Unified messenging system and method
First Claim
1. A unified messaging method, comprising:
- a sender email server attaching an audio file to an email message;
the sender email server forwarding the email message to a repository server, wherein the email message is directed from a sender to a recipient;
the repository server receiving the email message;
the repository server storing the email message and the audio file in a message store, wherein the message store is remote from the sender email server and remote from a recipient email server;
the repository server receiving a request to access the audio file from the recipient email server; and
the repository server making the audio file available to the recipient by calling the recipient.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods for unified messaging are described herein. In an embodiment, a repository server includes a message store. According to one method implemented by the repository server, a voice message is sent as part of an email message. In an embodiment, preprocessing is performed before sending the email, including but not limited to inserting information, data, links, voice mail audio files, and voice mail transcriptions in the email. A copy of the preprocessed email is stored in the message store with an authentication key. The authentication key is used, for example by a recipient of the email, to access voice mail audio files that may not be accessible on the recipient'"'"'s device.
178 Citations
42 Claims
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1. A unified messaging method, comprising:
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a sender email server attaching an audio file to an email message; the sender email server forwarding the email message to a repository server, wherein the email message is directed from a sender to a recipient; the repository server receiving the email message; the repository server storing the email message and the audio file in a message store, wherein the message store is remote from the sender email server and remote from a recipient email server; the repository server receiving a request to access the audio file from the recipient email server; and the repository server making the audio file available to the recipient by calling the recipient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A unified messaging system, comprising:
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a network; a sender email server coupled to the network; a recipient email server coupled to the network; a repository server coupled to the network and separate from the sender and recipient email servers, the repository server comprising; a message store that stores email messages transmitted via either the sender or recipient email server; and a manager/preprocessor module configurable to store the email messages in the message store, and to associate an authentication key with each of the email messages; and an out-call server coupled to the manager/preprocessor module and to the network, wherein the out-call server is configured to place a call to a phone number received from a recipient of a selected email message, to access a copy of the selected email message in the message store, including a copy of an audio file attachment to the selected email, and to play the audio file attachment during the call to the recipient. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed in a messaging system, cause the system to perform a unified messaging method, the method comprising:
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attaching a voice message to an email message, wherein the voice message comprises an audio file; forwarding the email message to a repository server, wherein the email message is directed from a sender to a recipient, and wherein the repository server is remote from a sender or recipient email server; receiving the email message at the repository server; storing a copy of the email message and a copy of the voice message in a message store, wherein the message store is a component of the repository server; sending the email message from the repository server to a recipient; receiving a request from the recipient email server to access the audio file; in response to the request, accessing the copy of the voice message in the message store; and calling a recipient device and playing the voice message on the recipient device. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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Specification