Notification system for multimedia messaging systems

• US 6,556,666 B1
• Filed: 05/05/1998
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Information & Communication Networks, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Beyda, William Joseph, Shaffer, Shmuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foster, Roland G.
• Application Number:
  US09/073,099
• Time in Patent Office: 1,820 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.08, 379/88.09, 379/88.11, 379/88.12, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.15, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.25, 379/88.27, 379/88.28, 379/93.24, 379/100.01, 379/201, 379/214, 379/201.01, 379/214.01, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/211.03, 455/413
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/65 Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party in the exchange H04M3/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/10 Providing fault- or trouble-signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

A system and method within a multimedia messaging system for automatically enabling the system to notify a user that his or her mailbox is full and therefore no longer accepting messages for storage. The system includes one or more mailboxes to receive and store messages from callers, a capacity calculator to determine whether the messages stored in the mailbox exceed the allotted amount of storage space and a message transmittal unit to enable one or more notification alerts to be generated in response to the capacity calculator determining that the mailbox is full.

Claims

1. A multimedia messaging system, comprising:

a mailbox adapted to receive and store one or more messages;

a message transmittal unit responsive to said mailbox receiving said one or more messages to enable one or more notification messages in a plurality of media formats to be generated, said one or more notification messages indicative of whether said mailbox can store any more calls; and

a user alert table to store the one or more locations where the said one or more notification message are to be sent;

wherein said message transmittal unit Is adapted to generate said one or more notification messages indicative of whether said mailbox can store any more calls in a plurality of media formats serially to the one or more locations if a user does not pick up at a previous one of said one or more locations.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said one or more locations includes user contact information.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said contact information includes one or more electronic mail addresses.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said contact information includes one or more facsimile numbers.

5.The system of claim 4 wherein said contact information includes one or more voice telephone numbers.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said contact information includes one or more pager numbers.