Universal message storage system

• US 5,832,221 A
• Filed: 12/29/1995
• Issued: 11/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Mark Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Richard L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice L.
• Application Number:
  US08/581,653
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88, 395/200.03, 395/200.08, 395/616, 395/200.36, 395/200.55, 395/200.43, 707/200, 345/326
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages

Abstract

A message storage system, for use with a communication network and in which a network presence is provided for an entity, stores a message from a sender to a network presence. The message storage system accepts a query including a specified property, and generates a mailbox including the stored message when one of the message properties is the specified property. A software agent processes the stored message in accordance with a processing preference included in attributes associated with the entity. The message storage system generates a summary of the message and updates the summary of the message in response to modifications to the message.

Claims

1. A message storage system for use with a communication network and means for providing a network presence for an entity having attributes, said message storage system comprising:

storage means for storing a message from a sender to said network presence, said message having properties,

means for accepting a query over a set of messages for which the entity has read permission, the query including a specified property, and

wherein said storage means is also for generating a mailbox including said message when one of said properties of said message satisfies the query.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said query is a one-time query.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said query is a persistent query.

4. A message storage system for use with a communication network and means for providing a network presence for an entity having attributes, said attributes including a processing preference for messages stored for said network presence, said message storage system comprising:

storage means for storing a message from a sender to said network presence, and

a software agent for processing the stored message in accordance with said processing preference, and for asserting a query against said storage means,

and wherein said storage means is also for generating a mailbox including the message, when the message satisfies the query.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said processing preference is a preferred media format, and said software agent is operative to convert a media format of said stored message to the preferred media format.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said processing preference specifies one of a notifying action, a deleting action and an archiving action, and said software agent is operative to perform the action specified by said processing preference on said stored message.

7. A message storage system for use with a communication network and means for providing a network presence for an entity having attributes, said message storage system comprising:

storage means for storing a message from a sender to said network presence, and

means for automatically generating a summary of said message and for automatically updating the summary in response to modification of the message,

and wherein said storage means is also for generating a mailbox including the message, when the message satisfies a query asserted against said storage means.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising means for automatically appending the generated summary to said message.

9. A method for storing a message received from a communication network, comprising the steps of:

storing, in a message storage system, said message being from a sender to a network presence established for an entity, said entity having attributes, said message having properties, and

accepting a query over a set of messages for which the entity has read permission, the query including a specified property,

wherein the message storage system generates a mailbox including said message when one of said properties of said message satisfies the query.

10. A method for storing a message received from a communication network, comprising the steps of:

storing, in a message storage system, the message from a sender to a network presence established for an entity, said entity having attributes including a processing preference for messages stored for said network presence,

processing the stored message in accordance with said processing preference, and

asserting a query against said message storage system,

wherein said message storage system generates a mailbox including the message, when the message satisfies the query.

11. A method for storing a message received from a communication network, comprising the steps of:

storing, in a message storage system, the message from a sender to a network presence established for an entity, said entity having attributes,

automatically generating a summary of said message, and

automatically updating the summary in response to modification of the message,

wherein said message storage system generates a mailbox including the message, when the message satisfies a query asserted against said message storage system.