Message store architecture

• US 6,580,786 B1
• Filed: 09/11/2000
• Issued: 06/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yarlagadda, Madhu
• Primary Examiner(s): WEAVER, SCOTT LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US09/659,233
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/88.08, 379/88.09, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.22, 379/90.01, 379/201.01, 379/201.02, 379/201.12, 709/201, 709/212, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/10, 709/200
• US Class Current: 379/88.17
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/50 Telephonic communication in combination with video communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5315 where the non-audio components are still images or video still image mailbox systems H04N1/324, intermediate storage of video signals for videophones H04N7/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A unified, intelligent message store is scalable and is optimized to provide both streaming and non-streaming data, as required, to telephony and web-based applications. A message application server (MAS) includes an expandable number of message pools, each message pool having message blocks that can be linked to store variable length messages. Multiple MASs can be used to extend the system.

Claims

1. A scalable message store comprising:

a telephony access server that receives a user request for a message, with the user identified by a user number, and provides streaming access to message data of the message;

a web access server that receives a user request for the message, with the user identified by the user number, and provides non-streaming access to message data of the message;

a message file that stores message data, with the message file including a plurality of message records, each message record including a message block header and message data;

a user record file including a plurality of user records, each record including a user profile section and a message directory section;

a record mapping table, accessed by either the telephony or web access server to obtain an index to a user record based on the user number;

with the telephony access server or web access server utilizing the index to access the user record for the user and accessing the message directory for that user to obtain a pointer to a message record having message data requested in the user request to either the telephony access server or web access server, wherein the message block header of the obtained message record includes a pointer to another message record including additional message data of the requested message if the message data of the requested message spans additional message records.

2. The message store of claim 1 further comprising:

a cache for a user record accessed for a current user; and

a least recently used queue for flushing stale records from the cache.

3. The message store of claim 2 further comprising:

a class of service file, including a plurality of class of service records, each holding the definition of a class of service;

and with the profile section of the user record holding a field indicating a class of service record associated with the user.

4. A scalable message store comprising:

a telephony access server that receives a user request, with the user identified by a user number, and provides streaming access to message data;

a web access server that receives a user request, with the user identified by the user number, and provides non-streaming access to message data;

a message file that stores message data, with the message file including a plurality of message records, each message record including a message block header and message data;

user record file including a plurality of user records, each record including a user profile section and a message directory section;

a record mapping table, accessed by either the telephony or web access server to obtain an index to a user record based on the user number;

with the telephony access server or web access server utilizing the index to access the user record for the user and accessing the message directory to obtain a pointer to a message record having message data requested by the user; and

a message record header having a reference count field indicating the number of references to message record.

5. A scalable message store comprising:

a plurality of message access servers, each message access server including;

a telephony access server that receives a user request for a message, with the user identified by a user number, and provides streaming access to message data of the message;

a web access server that receives a user request for the message, with the user identified by the user number, and provides non-streaming access to message data of the message;

an expandable set of message files that stores message data, with a message file including a plurality of message records, each message record including a message block header and message data;

a user record file including a plurality of user records, each record including a user profile section and a message directory section;

a record mapping table, accessed by either the telephony or web access server to obtain an index to a user record based on the user number, with the telephony access server or web access server utilizing the index to access the user record for the user and accessing the message directory to obtain a pointer to a message record having message data requested in the user request to either the telephony access server or web access server, wherein the message block header of the obtained message record includes a pointer to another message record including additional message data of the requested message if the message data of the requested message spans additional message records; and

a message forwarding module having a message forward and store queue that holds messages to be forwarded and forwards messages to other message access servers when the other message access server is ready to receive messages; and

a user database having records associating each user with a single home message access server.

6. A method for storing messages, the method comprising:

storing message data in a plurality of message records, wherein a message record comprises a message header;

storing user records, including message directory information, in a user record file;

in response to a user request;

mapping the user to a user record in the user record file based on a user number;

accessing the user record;

providing the user information identifying messages having entries in the message directory;

in response to the user selecting a message, using the entry in the message directory to access a message record including message data for the message requested in the user request, wherein a message header of the obtained message record includes a pointer to another message record including additional message data of the requested message if the message data of the requested message spans additional message records;

providing streaming access to the message data to telephony applications in response to the user request; and

providing non-streaming access to web applications in response to the user request.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the acts of:

caching an accessed user record; and

flushing least recently used records from the cache when space is required to store a new record.

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

marking a user record in the cache as dirty when the user record is modified; and

periodically flushing dirty records to memory to maintain coherence between the cache and memory.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

incrementing a reference count in the message record header if the message is shared by another user; and

decrementing the reference count if a user sharing the message record deletes the message.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

adding new message record files when extra message records are required to service additional users.