Synchronization in unified messaging systems

• US 8,335,498 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2011
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Inventors: Vendrow, Vlad, Shmunis, Vlad
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US13/281,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20120042011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 707/622, 707/620, 709/246, 709/206, 709/218, 370/503, 379/88.13, 379/93.24, 358/1.15, 455/416, 455/414.1, 726/26, 714/4, 714/20
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/65 Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party in the exchange H04M3/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5315 where the non-audio components are still images or video still image mailbox systems H04N1/324, intermediate storage of video signals for videophones H04N7/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

In one embodiment, a server maintains a plurality of fax messages associated with a user. Each fax message of the plurality of fax messages has a state that indicates at least a status of read or unread for the fax message. A HTTP connection is established between the server and a phone that serves as a client through which the plurality of fax messages are viewable. States of one or more fax messages are identified at the server and at the phone that serves as the client. One or more synchronization actions are performed, using the HTTP connection, to synchronize the one or more fax messages at the server and the one or more corresponding fax messages at the phone that serves as the client.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

maintaining, by a server that includes one or more processors, a plurality of fax messages associated with a user, each fax message of the plurality of fax messages having a state that indicates at least a status of read or unread for the fax message;

automatically deleting fax messages of the plurality of fax messages after a predetermined amount of time;

causing a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) connection to be established between the server and a phone that serves as a client through which the plurality of fax messages are viewable;

identifying states of one or more fax messages at the server;

identifying states of one or more corresponding fax messages at the phone that serves as the client; and

performing one or more synchronization actions, using the HTTP connection, to synchronize the one or more fax messages at the server and the one or more corresponding fax messages at the phone that serves as the client, wherein the one or more synchronization actions include;

when a new fax message has been added at the server, cause the new fax message to be added at the phone that serves as the client,

when the state of a particular fax message at the server has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the particular fax message at the phone that serves as the client indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the particular fax message at the phone that serves as the client to be changed to also indicate the status of read,

when the state of a particular fax message at the phone that serves as the client has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the particular fax message at the server indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the particular fax message at the server to also be changed to indicate the status of read, and

when an existing fax message has been deleted at the server, cause the existing fax message to be deleted at the phone that serves as the client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more synchronization actions further include:

when an existing fax message has been deleted at the phone that serves as the client, delete the existing fax message at the server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more synchronization actions further include:

when the state of a certain fax message at the server has been changed to indicate a status of unread, and the state of the certain fax message at the phone that serves as the client indicates a status of read, cause the state of the certain fax message at the phone that serves as the client to be changed to also indicate the status of unread.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the maintaining further comprises storing the plurality of fax messages on the server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the maintaining further comprises storing information indicating where the plurality of fax messages are stored on an external server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing one or more synchronization actions further comprises:

generating a unique identifier (ID) for the one or more synchronization actions that is saved at both the server and at the phone that serves as the client.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing one or more synchronization actions further comprises:

receiving a unique identifier (ID) from the phone that serves as the client, the received unique ID associated with a prior synchronization;

comparing the received unique ID with a unique ID stored at the server; and

proceeding with the one or more synchronization actions provided the received unique ID corresponds to the unique ID stored at the server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying states of one or more fax messages at the server further comprises:

accessing the one or more fax messages at the server; and

returning a response to the phone that serves as the client that includes the state of each of the one or more fax messages at the server.

9. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when executed by a server that includes one or more processors, cause performance of a method comprising:

maintaining, by the server that includes one or more processors, a plurality of fax messages associated with a user, each fax message of the plurality of fax messages having a state that indicates at least a status of read or unread for the fax message;

automatically deleting fax messages of the plurality of fax messages after a predetermined amount of time;

causing a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) connection to be established between the server and a phone that serves as a client through which the plurality of fax messages are viewable;

identifying states of one or more fax messages at the server;

identifying states of one or more corresponding fax messages at the phone that serves as the client; and

performing one or more synchronization actions, using the HTTP connection, to synchronize the one or more fax messages at the server and the one or more corresponding fax messages at the phone that serves as the client, wherein the one or more synchronization actions include;

when a new fax message has been added at the server, cause the new fax message to be added at the phone that serves as the client,

when the state of a particular fax message at the server has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the particular fax message at the phone that serves as the client indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the particular fax message at the phone that serves as the client to be changed to also indicate the status of read,

when the state of a particular fax message at the phone that serves as the client has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the particular fax message at the server indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the particular fax message at the server to also be changed to indicate the status of read, and

when an existing fax message has been deleted at the server, cause the existing fax message to be deleted at the phone that serves as the client.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the one or more synchronization actions further include:

when an existing fax message has been deleted at the phone that serves as the client, delete the existing fax message at the server.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the one or more synchronization actions further include:

when the state of a certain fax message at the server has been changed to indicate a status of unread, and the state of the certain fax message at the phone that serves as the client indicates a status of read, cause the state of the certain fax message at the phone that serves as the client to be changed to also indicate the status of unread.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the maintaining further comprises storing the plurality of fax messages on the server.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the maintaining further comprises storing information indicating where the plurality of fax messages are stored on an external server.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the performing one or more synchronization actions further comprises:

generating a unique identifier (ID) for the one or more synchronization actions that is saved at both the server and at the phone that serves as the client.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the performing one or more synchronization actions further comprises:

receiving a unique identifier (ID) from the phone that serves as the client, the received unique ID associated with a prior synchronization;

comparing the received unique ID with a unique ID stored at the server; and

proceeding with the one or more synchronization actions provided the received unique ID corresponds to the unique ID stored at the server.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the identifying states of one or more fax messages at the server further comprises:

accessing the one or more fax messages at the server; and

returning a response to the phone that serves as the client that includes the state of each of the one or more fax messages at the server.