Method and system for interfacing systems unified messaging with legacy systems located behind corporate firewalls

• US 8,687,773 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2007
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation), RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), Northern Telecom Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Skladman, Julia, Thornberry, Robert J. Jr., Chatterley, Bruce A., Ng, Alexander Siu-Kay, Peterson, Bruce L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Islam, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Van D
• Application Number:
  US11/651,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20070274473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,640 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.22, 379/88.25, 379/908, 379/88.14, 455/415, 455/461, 726/11, 395/187.01, 709/206
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4509 Unified messaging with single point of access to voicemail and other mail or messaging systems unified messaging in packet switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/908 Multimedia

Abstract

A system and method for interfacing unified message processing systems with legacy voice mail, e-mail and facsimile systems, located behind corporate firewalls. The system includes a unified message server, a proxy interface and a message protocol convertor. The proxy interface is configured to access the legacy system in response to a request from a unified message server. Messages stored on the legacy system are converted by a protocol convertor to a predetermined format compatible with the unified message server. The converted messages are then transferred to a unified message server which is capable of providing messages from different messaging system, such as voice mail, e-mail and facsimile to users in a predetermined format. The invention permits enterprise wide communication systems to provide unified messaging without abandoning pre-existing legacy messaging system.

Claims

1. A messaging system, comprising:

a unified message server to provide messages from different messaging systems to users in a predetermined format;

a first firewall server to provide a first firewall between the unified messaging server and a public network;

a second firewall server to provide a second firewall between an enterprise network and the public network;

a proxy interface, coupled to the enterprise network, to access a legacy messaging system coupled to the enterprise network in response to a request receiving from the unified message server from via the public network; and

a message protocol converter, coupled to the enterprise network, to convert messages stored by the legacy messaging system to a predetermined protocol usable by the unified message server;

wherein the unified message server supports a web page user interface enabling a user to specify the predetermined format selected from an e-mail format, a cellular telephony format, and a public switch telephony format.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising program instructions for accessing the legacy messaging system through the second firewall from behind the first firewall.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the program instructions include processor executable program instructions for configuring the second firewall to accept remote queries from the unified message server that are directed to the legacy messaging system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the legacy messaging system is selected from a voice mail system and an email system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the proxy interface includes a data file containing predetermined user information for accessing the legacy messaging system.

6. A system for providing unified messaging services, comprising:

a unified message server to provide messages from disparate messaging systems to users in a predetermined format;

a first firewall to provide a first firewall between the unified message server and a public network;

a legacy email system, connected to an enterprise network, to receive and store email messages;

a legacy voice mail system, connected to the enterprise network, to receive and store voice mail messages;

a second firewall to provide a second firewall between the enterprise network and the public network;

a middleware server, connected to the enterprise network, including;

an email proxy interface to access the legacy email system in response to a first request of the unified message server received from the unified message server via the first firewall, the public network, and second firewall;

a voice mail proxy interface to access the legacy voice mail system in response to a second request of the unified message server received from the unified message server via the first firewall, the public network, and second firewall; and

a message protocol converter, operatively associated with the voice mail proxy interface to convert voice mail messages stored by the legacy voice mail system to a predetermined protocol usable by the unified message server;

wherein the unified message server includes a web page user interface enabling a user to specify the predetermined format from an e-mail format, a cellular telephony format, and a public switch telephony format.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a notification server, operatively connected to the unified message server, to send notification messages notifying users them of particular events, such as the receipt of a new message by the unified message server.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the firewall server accepts remote queries from the unified message server that are directed to the legacy email system.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the firewall server accepts remote queries from the unified message server that are directed to the legacy voice mail system.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the communications network includes an Internet protocol compatible public network.

11. A unified message delivery method, comprising:

receiving, by a unified message server, user input provided to a web page user interface and specifying a unified format selected from;

an e-mail format, a cellular telephony format, and a public switch telephony format;

sending, by the unified message server, an access request via a first firewall between the unified message server and a public network and a second firewall between the public network and an enterprise network, to a legacy messaging server of the enterprise network;

responsive to receiving, from the enterprise network, a unified message having the unified format, delivering the unified message to an end user.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

configuring the first firewall to accept queries from the unified message server that are directed to the legacy messaging system.