MESSAGING IN A HOSTED PRIVATE BRANCH EXCHANGE

• US 20140045540A1
• Filed: 06/18/2013
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Inventors: Chau, Vi, Lin, Jian
• Granted Patent: US 8,867,710 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A hosted private branch exchange (PBX) system is provided that includes: non-transitory storage that includes subscriber identifying information that identifies a subscriber to a message routing service; non-transitory storage that includes distribution rules information associated with the identified subscriber; and a message management server configured to receive a message sent over the Internet to the identified subscriber and to send the message over the Internet to one or more devices according to the distribution rules associated with the identified subscriber.

Claims

1. A hosted private branch exchange (PBX) system comprising:

non-transitory storage that includes subscriber identifying information that identifies subscribers to a message routing service and that includes department member identifying information that identifies subscribers who are members of a department;

non-transitory storage that includes department distribution rules associated with the department to determine department member identifying information to include in messages that include department members as recipients and that includes individual user routing distribution rules associated with individual subscribers to use to send messages to individual subscribers;

a message management server configured to receive a message sent over the Internet, wherein the received message includes message content and identifies one or more recipients including a department member, and to send one or more messages over the Internet to one or more devices according to the routing distribution rules, wherein the one or more messages include the message content;

wherein the message management server is configured to apply the department distribution rules to determine department member identifying information to include in individual messages and to apply the individual user routing distribution rules associated with individual subscribers identified as recipients of the message to determine individual user routing for messages to be sent to individual subscribers.

4. The system of claim 1,

wherein the department message distribution rules include a first rule for distribution of a message received from a department outsider that is directed to the department;

wherein the message management server distributes messages to the identified department members according to the first rule that include content of a message received from the department outsider and directed to the department.

5. The system of claim 4,

wherein the message management server provides an indication in the messages distributed to the identified department members that the message content is received from a department outsider.

6. The system of claim 5,

wherein the message management server identifies the department outsider that the message content is received from in the messages distributed to the identified department members.

7. The system of claim 4,

wherein the message management server is configured to associate a thread identifier to a message received from a department outsider and to include the associated thread identifier with the messages that it distributes to the identified department members according to the first rule.

8. The system of claim 4,

wherein the message management server is configured to create a message thread in which each message in the thread is responsive to a previous message in the thread and in which each message in the thread is associated with the same thread identifier.

9. The system of claim 4,

wherein the message management server is configured to associate a department member with a message thread and to provide an indication to the identified department members of the department member assigned to the thread identifier.

10. The system of claim 1,

wherein the department message distribution rules include a second rule for distribution of a message received from a department member that is directed to a department outsider;

wherein the message management server distributes messages to a department outsider and to the identified department members according to the second rule that include message content received from a department member that is directed to the department outsider.

11. The system of claim 10,

wherein the message management server provides an indication in the messages distributed to the identified department members that the message content is received from a department member;

and

wherein the message management server provides an indication in the message distributed to the identified outsider that the message content is received from the department.

12. The system of claim 11,

wherein the message management server identifies the department member that the message content is received from in the messages distributed to the identified department members;

and

wherein the message management server does not identify the department member that the message content is received from in the messages distributed to the department outsider.

13. The system of claim 1,

wherein the message management server is configured to associate a thread identifier to a message received from a department member and to include the assigned thread identifier with the messages that it distributes to the identified department members and to the department outsider according to the second rule.

14. The system of claim 1,

wherein the department message distribution rules include a third rule for distribution of a message received from a department member that is directed to the department;

wherein the message management server distributes messages to the identified department members according to the third rule that include message content received from a department member that is directed to the department.

15. The system of claim 14,

wherein the message management server provides an indication in the messages distributed to the identified department members that the message content is received from a department member.

16. The system of claim 15,

wherein the message management server identifies the department member that the message content is received from in the messages distributed to the identified department members.

17. The system of claim 14,

wherein the message management server is configured to associate a thread identifier to a message received from a department member and to include the assigned thread identifier with the messages that it distributes to the identified department members according to the third rule.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein one or more of the individual user routing distribution rules associated with individual subscribers select from among two or more different devices.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein one or more of the individual user routing distribution rules associated with individual subscribers select from among two or more different mobile device numbers.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein one or more of the individual user routing distribution rules associated with individual subscribers select from among different communication modes including two or more of email, messages and fax.

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

20. (canceled)