Bulk Communications Process Using Multiple Delivery Media

• US 20080278740A1
• Filed: 07/29/2003
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Speedscan Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Connxion Limited (Altrad Investment Authority SAS)
• Inventors: Stewart, Michael Robert, Silver, Robert, Levine, Kevin Bryan, Ginns, Paul Huntley, Bird, Nicholas Rowland, Markham, Michael, Omillian, Alexander John
• Granted Patent: US 7,715,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method (100), a system and, a computer program product for bulk communication of information to recipients via multiple delivery media are disclosed. The media include facsimile, email, surface mail, SMS messaging, and archiving (and is adapted for new media types in the future). A single interface is used to receive information (106, 108, 110) for distribution including one or more template documents (110) and data (106) specific to each recipient. At least one document based on the received information (106, 108, 110) is transmitted using a specified delivery media (144, 150, 156, 162, 168) for each recipient based on the recipients'"'"' delivery preferences (122, 176). Escalating (172, 178) transmission of the document may occur using a different delivery media for any recipients for whom transmission by the specified delivery media fails. The escalating step (172, 178) may depend upon status information (176) from a carrier regarding delivery of the document to each recipient.

Claims

1. A method for bulk communication of information to recipients via multiple delivery media including facsimile, email, surface mail, and SMS messaging, said method including the steps of:

receiving via a single interface information for distribution including information regarding recipients; and

transmitting at least one document based on said received information using a specified one of said delivery media for each of said recipients based on said recipients'"'"' delivery preferences.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of escalating transmission of said at least one document using a different one of said delivery media for each of one or more of said recipients for whom transmission by said specified delivery media fails.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said received information includes one or more template documents and data specific to each recipient.

4. The method according to claim 3, further including the step of merging said one or more template documents and said data specific to each recipient to provide said at least one document for each of said recipients.

5. The method according to claim 4, further including the steps of determining a document template type for each delivery media and selecting a merging process for said document template type.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said data specific to each recipient is provided to said respective merging process.

7. The method according to claim 2, further including the steps of:

converting said at least one document into a format suitable for said specified one or different one of delivery media for each recipient; and

sending said formatted document to a carrier for transmission using said specified one or said different one of said delivery media.

8. The method according to claim 7, further including the step of processing a report from said carrier regarding said transmission to provide status information regarding delivery of said document to each recipient.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said escalating step is dependent upon said status information.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said delivery media includes archiving.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said delivery media includes one or more new media types.

12. A system for bulk communication of information to recipients via multiple delivery media including facsimile, email, surface mail, and SMS messaging, said system including:

a single interface for receiving information for distribution including information regarding recipients; and

means for transmitting at least one document based on said received information using a specified one of said delivery media for each of said recipients based on said recipients'"'"' delivery preferences.

13. The system according to claim 12, further including means for escalating transmission of said at least one document using a different one of said delivery media for each of one or more of said recipients for whom transmission by said specified delivery media fails.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein said received information includes one or more template documents and data specific to each recipient.

15. The system according to claim 14, further including means for merging said one or more template documents and said data specific to each recipient to provide said at least one document for each of said recipients.

16. The system according to claim 15, further including means for determining a document template type for each delivery media and for selecting a merging process for said document template type.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein said data specific to each recipient is subjected to respective merging processing.

18. The system according to claim 13, further including:

means for converting said at least one document into a format suitable for said specified one or different one of delivery media for each recipient; and

means for sending said formatted document to a carrier for transmission using said specified one or said different one of said delivery media.

19. The system according to claim 18, further including means for processing a report from said carrier regarding said transmission to provide status information regarding delivery of said document to each recipient.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein said escalating means is dependent upon said status information.

21. The system according to claim 12, wherein said delivery media includes archiving.

22. The system according to claim 12, wherein said delivery media includes one or more new media types.

23. A computer program product including a computer readable medium having a computer program recorded therein for bulk communication of information to recipients via multiple delivery media including facsimile, email, surface mail, and SMS messaging, said computer program product including:

computer program code means for receiving via a single interface information for distribution including information regarding recipients; and

computer program code means for transmitting at least one document based on said received information using a specified one of said delivery media for each of said recipients based on said recipients'"'"' delivery preferences.

24. The computer program product according to claim 23, further including computer program code means for escalating transmission of said at least one document using a different one of said delivery media for each of one or more of said recipients for whom transmission by said specified delivery media fails.

25. The computer program product according to claim 23, wherein said received information includes one or more template documents and data specific to each recipient.

26. The computer program product according to claim 25, further including computer program code means for merging said one or more template documents and said data specific to each recipient to provide said at least one document for each of said recipients.

27. The computer program product according to claim 26, further including computer program code means for determining a document template type for each delivery media and for selecting a merging process for said document template type.

28. The computer program product according to claim 27, wherein said data specific to each recipient is subjected to respective merging processing.

29. The computer program product according to claim 24, further including:

computer program code means for converting said at least one document into a format suitable for said specified one or different one of delivery media for each recipient; and

computer program code means for sending said formatted document to a carrier for transmission using said specified one or said different one of said delivery media.

30. The computer program product according to claim 29, further including computer program code means for processing a report from said carrier regarding said transmission to provide status information regarding delivery of said document to each recipient.

31. The computer program product according to claim 30, wherein said computer program code means for escalating is dependent upon said status information.

32. The computer program product according to claim 23, wherein said delivery media includes archiving.

33. The computer program product according to claim 23, wherein said delivery media includes one or more new media types.

34. A method for bulk communication of information to recipients via multiple delivery media including facsimile, email, surface mail, and SMS messaging, said method substantially as herein disclosed with reference to any one of FIGS. 1-10 of the accompanying drawings.

35. A system for bulk communication of information to recipients via multiple delivery media including facsimile, email, surface mail, and SMS messaging, said system substantially as herein disclosed with reference to any one of FIGS. 1-10 of the accompanying drawings.

36. A computer program product for bulk communication of information to recipients via multiple delivery media including facsimile, email, surface mail, and SMS messaging, said computer program product substantially as herein disclosed with reference to any one of FIGS. 1-10 of the accompanying drawings.