Unified rules for voice and messaging

• US 8,068,588 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2007
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shtiegman, Eran, Ramanathan, Rajesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US11/768,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20090003542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,617 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.16, 379/88.17, 379/93.05, 370/352, 370/329, 370/357, 370/401, 370/471, 704/260, 707/622, 709/228, 709/204, 709/247
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• 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 1/64 Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations centralised dictation systems H04M11/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates managing an incoming data communication in connection with unified communications. A unified communications component can employ unified communications for a data communication with at least the following data communication modes: an email data communication mode, a voice data communication mode, and a voicemail data communication mode. A unified rules component can automatically redirect the data communication to a delegate for receipt based upon a universal rule, the universal rule is uniformly applicable to at least two of the email data communication mode, the voice data communication mode, or the voicemail data communication mode.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a unified communications component configured to employ unified communications for a data communication with at least an email data communication mode, a voice data communication mode, and a voicemail data communication mode; and

a unified rules component configured to automatically redirect the data communication to a delegate for receipt based upon a universal rule, the universal rule being uniformly applicable to at least two of the email data communication mode, the voice data communication mode, or the voicemail data communication mode.

2. The system of claim 1, modes of the data communication further including at least one of an audio data communication mode, a fax data communication mode, a video data communication mode, an instant messaging data communication mode, a desktop sharing data communication mode, or an application sharing data communication mode.

3. The system of claim 1, the unified communications component including an integrated enterprise communication client configured to provide real-time communications utilizing unified communications.

4. The system of claim 3, the unified communications component configured to use a server in order to provide unified communications.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a block component configured to enforce uniform blocking of a data communication independent of at least one of a data communication mode or a data communication format.

6. The system of claim 5, the block component configured to block an unwanted data communication from a sender based upon identification of the unwanted data communication as at least one of spam, junk, unwanted, or unsolicited.

7. The system of claim 6, the block component configured to block an incoming data communication in an additional data communication mode from the sender.

8. The system of claim 1, the unified rules component configured to allow the universal rule to be set with a single entry point in a single interface.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a settings component configured to facilitate defining at least one setting associated with the universal rule.

10. The system of claim 9, the setting including at least one of a data communication mode applicability, a delegate assignment, a delayed delegation, a logging, or a junk applicability for the data communication mode.

11. The system of claim 9, the setting including at least one of a receipt setting, a monitoring of delegated communications, a privacy setting, a security setting, a portion of a permission related to an owner, or a portion of a permission related to a delegate.

12. The system of claim 1, the delegate to receive a data communication in a plurality of data communication modes within unified communications based at least in part upon the universal rule.

13. The system of claim 1, the delegate including at least one of a machine, a network, a server, an application, a business, a corporation, a client, an enterprise, a website, or a device.

14. The system of claim 1, the universal rule configured to enable delegation of a data communication between a plurality of server applications and a plurality of client applications.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

storing a universal rule for delegation within unified communications;

employing the universal rule for delegation within unified communications; and

redirecting, via a network, an incoming data communication, independent of a corresponding data communication mode, to a delegate based at least in part upon the universal rule.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising implementing the data communication mode as at least one of an email data communication mode, a voice data communication mode, a voicemail data communication mode, an instant messenger data communication mode, an audio data communication mode, or a video data communication mode.

17. The method of claim 15, comprising delegating a data communication among a plurality of server applications and a plurality of client applications based on the universal rule.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying a data communication from a sender, the data communication having a corresponding data communication mode, as unwanted;

blocking a future data communication in the corresponding data communication mode from the sender; and

blocking a future data communication from the sender in an additional data communication mode.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

identifying a data communication in a corresponding data communication mode as wanted;

unblocking at least one of the data communication in the corresponding data communication or a sender of the data communication; and

unblocking a future data communication from the sender in an additional data communication mode.

20. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a computing device to facilitate execution of operations comprising:

receiving a data communication in one of multiple communication modes; and

based on a rule applying to all of the multiple data communication modes, automatically redirecting the data communication to a delegate.