Declarative message addressing

• US 6,212,552 B1
• Filed: 01/15/1998
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Srivastava, Divesh, Panagos, Euthimios, Mumick, Inderpal Singh, Lee, Dongwon, Hjalmtysson, Gisli, Jones, Mark Alan, Biliris, Alexandros, Jagadish, Hosagrahar Visvesvaraya, Vista, Dimitra
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): WINDER, PATRICE L
• Application Number:
  US09/007,518
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 370/351, 345/326, 707/104, 707/3, 707/5, 709/206, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

A messaging system, and method of operation thereof, which supports combinations of directory and mailing list addressing mechanisms. Intended message recipients are specified as declarative addresses, which may include combinations of directory and mailing list information. The messaging system includes a messaging server and an address resolution module. The messaging server receives a message from a sender system and transmits the message to the recipient system. The address resolution module, which is coupled to the messaging server, receives a declarative address associated with the message, resolves the declarative address into at least one messaging address and transmits the at least one messaging address to the messaging server. In one embodiment, a database system may be coupled to the address resolution module to allow address resolution based on information stored in a database. The address resolution module generates a database query based on the declarative address and transmits the generated query to a database system. The database system receives a database query, retrieves at least one messaging address specified by the query and transmits the retrieved at least one messaging address to the address resolution module.

Claims

1. A messaging system comprising:

a messaging server, coupled to a sender system, operable to receive a message from the sender system and transmit the message to a recipient system;

an address resolution module, coupled to the messaging server, operable to receive a declarative address associated with the message, the declarative address defined by a sender of the message and specifying at least one recipient for the message based on properties of the recipient and specifying mailing list information and directory information, resolve the declarative address into at least one messaging address, transmit the at least one messaging address to the messaging server, where the at least one message address is retrieved based on the specified directory information and mailing list information.

2. The messaging system of claim 1, further comprising:

a database system, coupled to the address resolution module, operable to receive a database query, retrieve at least one messaging address specified by the query and transmit the retrieved at least one messaging address; and

wherein the address resolution module is further operable to generate a database query based on the declarative address, transmit the generated query to a database system, and receive at least one retrieved messaging address from the database system.

3. The messaging system of claim 2, wherein the messaging server is further operable to transmit the message to at least one recipient system corresponding to the at least one messaging address.

4. The messaging system of claim 3, wherein the message is an email message.

5. The messaging system of claim 3, wherein the message is a voice-mail message.

6. The messaging system of claim 3, wherein the message is a fax message.

7. The messaging system of claim 3, wherein the message is a conference call.

8. The messaging system of claim 3, wherein the message is a paging message.

9. A method of messaging, comprising the steps of:

receiving a declarative address associated with a message, the declarative address defined by a sender of the message and specifying at least one recipient for the message based on properties of the recipient, and specifying a mailing list and directory information;

resolving the declarative address into at least one messaging address;

transmitting the message to the at least one messaging address,

where the at least one message address is retrieved based on the specified directory information and mailing list information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the resolving step comprises the steps of:

generating a database query based on the received declarative address; and

retrieving the at least one messaging address from a database using the generated database query.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the message is an e-mail message.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the message is a voice-mail message.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the message is a fax message.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein tie message is a conference call.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the message is a paging message.

16. A declarative address, for specifying messaging addresses, comprising:

an operand and an operator, defined by a sender of a message;

the operand specifying at least one messaging address based on a property associated with at least one message recipient associated with the at least one messaging address, wherein the property relates to information in a directory of message recipients and a mailing list of message recipients; and

the operator specifying an operation to be performed on the at least one messaging address specified by the operand.

17. A method of defining a mailing list of message recipients, comprising the steps of:

specifying a mailing list identifier,

specifying a declarative address, the declarative address specifying message recipients based on properties of the recipients, and the declarative address comprising an operand specifying at least one messaging address based on a property associated with at least one message recipient associated with the at least one messaging address, wherein the property relates to information in a directory of message recipients and a mailing list of message recipients and an operator, specifying an operation to be performed on the least one messaging address specified by the operand; and

assigning the declarative address to the mailing list identifier.

18. A method of messaging, comprising the steps of:

receiving a declarative address specification, the declarative address defined by a sender of a message and specifying at least one recipient for the message based on properties of the recipient and further specifying directory information and mailing list information;

generating a declarative address based on the received declarative address specification and transmitting the declarative address to an address resolution module;

translating the declarative address into a database query and transmitting the database query to a database system;

retrieving at least one messaging address from the database system based on the query and transmitting the at least one messaging address to the address resolution module; and

transmitting the message to the at least one messaging address.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the message is an e-mail message.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the message is a voice-mail message.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the message is a fax message.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the message is a conference call.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the message is a paging message.