SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING A MESSAGING SYSTEM

• US 20090292777A1
• Filed: 05/20/2008
• Published: 11/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: ADAMS, THOMAS, YASREBI, MEHRAD, JACKSON, JAMES
• Granted Patent: US 7,899,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/37 E-mail addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• 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 61/5053 Lease time; Renewal aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Systems and methods of controlling a messaging system are provided. A particular method includes generating an n-times-use network address to access a control interface in response to receipt of a message addressed to a subscriber at a messaging system. The method further includes determining a notification address associated with the subscriber and generating a notification message addressed to the notification address. The notification message includes at least a portion of content of the message and the n-times-uses network address. The n-times-use network address is selectable a predetermined number of times at a browser application to send a control message to the control interface to control disposition of the message.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, at a messaging system, an n-times-use network address to access a control interface in response to receipt of a message addressed to a subscriber;

determining a notification address associated with the subscriber; and

generating a notification message addressed to the notification address, wherein the notification message includes at least a portion of content of the message and the n-times-use network address;

wherein the n-times-use network address is selectable a predetermined number of times at a browser application to initiate a control message to be sent to the control interface to control disposition of the message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the subscriber is part of a group subscription, the notification message further comprises a template associated with the group subscription.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a data record associating the n-times-use network address with an expiration time, wherein the n-times-use network address ceases to be valid after the expiration time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the n-times-use network address includes an authentication token.

5. A method comprising:

receiving, at a control interface of a messaging system, a control command addressed to a network address of the control interface;

determining whether the network address has been accessed a predefined number of times;

authenticating the control command based on an authentication token of the network address;

determining, based on the network address, a message of the messaging system to which the control command pertains; and

sending a messaging system command to the messaging system when the network address has not been accessed the predefined number of times to perform an action with respect to the message based on the control command.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising sending a confirmation message to a subscriber of a messaging service supported by the messaging system, the confirmation message indicating that the action has been performed.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining whether the network address is valid after receiving the control command; and

adding a source address of the control command to a list of blocked source addresses, after a threshold number of invalid control commands are received from the source address.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining whether a source address of the control command is authorized to control the messaging system before sending the messaging system command.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising performing a reverse domain name service (DNS) lookup with respect to the control command to determine the source address.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining whether an expiration time of the network address has passed before sending the messaging system command.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing a data record invalidating the network address after the network address is accessed the predetermined number of times.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the action comprises forwarding the message to an address specified in the control command.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the action comprises a delete action.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein the action comprises a save action to save the message at the messaging system.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the control command specifics a folder at which the message is to be saved.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein the action comprises a mark as read action.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein the messaging system comprises a unified messaging system.

18. A system, comprising:

a messaging system interface to receive notification that a message addressed to a subscriber has been received at a messaging system;

an access server coupled to the messaging system interface, the access server to generate a network address including an authentication token, the access server to determine a notification address of the subscriber and to generate a notification message addressed to the notification address, the notification message including the network address; and

a control interface coupled to the access server, the control interface to receive a control message addressed to the network address, the control message including a command to perform an action at the messaging system with respect to the message.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the access server is further adapted to receive an input from a subscriber specifying the notification address and to determine whether the notification address complies with a notification address criteria.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the notification address criteria specifies one or more domains to which notification messages are permitted to be sent.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the notification address criteria specifies one or more domains to which notification messages are not permitted to be sent.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the access server is further adapted to transcode at least a portion of the message into a predetermined notification format and to send at least the portion of the message with the notification message.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the access server is further adapted to determine whether the subscriber is associated with a subscriber group and to add a subscriber group template to the notification message when the subscriber is associated with the subscriber group.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the access server is further adapted to determine a forwarding address based on the control message and to send a messaging system control message to the messaging system, via the messaging system interface, to forward the message to the forwarding address.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the authentication token comprises a series of random or pseudo-random digits associated with one message at the messaging system.

26. A computer-readable medium, comprising:

instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to authenticate a received control command addressed to a one-time-use network address, wherein the one-time-use network address is associated with an authentication token;

instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine, based on the one-time-use network address, a message of a messaging system to which the received control command pertains; and

instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to send a messaging system command to the messaging system to perform an action with respect to the message based on the control command.

27. A message notification display, comprising:

a graphical user interface comprising information notifying a user of a message received at a messaging system; and

at least one user selectable control option, wherein selection of the at least one user selectable control option causes a message disposition control command to be sent to a network address of the messaging system, the network address comprising an authentication token to authenticate the control command to the messaging system.

28. The message notification display of claim 27, wherein the at least one user selectable control option comprises a forward option including a forwarding address input area, wherein inputting a forwarding address and selecting the forward option causes a forwarding control command including the forwarding address to be sent to the network address of the messaging system.

29. The message notification display of claim 27, wherein the messaging system comprises a unified messaging system, wherein the graphical user interface display comprises display of an electronic mail messaging system, and wherein the unified messaging system and the electronic mail messaging system are independent of one another.

30. The message notification display of claim 29, wherein the graphical user interface display enables the user to control disposition of a message at the messaging system without providing authentication credentials associated with the user to the messaging system.

31. The message notification display of claim 29, wherein the unified messaging system and the email messaging system are operated by independent entities.