Automated system and method for delivery of messages and processing of message responses

• US 8,566,410 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2011
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vesta Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dialogic Communications Corporation (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Charles M, St. Clair, Harold D
• Primary Examiner(s): Kyle, Tamara T
• Application Number:
  US13/165,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20110289170A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 706/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

An automated system for delivery of messages to multiple recipients, and for processing of responses to the messages, includes a message client, message server, and a system database. A message is created using a universal message form. The message content can be translated into multiple formats and sent to one or more different recipients using one or more different types of messaging devices, including pagers, e-mail readers, telephones, cellular telephones, personal computers, fax machines, and voice mail systems. A recipient profile manager allows each recipient to select the messaging devices to be used for message delivery as well as preferred messaging schedules, priorities, and message security. Receipt of the messages by the recipients is verified, response requirements collected and consolidated from multiple sources and presented to the message originator in a structured format.

Claims

1. A method of delivering a message to one or more recipients using at least one messaging device, the method comprising:

receiving a universal message form from a message client, the universal message form comprising message content and at least one recipient;

the message content containing at least one response prompt;

automatically accessing recipient profiles stored in a database, the recipient profiles comprising data indicative of a location of the recipient and further indicative of one or more of;

communication devices associated with the at least one recipient, communication device groups associated with at least one of the communication devices associated with the at least one recipient, and schedule information, where the communication device groups are associated with the schedule information;

generating one or more formatted messages in a message server based on the universal message form, wherein generating the one or more formatted messages includes;

identifying a response field included in the universal message form;

generating a formatted response field based on the identified response field and a type of communication device selected by the recipients in the recipient profiles; and

adding the formatted response field to the one or more formatted messages;

transmitting, at a point in time, one of the one or more formatted messages to each messaging device within the communication device group associated with a portion of the schedule encompassing the point in time;

receiving in the message server one or more message responses from the message recipients, the message server associating the one or more message responses with the message content; and

providing a message response summary, the message response summary comprising a listing of message content and associated message responses.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the message responses in a database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the messaging devices include pagers, e-mail readers, telephones, cellular telephones, personal computers, fax machines, and voice mail systems.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a type of messaging device used by the recipients to send one of the one or more message responses is different from a type of messaging device to which the message was delivered.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the formatted messages are configured to directly accept a message response of the one or more message responses in the formatted message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message responses are in a format different from that of the received message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the universal message form further comprises a sensitivity level associated with the message content.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the universal messaging form is translated into one or more formatted messages where message content not associated with a high sensitivity level is included in the formatted message, and message content associated with a high sensitivity is replaced by message retrieval instructions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the message response further comprises information uniquely identifying at least the universal message form and the message recipient responding.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the uniquely identifying information is not available to the message recipient.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a message receipt summary indicating which of the message recipients have responded.

12. A method of delivering a message to one or more recipients using at least one messaging device, the method comprising:

receiving a universal message form from a message client, the universal message form comprising a header and a body, the header including data identifying the one or more recipients, and the body including message content and wherein the body is initially empty, and wherein response fields are added by a sender of the universal message, to the initially empty body of the universal message form;

embedding at least one sender-defined response field in the universal message form, the response field directly accepting message responses in a recipient-created format;

automatically accessing recipient profiles stored in a database, the recipient profiles comprising data indicative of a recipient'"'"'s location and schedule, communication device groups associated with the one or more recipients, and one or more types of messaging device available for receiving the message based upon a current time and the data indicative of the recipient'"'"'s location and schedule;

translating in a message server the universal message form into one or more formatted messages, where the formatting applied to a given message corresponds to a type of communication device selected by the recipients in the recipient profiles;

transmitting, at a point in time, the one or more formatted messages to each of the messaging device selected by the recipient in the recipient profile within the communication device group associated with portion of the schedule encompassing the point in time;

receiving in the message server the message responses entered by each of the message recipients in the response fields, the message server associating the message responses with the message content; and

providing a message response summary, the message response summary comprising a listing of identification of the recipients, the message content, the message responses associated with each of the recipients, and identification of the messaging devices used to deliver the one or more formatted messages.