Internet/intranet user interface to a multimedia messaging system

• US 6,038,296 A
• Filed: 10/07/1997
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Brunson, Gordon R., Klein, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dinh, Khanh Quang
• Application Number:
  US08/946,511
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 379/100.11, 379/88.13, 379/71, 379/84, 379/88.23, 455/15, 707/10, 707/2, 707/3, 707/5, 395/500, 709/204
• US Class Current: 379/100.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

An Internet/intranet-based arrangement for interaction between a messaging system and a message originator and delivery of the message originator'"'"'s message to a mailbox of the messaging system uses TCP/IP communications applications such as HTTP, Telnet, FTP, or Chat as information-transfer and message delivery mechanisms, creating an Internet/intranet-based text, binary, video, and/or multimedia file message-delivery analogue to the call-answer message-creation capability of telephony-based messaging systems.

Claims

1. A method of messaging in a communications system comprising a user terminal and a messaging system interconnected by an Internet/intranet, comprising the steps of:

sending a request identifying a subscriber of the messaging system from the user terminal via the Internet/intranet to the messaging system;

in response to receipt of the request at the messaging system, sending subscriber information corresponding to the identified subscriber from the messaging system via the Internet/intranet to the terminal;

in response to receipt of the sent subscriber information at the terminal, presenting the sent subscriber information to a user of the terminal;

in response to the user providing message information at the terminal, sending the message information from the terminal via the Internet/intranet to the messaging system;

in response to receipt of the sent message information at the messaging system, composing the message information into a message of the messaging system; and

storing the message in the messaging system in a mailbox of the identified subscriber.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

in response to the storing, sending an acknowledgment of the message from the messaging system via the Internet/intranet to the terminal; and

in response to receipt of the acknowledgment at the terminal, presenting the acknowledgment to the user.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

each sending of information via the Internet/intranet is effected by using at least one of the following protocols;

HTTP, FTP, Telnet, and Chat.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the subscriber information sent to the terminal includes a personal greeting of the subscriber.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the subscriber information sent to the terminal includes a form for filling out by the user with the message information; and

the step of sending the message information is performed in response to the user filling out the form with the message information.

6. An apparatus for performing the method of claim 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5.

7. A method of messaging in a communications system comprising a user terminal that includes a Web browser and a multimedia messaging system, both interfaced to and interconnected by an Internet/intranet, comprising the steps of:

in response to a prompt from a user of the terminal, the Web browser sending from the terminal a request addressed to an Internet/intranet address of the messaging system and identifying by at least one of name and telephone number a subscriber of the messaging system, and including an Internet/intranet address of the terminal;

In response to receipt of the request at the messaging system, determining a subscriber identifier of the subscriber within the messaging system;

in response to a determination of the subscriber identifier, retrieving stored subscriber information associated with the subscriber identifier from the messaging system;

in response to the retrieval, composing a Web home page for the subscriber from the retrieved subscriber information, the Web home page including a return address of the messaging system, the subscriber identifier of the subscriber, and space for message information from the user;

in response to the composing, sending the subscriber'"'"'s Web page addressed to the Internet/intranet address of the terminal;

in response to receipt of the subscriber'"'"'s Web page at the terminal, the Web browser presenting the subscriber'"'"'s Web page to the user;

in response to receiving message information from the user in said space in the Web page and a prompt from the user, the Web browser sending from the terminal the message information, subscriber identifier of the subscriber, and the Internet/intranet address of the terminal, addressed to the return address of the messaging system;

in response to receipt of the message information at the messaging system, formatting the messaging information into a message of the messaging system; and

in response to receipt of the subscriber identifier of the subscriber at the messaging system, storing the message in a mailbox of the subscriber in the messaging system.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

in response to the storing, sending an acknowledgment thereof from the messaging system addressed to the address of the terminal; and

in response to receipt of the acknowledgment at the terminal, the Web browser presenting the acknowledgment to the user.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of:

after sending the subscriber'"'"'s Web page, deleting the subscriber'"'"'s Web page from the messaging system, so that receipt of another request at the messaging system identifying same said subscriber will result in composing anew a Web home page for the subscriber, whereby changes made to the stored subscriber information inbetween the receipt of the requests is reflected in the Web home page that is composed anew.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein:

each sending via the Internet/intranet is effected by using an HTTP protocol.

11. An apparatus for performing the method of claim 7 or 8 or 9 or 10.