Method and apparatus for delivering multi-media messages over different transmission media
First Claim
1. A method for delivering a multi-media message to a remote site over a sender-specified one of plural different transmission media, the plural different transmission media including at least a voice telephone transmission medium, a facsimile transmission medium and a modem transmission medium, the multi-media message having plural components of differing types, the method comprising the steps of:
- allowing a sender to specify a delivery medium for delivering the components of the multi-media message to the remote site;
obtaining, for each component of the multi-media message whose type is incompatible with said sender-specified delivery medium, an equivalent component whose type is compatible;
forming a delivery schedule for delivering the multi-media message, the delivery schedule selectively scheduling an original multi-media component or its equivalent component in accordance with which is compatible with said sender-specified delivery medium; and
delivering the multi-media message to the remote site in accordance with the delivery schedule.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Method and apparatus for delivering multi-media messages which may include text components, image components, sound components or binary components to multiple recipients over different transmission media. A list of recipients of the multi-media message is inspected to determine all of the different transmission media that will be needed to transmit to all the recipients. The list of recipients may be obtained from an address portion of the multi-media message, and may, for example, consist of the direct recipients of a message, the carbon copy ("cc:") recipients of the message, and the blind carbon copy ("bcc:") recipients of the message. It is possible for each recipient to receive various components of the multi-media message by different media. Then, for each component of the message that is incompatible with all needed transmission media, the component is converted into equivalent components whose types are compatible with all the different transmission media. Thus, for example, if a multi-media message includes a text component, then an equivalent image component is created for the facsimile medium by conversion of the text file to an image file, and equivalent audio component is created for the voice telephone medium by conversion of the text file into an audio file via text-to-speech technology. A message delivery schedule is then formed, which lists, for each recipient, the medium to be used and the message component (original component or equivalent component) to be delivered. The messages are then delivered according to the delivery schedule.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method for delivering a multi-media message to a remote site over a sender-specified one of plural different transmission media, the plural different transmission media including at least a voice telephone transmission medium, a facsimile transmission medium and a modem transmission medium, the multi-media message having plural components of differing types, the method comprising the steps of:
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allowing a sender to specify a delivery medium for delivering the components of the multi-media message to the remote site; obtaining, for each component of the multi-media message whose type is incompatible with said sender-specified delivery medium, an equivalent component whose type is compatible; forming a delivery schedule for delivering the multi-media message, the delivery schedule selectively scheduling an original multi-media component or its equivalent component in accordance with which is compatible with said sender-specified delivery medium; and delivering the multi-media message to the remote site in accordance with the delivery schedule. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 29)
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8. Apparatus for delivering a multi-media message to a remote site over a sender-specified one of different transmission media, the multi-media message having plural components of differing types, said apparatus interfacing to a voice telephone transmission medium, a facsimile transmission medium, and a modem transmission medium, said apparatus comprising:
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a memory having a first section for storing the multi-media message and having a second section for storing process steps; and a processor for executing the process steps stored in the second section of said memory; wherein said process steps include process steps to (a) allow a sender to specify a delivery medium for delivering the components of the multi-media message, to the remote site, (b) obtain, for each component of the multi-media message whose type is incompatible with the said sender-specified delivery medium, an equivalent component whose type is compatible, (c) form a delivery schedule which selectively schedules an original multi-media component or its equivalent component in accordance with which is compatible with said sender-specified delivery medium, and (d) deliver the multi-media message to the remote site in accordance with the delivery schedule. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 30)
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15. A method for delivering a multi-media message to a remote site over a sender-specified one of plural different delivery media, the multi-media message having plural components including an image-type component deliverable via a facsimile delivery medium and a sound-type component deliverable over a voice telephone delivery medium and a text-type component deliverable over a modem delivery medium, the method comprising the steps of:
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allowing a sender to specify a delivery medium for delivering the plural components of the multi-media message; retrieving each of the plural components of the multi-media message; determining, for each of the plural components of the multi-media message, whether the component is of a type which is compatible with the sender-specified delivery medium; obtaining, for each component of the multi-media message which was determined in said determining step to be incompatible with the sender-specified delivery medium, an equivalent component whose type is compatible with the sender-specified delivery medium; forming a delivery schedule for delivering the multi-media message, the delivery schedule selectively scheduling an original multi-media message component or its equivalent component in accordance with compatibility with the sender-specified delivery medium; establishing remote communication over the sender-specified delivery medium; and delivering the multi-media message in accordance with the delivery schedule. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 31)
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22. Apparatus for delivering a multi-media message to a remote site over a sender-specified one of plural different delivery media, the multi-media message having plural components including an image-type component deliverable via a facsimile delivery medium and a sound-type component deliverable over a voice telephone delivery medium and a text-type component deliverable over a modem delivery medium, said apparatus comprising:
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an interface to a voice telephone delivery medium; an interface to a facsimile delivery medium; an interface to a modem delivery medium; a memory having a first section for storing the multi-media message and having a second section for storing process steps; and a processor for executing the process steps stored in the second section of said memory; wherein said process steps include process steps to (a) allow a sender to specify a delivery medium for delivering the plural components of the multi-media message, (b) retrieve each of the plural components of the multi-media message, (c) determine, for each of the plural components of the multi-media message, whether the component is of a type compatible with the sender-specified delivery medium, (d) obtain, for each of the plural components of the multi-media message whose type is incompatible with the sender-specified delivery medium, an equivalent component whose type is compatible with the sender-specified delivery medium, (e) form a delivery schedule which selectively schedules an original multi-media message component or its equivalent component in accordance with which is compatible with the sender-specified delivery medium, (f) establish remote communication over the sender-specified delivery medium, and (g) deliver the multi-media message in accordance with the delivery schedule. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 32)
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Specification