Fully redundant call recording

• US 8,150,007 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2007
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Didcock, Clifford N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): King, Simon
• Application Number:
  US11/788,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20080260116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 379/67.1, 379/112.02, 379/221.04
• US Class Current: 379/112.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/241 for stored program controlled exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53383 Message registering commands or announcements; Greetings

Abstract

A system provides redundant telephone call processing. A gateway receives a call and identifies a first server as having primary responsibility for servicing the call and a second server as having secondary responsibility for servicing the call. The gateway communicates the call to both the first server and the second server. The first server initiates recording of a voice message. The first server and the second server record the voice message. If the first server fails to indicate it has completed and stored the voice message in a timely manner, the second server stores the recorded voice message.

Claims

1. A method of recording voice messages performed at least in part on a computing system, comprising:

receiving a call at a gateway;

identifying a plurality of servers to service the call, the identifying a plurality of servers comprising identifying, at a gateway, a first of the plurality of servers with primary responsibility for servicing the call, and identifying, at the first of the plurality of servers, at least a second server of the plurality of servers to have secondary responsibility for servicing the call;

communicating the call to each of the plurality of servers;

recording a voice message at each of the plurality of servers; and

if the first of the plurality of servers fails to timely perform a task in connection with recording the call as detected by the second server, servicing the call at the second of the plurality of servers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a plurality of servers to service the call comprises identifying at least a third server, the third server providing redundant backup to the second server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising wherein recording the call to each of the plurality of servers comprises the first of the plurality of servers communicating its status to the second of the plurality of servers.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first of the plurality of servers communicating its status to the second of the plurality of servers comprises updating a location in memory that is accessible by the second of the plurality of servers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein servicing the call at a second of the plurality of servers comprises recording a voice message and managing storing of the voice message.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the first of the plurality of servers, managing retrieval of a greeting for a called number;

at the first of the plurality of servers, managing playing of the greeting;

at the first of the plurality of servers, managing initiation of recording the voice message; and

at the first of the plurality of servers, managing storing the voice message.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

at the second of the plurality of servers, monitoring tasks performed at the first of the plurality of servers in connection with servicing the call;

at the second of the plurality of servers, identifying a failure to timely perform a task at the first of the plurality of servers; and

at the second of the plurality of servers, assuming responsibility for servicing the telephone call at the second server in response to identifying a failure to timely perform a task at the first of the plurality of servers.

8. The method of claim 7,

wherein identifying a failure to timely perform a task at the first of the plurality of servers comprises identifying a failure to timely manage completion of recording the voice message, and

wherein assuming responsibility for servicing the telephone call comprises managing completion of recording the voice message and storing the voice message.

9. The method of claim 7,

wherein identifying a failure to timely perform a task at the first of the plurality of servers comprises identifying a failure to timely manage storing of the voice message, and

wherein assuming responsibility for servicing the telephone call comprises managing completion of storing the voice message.

10. A system for voice message recording, comprising:

a gateway, said gateway adapted to communicate a voice call to a plurality of servers;

a first server communicatively coupled with said gateway, said first server comprising computer-readable instructions for identifying a second server to have secondary responsibility for servicing a call, receiving a voice call from said gateway, recording a voice message, and storing said voice message; and

a second server communicatively coupled with said gateway and said first server, said second server comprising computer-readable instructions for receiving said call from said gateway, recording said voice message, monitoring tasks performed by said first server, and assuming responsibility for the call if the first server fails to timely complete a task.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said second server comprises computer-readable instructions for storing said voice message if the first server fails to timely complete storing said voice message.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said first server and said second severs are unified messaging servers.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein said gateway is adapted to select said first server.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein said first server comprises computer-readable instructions for communicating its status to said second server.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

identifying, at a gateway, a first server with primary responsibility for servicing a call, and identifying, at the first server, at least a second server to have secondary responsibility for servicing the call;

performing tasks in servicing a phone call at the first server;

monitoring at the second server tasks performed by the first server;

identifying at the second server a failure to timely perform a task at the first server; and

assuming responsibility for servicing the telephone call at the second server in response to identifying a failure to timely perform a task at the first server.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein identifying at the second server a failure to timely perform a task at the first server comprises identifying at a second server a failure to timely perform at least one of the following:

present a recorded greeting;

begin recording of a message; and

complete recording of a message.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein assuming responsibility for servicing the telephone call at the second server in response to identifying a failure to timely perform a task at the first server comprises completing the call.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15, further comprising computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising simultaneously performing at the second server tasks being performed at the first server.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein simultaneously performing at the second server tasks being performed at the first server comprises recording a message at the second server.