presented for routing a call from a PBX to a voice mailbox on a communication platform wherein a call is received from an originating device at the PBX and the PBX is associated with a voice mail box on a communication platform. A redirecting number associated with the PBX is assigned to an ISDN message set-up string. The call is forwarded to the communication platform along with the ISDN set-up string information. After verification against a subscriber database, the forwarded call, including related ISDN information is delivered to the communication platform voice mail box server for storage and further processing. The redirecting number may represent the voice mail box identifier, and for increased security and privacy, the voice mail box may be different from the number for the PBX extension from which the voice and data messages are received.

Claims

1. A method of routing a call from a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) to a voice mailbox on a communication platform, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a call from an originating device at the PBX, wherein the PBX is associated with a voice mail box on a communication platform;

(b) assigning a redirecting number associated with the PBX to an ISDN message set-up string;

(c) forwarding the call to the communication platform; and

(d) delivering the forwarded call to a destination voice mailbox based on the redirecting number.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising linking the PBX to the communication platform with a dedicated ISDN connection.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising linking the PBX to the communication platform with a switched ISDN connection.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the assigned redirecting number is the mail box identification number associated with the PBX on the communication platform.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the assigned redirecting number is not the PBX extension number for the PBX that assigns the redirecting number.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein delivering the forwarded call to a destination voice mailbox further comprises checking the redirecting number against a subscriber database.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning a value at the PBX to the call ISDN message set-up string selected from the list consisting of:

i) a calling party number;

ii) a calling party subaddress;

iii) a called party number;

iv) a called party subaddress;

v) no user responding, and vi) user busy.

8. A system for routing a message to a voice mail box on a communication platform comprising:

(a) a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) extension that assigns mail box addresses to a redirecting number field in an ISDN set-up string, the PBX connected to the communication platform with an ISDN connection;

(b) a communication platform mail box server;

(c) a subscriber database on the communication platform comprising a mail box address associated with the communication platform mail box server; and

(d) a gateway on the communication platform for obtaining data from an ISDN message set-up string.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the connection from the PBX to the communication platform is a dedicated ISDN connection.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the connection from the PBX to the communication platform is a switched ISDN connection.

11. The system of claim 8 comprising a processor with instructions for assigning a redirecting number on the PBX that is the voice mail box identifier on the communication platform.

12. The system of claim 8 further comprising a processor with instructions for assigning a redirecting number on the PBX that is not the PBX extension number.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein further comprising a gateway for verifying the redirecting number against a subscriber database.

14. The system of claim 8 further comprising a PBX for assigning a value to the call ISDN message set-up string selected from the list consisting of:

i) a calling party number;

ii) a calling party subaddress;

iii) a called party number;

iv) a called party subaddress;

v) no user responding, and vi) user busy.

15. A set of application program interfaces embodied on a computer readable medium for execution on a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) in conjunction with an application program that forwards a call to a voice mail box server on a communication platform, comprising:

(a) a first interface that receives an input from an originating caller and determines whether to forward a call to the communication platform;

(b) a second interface that receives an input for assigning a redirecting number to an ISDN message set-up string, the ISDN message set-up string associated with the call; and

(c) a third interface that receives an input for forwarding the call to the communication platform over an ISDN connection linking the PBX and the communications platform.

16. The set of application program interfaces of claim 15 wherein the input received by the second interface further comprises a mail box identifier associated with the PBX on the communication platform.

17. The set of application program interfaces of claim 16 wherein mail box identifier is not the PBX extension number.

18. The set of application program interfaces of claim 15 further comprising a fourth interface that receives an input for assigning a value to the ISDN message set-up string, the value selected from the list consisting of:

i) a calling party number;

ii) a calling party subaddress;

iii) a called party number;

iv) a called party subaddress;

v) no user responding, and vi) user busy.

19. The set of application program interfaces of claim 15 wherein the voice mail box associated with the PBX is linked by a dedicated ISDN connection to the communication platform.

20. The set of application program interfaces of claim 15 wherein the voice mail box associated with the PBX is linked by a switched ISDN connection to the communication platform.

21. A set of application program interfaces embodied on a computer readable medium for execution on a communication platform in conjunction with an application program that receives a call forwarded from a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) to a voice mail box on the communication platform, comprising:

(a) a first interface that receives an input from an ISDN set-up string associated with a call, the set-up string comprising a redirecting number;

(b) a second interface that receives an input from a subscriber database of associated voice mail boxes; and

(c) a third interface that receives an input from the PBX and determines that the PBX has an associated voice mail box.

22. The set of application program interfaces of claim 21 wherein the communication platform is linked by a dedicated ISDN connection to the PBX.

23. The set of application program interfaces of claim 21 wherein the communication platform is linked by a switched ISDN connection to the PBX.

24. The set of application program interfaces of claim 21 further comprising a fourth interface for receiving a call associated with the PBX.