Integrated message management method and system

• US 6,987,840 B1
• Filed: 11/06/2001
• Issued: 01/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Garg, Amit, Bosik, Barry S., Patil, Rajeev B., Tuttle, Jeffrey L., Ehlinger, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan, Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US09/992,234
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.17
• US Class Current: 379/88.17
• 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: 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

An integrated message management system that allows a subscriber to retrieve voice mail messages using a voice mail or email server, and that also updates the status of messages on both servers upon retrieval of the message from either server. The voice mail server is accessed via a local exchange carrier, whereas the email server is accessed via the Internet. The email server also notifies the subscriber of the presence of a new message. When the subscriber retrieves a voice mail message, the email server updates the status of the corresponding email message. Similarly, when a subscriber retrieves an email message, the voice mail server updates the status of the corresponding voice mail message. This eliminates the need for a subscriber to manually change the status of corresponding messages to “clean out” a voice mail or email box when the other is accessed.

Claims

1. In a messaging system, a method of handling a voice mail message and an email message of a subscriber comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming call from a caller,

prompting the caller to leave a voice message,

recording the voice message in a voice mail box storage facility on a voice mail server,

recording the retrieval status of the voice message in a voice message status indicator on the voice mail server

sending a copy of the voice message to an email server,

saving the copied voice message in a voice message storage facility on the email server,

recording the retrieval status of the voice message in a voice message status indicator on the email server,

notifying the subscriber of the voice message sent to the email server,

updating the retrieval status of the voice message in the voice message status indicator in the voice mail server and in the voice message status indicator in the email server when the subscriber accesses one of the voice mail and email servers to retrieve the voice message,

receiving an email message through the email server,

storing the email message in an email storage facility on the email server,

sending a copy of the email message to the voice mail server,

converting the email message to an audio format,

saving the converted email message in a converted email storage facility on the voice mail server,

recording the retrieval status of the converted email message in a converted email status indicator in the voice mail server, and

updating the retrieval status of the email message in the email status indicator in the email server and in the converted email status indicator in the voice mail server when the subscriber accesses one of the email or voice mail servers to retrieve the email message and providing an indication as to whether the subscriber is connected to the Internet, and wherein the subscriber is notified of the voice message sent to the email server only if the subscriber is connected to the Internet.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein in said sending a copy of the voice message to the email server step, the copy of the voice message is an audio version of the voice message recorded on the voice mail server.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein in said sending a copy of the voice message to the email server step, the copy of the voice message is a text version of the voice message recorded on the voice mail server.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said converting the email message to an audio format step includes performing text-to-speech conversion.

5. An integrated message management system for processing voice mail messages and email messages including:

a voice mail server that records and stores conventional voice mail messages in a voice mail box storage facility, sends copies of voice mail messages to an email server, and includes a status indicator for each of the voice mail messages stored in the voice mail box storage facility,

an email server that stores voice mail messages as email in a “

voice mail stored as email”

storage facility, sends notice of new voice mail messages to a subscriber, and includes a status indicator for each of the voice mail messages stored as email messages, and

wherein the email server also stores conventional email messages in an email storage facility, sends copies of the email messages to the voice mail server, and includes a status indicator for each of the conventional email messages,

wherein the voice mail server converts the email messages to voice mail messages using a text-to-speech conversion module, stores the converted email messages in an “

email stored as voice mail”

storage facility and includes a status indicator for each converted email message,

a message manager that links together the voice mail server and email server, controls all interaction between the voice mail server and email server, and

updates the retrieval status indicator of a voice mail message on the voice mail server when the subscriber accesses the voice mail message as email on the email server,

updates the retrieval status indicator of the voice mail message as email on the email server when the subscriber accesses the voice mail message on the voice mail server,

updates the retrieval status indicator of the converted email message on the voice mail server when the subscriber accesses the email message on the email server, and

updates the retrieval status indicator of the email message on the email server when the subscriber accesses the converted email message on the voice mail server and a presence server that provides indication as to whether the subscriber is connected to the Internet, and wherein the email server only sends notice to the subscriber if the presence server indicates that the subscriber is connected to the Internet.