Method and system for providing visual notification in a unified messaging system

• US 6,498,835 B1
• Filed: 02/29/2000
• Issued: 12/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Ameritech Corp. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Skladman, Julia, Chatterley, Bruce A., Peterson, Bruce L., Thornberry, Robert J. Jr., Ng, Alexander Sio-Kay
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US09/514,653
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 379/34, 379/49, 379/51, 379/67.1, 379/74, 379/83, 379/88.04, 379/88.12, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.25, 379/100.05, 379/171, 379/79, 379/82, 379/88.24
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4509 Unified messaging with single point of access to voicemail and other mail or messaging systems unified messaging in packet switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems

Abstract

A method and system for interfacing a legacy e-mail, voice mail and facsimile system into a unified messaging system. The system includes visual message notification for notifying a user of incoming messages. Visual notification may include a flashing light emitting diode and/or text messages. The text messages may include various characteristics of the waiting messages, such as identification of the sender, subject header, message type, time and date received and a like.

Claims

1. A system for visually notifying a user of a message, comprising:

a unified messaging system for integrating a unified messaging system with an incompatible legacy messaging system, said unified messaging system including a unified message server for receiving at least one message from said unified messaging system and for integrating non-compatible messages from a legacy messaging system;

a middleware server configured to poll said legacy messaging system, convert messages from said legacy messaging system to a protocol compatible with said unified messaging system and transmit said messages to said unified messaging system;

a notification server, operatively coupled to the unified message server, for retrieving information regarding the message received by the unified message server; and

a telephone adjunct including an interface for receiving the information from the notification server, the adjunct for displaying the information regarding the message.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface of the telephone adjunct includes a modem.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the telephone adjunct includes a programmable processor for directing the modem to establish a communication session with the notification server.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the message includes information selected from the group consisting of sender identity, subject header, type of message, and time of receipt by the unified message server.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said unified messaging system includes:

at least one proxy interface for accessing at least one legacy messaging system in response to a request from the unified message server to receive the message;

a message protocol converter, operatively associated with the proxy interface, for converting the message stored by the at least one legacy messaging system to a predetermined protocol usable by the unified message server; and

a communication network for transferring the message from the protocol converter to the unified message server.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the telephone adjunct includes means for polling the notification server for the information at predetermined intervals.

6. An apparatus for notifying a user of one or more messages, comprising:

a unified messaging system for integrating a legacy messaging system with a disparate messaging system, said unified messaging system including a notification server for retrieving message information;

a controller for polling the notification server at predetermined intervals to retrieve information from the notification server regarding the messages;

an interface for permitting the controller to receive the information from the notification server;

a memory for storing the retrieved information; and

a display for presenting the retrieved information to the user.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the interface includes a modem for communicating with the notification server.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the modem is configurable by the controller to dial up the notification server over a telephone network according to the predetermined intervals.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising means for connecting to a subscriber telephone line in parallel with a subscriber premises equipment.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the interface includes means for determining whether the subscriber telephone line is in use by a subscriber premises equipment prior to initiating a polling sequence.

11. A telephone adjunct for notifying a user of one or more messages stored at a remote message server, comprising:

means for polling a notification server at predetermined intervals to retrieve information from the notification server regarding the messages, the notification server being operatively coupled to the message server;

means for permitting a controller to receive the information from the notification server;

means for storing the retrieved information; and

means for presenting the retrieved information to the user.

12. A method of providing message notification to a remote user, comprising:

integrating a legacy messaging system with a unified messaging system;

polling said legacy messaging system;

converting messages from said legacy messaging system to protocol compatible with said unified messaging system;

transmitting messages from said legacy messaging system to said unified messaging system;

receiving a message at a message server from said unified messaging system;

generating a file containing predetermined information regarding the received message;

receiving a request for the predetermined information; and

transferring the predetermined information to a telephone adjunct for displaying the predetermined information in response to the request.