Unified messaging architecture

• US 7,551,727 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2005
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Howell, David A, Fong, David T
• Primary Examiner(s): SING, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US11/087,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20060083358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 379/13, 379/14, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.25
• US Class Current: 379/88.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/205 Broadcasting broadcasting in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/358 Digital rights management
• 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 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6009 Personal information, e.g. profiles or personal directories being only provided to authorised persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/385 using speech signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message

Abstract

A system and/or methodology that unifies a telephonic communication component and/or system with a data (e.g., messaging) server component and/or system. The system can facilitate telephonically accessing rich information in the server (e.g., messaging server). This rich information can include email content, calendar content, contacts information, or the like. Moreover, with access to an application programming interface, the invention can add functionality to initiate email communications as well as to accept or cancel meetings. Furthermore, the invention can synchronize messages of disparate formats. By way of example a user can set an “Out of Office” (OOF) status on both an email systems and telephone voicemail system from one location in one action. In another aspect, it will be appreciated that any message or data component can be analyzed, transformed, matched and/or communicated from one system to another (e.g., server to telephone) in accordance with the subject invention.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates rendering communications, comprising:

a component that receives from a first device a message of a first media format; and

a unified messaging component that analyzes the message and converts the message to a second media format that corresponds to a target device that conveys the message, wherein the message in the first media format has a restricted access that prevents the message from being forwarded, the conversion maintains the restricted access such that the message is prevented from being forwarded in the second media format, the message is a multipage fax having a first page and remaining pages, conversion to the second media format converts the first page of the multipage fax separately from the remaining pages of the multipage fax, the first page does not have the restricted access, the remaining pages are restricted to have access by only a recipient specified in the multipage fax.

2. The system of claim 1, the converted message is an e-mail communication.

3. The system of claim 2, the content of the e-mail communication and multipage fax are date and time synchronized.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a fax media processing component that separates the first page of the multipage fax from the remaining pages of the multipage fax.

5. A system that facilitates rendering communications, comprising:

a component that receives from a first device a message of a first media format; and

a unified messaging component that analyzes the message and converts the message to a second media format that corresponds to a target device that conveys the message, wherein the message in the first media format has a restricted access that prevents the message from being forwarded, the conversion maintains the restricted access such that the message is prevented from being forwarded in the second media format, wherein the message is a calendar event, the unified messaging component conveys content of the calendar event to an individual via telephone, the calendar event is at least a meeting invitation, the unified messaging component receives an audio instruction from an individual via telephone to accept the meeting invitation, reformats the meeting invitation and populates a calendar with the reformatted meeting invitation.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein content of the reformatted meeting invitation is synchronized with content of the meeting invitation.

7. The system of claim 5, the calendar event further comprising a meeting modification or meeting cancellation, the unified messaging component receives an audio instruction from an individual via telephone to reformat the meeting modification or meeting cancellation and populate the calendar with the modification or cancellation.

8. The system of claim 5, the unified messaging component further enables initiation of an email via telephone to meeting participants.

9. A method of converting communications, the method comprising:

receiving a message of a first media format from a first device;

analyzing the message of the first media format and transforming the message to a second format that corresponds to a target device that conveys the message, wherein the message in the first media format has a restricted access that prevents the message from being forwarded, the transformation maintains the restricted access such that the message is prevented from being forwarded in the second media format, wherein analyzing the message of the first media format includes inferring portions of the message that are most important to be conveyed in the second media format of the message and producing a condensed version of the message in the second media format comprising only the inferred portions; and

synchronizing the date and time of the messages of the first and second media formats.

10. The method of claim 9, the second media format is at least one of a voicemail communication or an e-mail communication.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein analyzing the message of the first media format includes inferring messages that are most important and filtering or sorting the messages according to importance, the messages transformed to the second media format comprising the filtered or sorted messages.

12. The method of claim 11, the second media format is at least one of a voicemail communication or an e-mail communication, the import ant messages transformed to the second media format are audibly rendered to an individual via a telephone.

13. A method of converting communications, the method comprising:

receiving a message of a first media format from a first device;

analyzing the message of the first media format and transforming the message to a second format that corresponds to a target device that conveys the message, the message in the first media format has a restricted access that prevents the message from being forwarded, the transformation maintains the restricted access such that the message is prevented from being forwarded in the second media format;

synchronizing the date and time of the messages of the first and second media formats;

conveying the transformed message to an individual via telephone call, the content of an electronic calendar is the message of the first media format and the target device is a telephone; and

automatically transferring the individual'"'"'s call to a telephone at a location of a meeting conveyed by the content of the electronic calendar selected by the individual.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving audio instructions from an individual via telephone;

reformatting the audio instructions; and

populating the event calendar with the reformatted audio instructions.

15. The method of claim 14, the content of the reformatted audio instructions is synchronized with content of the audio instructions.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising initiating targeted or broadcast email to one or more participants of the meeting by the individual via telephone.

17. A system that facilitates matching messages of disparate formats, the system configured to:

receive a message of a first media format from a first device;

analyze the message and transform the message to a second media format that corresponds to a target device that conveys the message, wherein the message in the first media format has a restricted access that prevents the message from being forwarded, the transformation maintains the restricted access such that the message is prevented from being forwarded in the second media format, the target device is at least a voicemail system comprising a selection from a plurality of profiles corresponding to a plurality of voicemail systems, each profile defines corresponding navigation keys for a distinct voicemail system, the selection of a profile enables the corresponding navigation keys for navigating the voicemail system.

18. The system of claim 17, a user specific profile is defined with user specified navigation keys for navigating the voicemail system.

19. The system of claim 17, the target device further comprising a telephonic communication system and the message of the first media format originates from an electronic calendar.

20. The system of claim 19, further configured to

receive audio instructions from an individual via the telephonic communication system;

reformat the audio instructions; and

populate the electronic calendar with the reformatted audio instructions.