UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS APPLIANCE

• US 20100322395A1
• Filed: 06/22/2009
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Michaelis, Paul Roller, Vick, Jason H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,442,189 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• 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 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A unified communications appliance provides integration of various types of information, regardless of the modality, in a common, centralized interface where the various types of information are grouped based on what they are related to. For example, as is common with most modalities of information exchange, there exists a “subject” that is present in one of the fields of communication. The ability to associate all of the types of communication with a common “subject” (or conversation) and provide an interface that allows access to the various types of information, regardless of the modality is provided by the unified communications interface.

Claims

1. A method for modality-independent unified communications comprising:

receiving information from one or more sources;

integrating the information into a modality-independent unified communications appliance;

classifying the integrated information in a conversation; and

displaying one or more portions of one or more conversations in an interface, each conversation including a representation of a number and type of received information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising translating the information from a first modality to a second, different, modality.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is one or more of an email, a SMS, an Instant Message, calendar information, a voicemail, a conference call and a document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is from one or more of a phone, a cell phone, a PDA, an email server, file storage, a conference call, a multimedia conference and a communications device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the classification of the information in a conversation is based on a subject.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising classifying the information in one or more additional conversations.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively allowing a user to respond to one or more of the sources using one or more modalities of communication, wherein a response modality can be different than a received modality.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting a user for a classification.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein functionality of respective modality specific interfaces is incorporated into the modality-independent unified communications appliance.

10. One or more means for performing the steps of claim 1.

11. A computer-readable storage media having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by a processor, perform the steps in claim 1.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a conversion module that translates the information from a first modality to a second, different, modality.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the information is one or more of an email, a SMS, an Instant Message, calendar information, a voicemail, a conference call and a document.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the information is from one or more of a phone, a cell phone, a PDA, an email server, file storage, a conference call, a multimedia conference and a communications device.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the classification of the information in a conversation is based on a subject.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the information is classified in one or more additional conversations.

18. The system of claim 1, further comprising an interface that selectively allows a user to respond to one or more of the sources using one or more modalities of communication, wherein a response modality can be different than a received modality.

19. The system of claim 1, further comprising a classification module that prompts a user for a classification.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein functionality of respective modality specific interfaces is incorporated into the modality-independent unified communications appliance.

12. A modality-independent unified communications appliance comprising:

one or more integration modules that receive information from one or more sources and integrate the information into the modality-independent unified communications appliance;

an analysis module that classifies the integrated information in a conversation; and

an interface module that displays one or more portions of one or more conversations in an interface, each conversation including a representation of a number and type of received information.