Telephone voice message store and forward method

• US 5,684,862 A
• Filed: 05/24/1995
• Issued: 11/04/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Advance Systems Development Company LC
• Original Assignee: Advance Systems Development Company LC
• Inventors: Finnigan, Paul F.
• Primary Examiner(s): TSANG, FAN S
• Application Number:
  US08/449,266
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 379/207, 379/69, 379/88, 379/89, 379/211, 379/212, 379/219, 379/220
• US Class Current: 379/88.22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2083 Confirmation by serviced party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/301 Management of recordings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53316 Messaging centre selected by message originator
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53325 Interconnection arrangements between voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

A voice message store and forward service (20) includes voice message store and forward units ("VMSFUs") that intercommunicate by employing a protocol A for transferring voice messages between VMSFUs with user information transfer units that include the voice message and a message envelope containing enhanced feature information, and service information transfer units that include notifications of successful and/or unsuccessful transfer of a user message. An originating VMSFU (22) accepts a voice message from a voice message system (16), delivers the voice message to a destination VMSFU (24), and/or returns a delivered or not delivered notification to the voice message system. The destination VMSFU delivers the voice message to a voice message system (18) identified by a destination mailbox indicated in a voice message header. Protocol A conveys enhanced features, such as conveying unique features of disparate voice message systems, converting message formats or voice encoding algorithms, translating and mapping addresses, and accommodating message priorities. VMSFUs assign each voice message a globally unique message identification number for tracing message progress, reporting on message delivery status, and providing accounting information. The store and forward service provides services, such as delivering voice messages at a specified time, redirecting voice messages to alternate VMSFUs, deferring delivery of specified voice messages, delivering voice messages in accordance with specified priority and delivery commitments, and minimizing message delivery costs with a scheduler.

Claims

1. In a voice message store and forward service, a method of conveying a voice message between an originating voice message system employing a first set of features and intercommunicating employing a first protocol and a destination voice message system employing a second set of features, comprising:

providing an originating voice message store and forward unit (VMSFU) and a destination VMSFU that intercommunicate employing a second protocol to convey the voice message and information identifying the first set of features;

transmitting the voice message and the information identifying the first set of features from the originating voice message system employing the first protocol;

receiving the voice message at the originating VMSFU;

storing the received voice message in a deferred message store connected to the originating VMSFU;

grouping the received message together with other voice messages;

conveying the grouped voice messages and the information identifying the first set of features from the originating VMSFU to the destination VMSFU employing the second protocol, the conveying occurring at a deferred time determined by a scheduler to minimize costs; and

delivering the voice message from the destination VMSFU to the destination voice message system.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the first protocol conforms to an analog messaging interchange specification ("AMIS-A") and further includes notifying the originating voice message system whether the voice message was successfully transferred to the destination voice message system.

3. The method of claim 2 in which the notifying step includes indicating to the originating VMSFU that the voice message was not successfully transferred to the destination VMSFU, and redirecting the voice message to an alternate VMSFU.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the first protocol is an analog protocol and the second protocol is a digital protocol.

5. The method of claim 4 in which the first protocol employs functionality extensions of an analog messaging interchange specification protocol.

6. The method of claim 4 in which the second protocol includes one of an International Telecommunications Union X.400 protocol, a digital messaging interchange specification protocol, a MIME protocol, and a SMTP protocol.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the conveying and delivering steps are carried out in accordance with the information identifying the first set of features.

8. The method of claim 7 in which the information identifying the first set of features includes at least one of a message delivery time, at least one destination address, a message priority, and a class of service.

9. In a voice message store and forward service, a method of conveying a voice message between an originating voice message system employing a first set of features and intercommunicating employing a first protocol and a destination voice message system employing a second set of features, comprising the steps of:

providing an originating voice message store and forward unit (VMSFU) and a destination VMSFU that intercommunicate employing a second protocol that includes a user information transfer unit to convey the voice message, information identifying the first set of features, and a service information transfer unit to convey a notification indicative of whether the voice message was successfully transferred;

transmitting the voice message from the originating voice message system employing the first protocol;

receiving the voice message at the originating VMSFU;

storing the received voice message in a deferred message store connected to the originating VMSFU;

grouping the received voice message together with other voice messages;

deferring conveying the grouped voice messages until a time determined by a scheduler to minimize costs associated with conveying the grouped voice messages;

conveying at the time determined by the scheduler the grouped voice messages and the information identifying the first set of features from the originating VMSFU to the destination VMSFU employing the second protocol;

delivering the voice message from the destination VMSFU to the destination voice message system via the second set of features; and

returning to the originating voice message system a notification indicative of whether the voice message was successfully delivered to the destination voice message system.

10. In a voice message store and forward service, a method of conveying a voice message between an originating voice message system and a destination voice message system, comprising the steps of:

providing an originating voice message store and forward unit (VMSFU) and a destination VMSFU that intercommunicate employing a first protocol that conveys the voice message;

transmitting the voice message from the originating voice message system to the originating VMSFU;

storing the voice message in a deferred message store connected to the originating VMSFU;

grouping the voice message together with other voice messages;

deferring conveying the grouped voice messages until a time determined by a scheduler to minimize costs associated with conveying the grouped voice messages;

conveying employing the first protocol the grouped voice messages from the originating VMSFU to the destination VMSFU at the time determined by the scheduler; and

delivering the voice message from the destination VMSFU to the destination voice message system.

11. The method of claim 10 in which the originating voice message system and the originating VMSFU intercommunicate employing a second protocol that conforms to an analog messaging interchange specification ("AMIS-A") and further includes notifying the originating voice message system whether the voice message was successfully transferred to the destination voice message system.

12. The method of claim 11 in which the notifying step includes indicating to the originating VMSFU that the voice message was not successfully transferred to the destination VMSFU, and redirecting the voice message to an alternate VMSFU.

13. The method of claim 11 in which the first protocol is a digital protocol.

14. The method of claim 13 in which the second protocol employs functionality extensions of the analog messaging interchange specification protocol.

15. The method of claim 13 in which the first protocol includes one of an International Telecommunications Union X.400 protocol, a digital messaging interchange specification protocol, a MIME protocol, and a SMTP protocol.

16. The method of claim 14 in which the functionality extensions convey information identifying at least one of a voice message delivery time, at least one destination address, a message priority, and a class of service.