Multi-copy, multi-media, non-redundant messaging

• US 7,305,069 B1
• Filed: 07/20/2004
• Issued: 12/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Day, Mark Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US10/894,931
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/203, 709/204, 709/227, 379/88.17, 379/88.22, 379/88.13, 379/88.25, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects

Abstract

Presently disclosed are apparatus and methods for coordinating the delivery of messages and/or message notifications among multiple messaging media and message services so that the successful delivery of one copy of a message results in the deletion of other, redundant message copies still in transit to the recipient and the cancellation of any other message waiting notifications still pending. The system may be implemented with a network-connected device (such as but not limited to a server, switch, or router) containing or having connected to it a user interface, a coordination server, and a plurality of message services. Embodiments of the invention thus provide message delivery management that is more user-friendly, computationally- and resource-efficient and more adaptable to changing user preferences and user locations/addresses.

Claims

1. A method of preventing delivery of redundant message copies, comprising:

receiving a message;

logging said message in a coordination server;

formatting multiple copies of said message;

transmitting said multiple copies to a plurality of message services; and

upon receipt of one of said message copies in one of said message services;

determining if said message has been delivered by referring to said coordination server and deleting said message if said message has been delivered,

otherwise delivering said message and updating said coordination server;

wherein said formatting comprises associating metadata with said message and wherein said determining comprises using said metadata to identify said coordination server and said message;

wherein formatting comprises associating metadata with said message, the metadata identifying a network address of the coordination server, the coordination server configured to log a delivery status of the message and wherein said determining comprises using the network address of said metadata to establish a communications connection with said coordination server to detect the delivery status of the message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding metadata to each message copy, the metadata indicative of said coordination server; and

using the metadata at least in part to determine whether to forward or to delete said message copy.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising using said metadata to determine if said message copy has already been delivered.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining further comprises querying the coordination server to detect if the coordination server has logged the message as having been delivered.

5. A system for preventing delivery of redundant message copies, comprising:

a user interface connected to a network and configured to receive a message from a sender;

a coordination server operably connected to said user interface;

a plurality of message services connected to said network, each said message service configured to receive a copy of said message under control of said user interface and to communicate with said coordination server to determine whether to deliver or to delete said copy;

wherein each said message copy comprises metadata indicative of said coordination server, said metadata being added by said system and used at least in part to determine whether to forward or to delete said message copy;

wherein the metadata further identifies a network address of the coordination server, the coordination server configured to log a delivery status of the message and wherein the network address of the metadata is further used by a message service to establish a communications connection with said coordination server to detect the delivery status of the message in order to determine whether to forward or to delete said message copy.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said network comprises at least one intermediary device configured to communicate with said coordination server, said intermediary device further configured to determine whether to forward or to delete said copy based on communicating with said coordination server.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein said intermediary device comprises a router.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein said coordination server is connected to said user interface and said plurality of message services via one or more network connections.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein each said message service further comprises means for updating said coordination server after message delivery or deletion.

10. A method of preventing delivery of redundant messages, comprising:

obtaining information from a coordination server prior to delivering a message;

using said information for determining if said message has been delivered; and

;

if said message has already been delivered, deleting said message;

otherwise, if said message has not already been delivered, delivering said message and updating said coordination server;

further comprising;

upon receiving said message, reading metadata associated with said message; and

using said metadata in said determining if said message has been delivered;

wherein the metadata identifies a network address of the coordination server, the coordination server configured to log a delivery status of the message and wherein using said metadata further comprises using the network address of the metadata to establish a communications connection with said coordination server to detect.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising using metadata at least in part to determine whether to forward or to delete said message, each said message comprising metadata indicative of said coordination server.

12. A message service apparatus for preventing delivery of redundant message copies, comprising:

a network interface configured to receive a message copy;

a decision agent operably connected to said network interface and configured to determine if said message copy has already been delivered by referring to a coordination server and to delete said message copy if said message copy has already been delivered; and

delivery means connected to said decision agent and configured to deliver said message copy when so directed by said decision agent;

wherein each said message copy comprises metadata indicative of said coordination server, said metadata used at least in part to determine whether to forward or to delete said message copy;

wherein the metadata further identifies a network address of the coordination server, the coordination server configured to log a delivery status of the message copy and wherein the apparatus is configured to use the metadata to establish a communications connection with the coordination server to detect the delivery status of the message in order to determine whether to forward or to delete said message copy.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said coordination server is accessible through said network interface.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said decision agent uses said metadata to determine if said message copy has already been delivered.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

each said message copy comprises metadata indicative of a message set;

said message set has as members two or more related messages; and

said metadata used at least in part to determine whether to forward or to delete other members of said message set.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising means for updating said coordination server after said message delivery or deletion.

17. A method of preventing delivery of redundant message copies in plurality of message copies sent to a respective plurality of message services, comprising:

connecting to a coordination server;

logging data about said plurality of message and said respective plurality of message services copies in a data store, said data store is provided on said coordination server;

receiving a delivery notification from one of said message services;

identifying a delivering message service as having supplied said delivery notification by referring to said data store; and

preventing each of said plurality of message services excepting said delivering message service from delivering said message copies, said preventing comprises deleting said message instead of forwarding it in response to identifying the delivering message service as having supplied said delivery notifications;

wherein said logging comprises receiving and storing metadata and said identifying utilizes said metadata;

wherein the metadata identifies a network address of the coordination server, and wherein utilizing said metadata further comprises using the network address of the metadata to establish a communications connection with said coordination server to identify the delivering message service as having supplied said delivery notification.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said preventing comprises causing deletion of said message copies.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein utilizing metadata comprises using metadata at least in part to determine whether to forward or to delete said message copies, each said message copy comprising metadata indicative of said coordination server.

20. A server apparatus for preventing delivery of redundant message copies, comprising:

a network interface configured to receive a message from a sender on a network;

a coordination server connected to said network interface;

a message formatter connected to said network interface and to a user interface configured to receive said message and to format said message to form a formatted message;

a message copier configured to replicate said formatted message into multiple copies for transmission across a network to a plurality of destination message services;

a management engine operably connected to said coordination server and said network and configured to log a delivery notification received from one of said destination message services, and, on receipt of said delivery notification, transmitting a delete command to all said destination message services using said network; and

a user interface operably connected to said message formatter, said message copier, said coordination server, and said management engine and configured to provide user control

each said formatted message comprises metadata indicative of a message set;

said message set has as members two or more related messages; and

said metadata used at least in part to determine whether to forward or to delete other members of said message set.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein each said formatted message comprises metadata indicative of said coordination server, said metadata used at least in part to determine whether to forward or to delete said message copy.