VISUAL VOICEMAIL NETWORK ARCHITECTURE

• US 20100151831A1
• Filed: 12/14/2008
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Helbling, Christopher, Baruch, Robert, Ren, Dahai, Zhou, Haiyan, Hao, Jack Jianxiu, Honma, Gerald Y., Wu, Shuai, Yao, Xuefeng
• Granted Patent: US 8,195,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53325 Interconnection arrangements between voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects

Abstract

A system may include a load balancer that includes a receiver configured to receive a first notification of voicemail message information associated with a voicemail mailbox. The system may also include a group of servers and each of the group of servers may include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver may be configured to receive the first notification of the voicemail message information from the load balancer, and the transmitter may be configured to send a second notification of the voicemail message information to a communication device associated with the voicemail mailbox, wherein the second notification causes the communication device to determine whether to request a list of voicemail messages. The load balancer may also include a processor to select a first one of the plurality of servers and a transmitter to send the first notification to the first one of the plurality of servers.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a load balancer including a receiver configured to receive a first notification of voicemail message information associated with a voicemail mailbox;

a plurality of servers, each of the plurality of servers including;

a receiver configured to receive the first notification of the voicemail message information from the load balancer, and

a transmitter configured to send a second notification of the voicemail message information to a communication device associated with the voicemail mailbox, wherein the second notification causes the communication device to determine whether to request a list of voicemail messages; and

wherein the load balancer includes a processor configured to select a first one of the plurality of servers and a transmitter to send the first notification to the first one of the plurality of servers.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the receiver in the load balancer is configured to receive, from the communication device in response to the second notification, a request for the list of voicemail messages associated with voicemail mailbox;

wherein the processor in the load balancer is configured to select a second one of the plurality of servers, wherein the second one is different than the first one of the plurality of servers; and

wherein the second one of the plurality of servers sends, to the communication device, the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

one or more memories including a database to store voicemail message information associated with the voicemail mailbox, wherein the one or more memories are shared among the plurality of servers,

wherein the second one of the plurality of servers is further configured to;

determine whether the one or more memories include the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox;

retrieve the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox from the one or more memories when the one or more memories includes the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox; and

request the list of voicemail messages from a voicemail server when the one or more memories does not include the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox, wherein the voicemail server stores the voicemail message information.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the request for the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox includes information for the second one of the plurality of servers to identify the voicemail mailbox and authenticate the communication device to the voicemail server.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the information for the second one of the plurality of servers includes an identifier that identifies the voicemail mailbox, an identifier that identifies the communication device, and a password or a cookie to authenticate the communication device to the second one of the plurality of servers.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor in the load balancer is further configured to select the one of the plurality of servers in a round-robin fashion, in a random fashion, or based on a processing load of one or more of the plurality of servers.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first notification of voicemail message information includes information to identify the voicemail mailbox and the communication device associated with the voicemail mailbox.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the information to identify the voicemail mailbox and the communication device includes a mailbox identifier and a device number.

9. A system comprising:

one or more servers including;

a receiver configured to receive a first notification of voicemail message information associated with a voicemail mailbox from a voicemail server, wherein the voicemail server stores the voicemail message information and wherein the first notification includes information to identify the voicemail mailbox and a communication device associated with the voicemail mailbox;

one or more memories including a database to store voicemail message information associated with the voicemail mailbox,

a transmitter configured to send a second notification of the voicemail message information to a communication device associated with the voicemail mailbox, wherein the second notification causes the communication device to determine whether to request a list of voicemail messages; and

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive, from the communication device in response to the second notification, a request for a list of voicemail messages associated with voicemail mailbox, wherein the requests includes information for the one or more servers to identify the voicemail mailbox and authenticate the communication device to the voicemail server.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the information in the first notification, to identify the voicemail mailbox and the communication device associated with the voicemail mailbox includes a mailbox identifier and a device number.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more servers retrieve the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox from the one or more memories and, if the one or more memories do not include the list of voicemail messages, the one or more servers requests the list of voicemail messages from the voicemail server.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the information, in the request for the list of voicemail messages, for the one or more servers to identify the voicemail mailbox and authenticate the communication device to the voicemail server includes a voicemail mailbox identifier, a device number, and a password or a cookie.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a plurality of servers, wherein the plurality of servers includes the one or more servers and wherein the one or more memories are shared among the plurality of servers; and

a load balancer including a receiver configured to receive the first notification of voicemail message information associated with the voicemail mailbox,

wherein the load balancer includes a processor configured to select a first one of the plurality of servers and a transmitter to forward the first notification to the first one of the plurality of servers.

14. The system of claim 13,

wherein the receiver in the load balancer is configured to receive, from the communication device, the request for the list of voicemail message associated with voicemail mailbox,

wherein the processor in the load balancer is configured to select a second one of the plurality of servers, wherein the second one is different than the first one of the plurality of servers;

and

wherein the second one of the plurality of servers sends, to the communication device, the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor of the load balancer selects the one of the plurality of servers in a round-robin fashion, in a random fashion, or based on a processing load of one or more of the plurality of servers.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, in a load balancer, a first notification of voicemail message information associated with a voicemail mailbox;

selecting a first one of a plurality of servers to send the first notification;

transmitting the first notification to the first one of the plurality of servers;

receiving, in the first one of the plurality of servers, the first notification of the voicemail message information from the load balancer, and

transmitting a second notification of the voicemail message information to a communication device associated with the voicemail mailbox, wherein the second notification causes the communication device to determine whether to request a list of voicemail messages.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, in the load balancer from the communication device, a request for a list of voicemail messages associated with voicemail mailbox in response to the second notification;

selecting a second one of the plurality of servers, wherein the second one is different than the first one of the plurality of servers; and

sending to the communication device, from the second one of the plurality of servers sends, the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox.

18. The method of claim 17,

retrieving the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox from one or more memories, wherein the one or more memories include a database to store voicemail message information associated with the voicemail mailbox and wherein the one or more memories are shared among the plurality of servers;

and

requesting the list of voicemail messages from a voicemail server when the one or more memories do not include the list of voicemail messages, wherein the voicemail server stores the voicemail message information and audio files associated with the voicemail message information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the request for the list of voicemail messages associated with the voicemail mailbox includes information for the second one of the plurality of servers to identify the voicemail mailbox and authenticate the communication device to the voicemail server.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the information for the second one of the plurality of servers includes an identifier that identifies the voicemail mailbox, an identifier that identifies the communication device, and a password or a cookie.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein selecting the first one of the plurality of servers includes selecting in a round-robin fashion, in a random fashion, or based on a processing load of one or more of the plurality of servers.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the first notification of voicemail message information includes information to identify the voicemail mailbox and the communication device associated with the voicemail mailbox.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the information to identify the voicemail mailbox and the communication device includes a mailbox identifier and a device number.