Messaging and application system integration

• US 9,088,660 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BT Americas Incorporated (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: BT Americas Incorporated (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Goldfarb, Gregory Lloyd, Narayan, Ramani
• Primary Examiner(s): Hashem, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US12/210,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20090074159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,503 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.2, 455/413, 455/415, 379/88.11, 379/88.12, 379/88.14, 379/88.18, 379/88.2, 379/88.21, 379/88.26, 379/88.17, 379/142.06
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2477 for selecting a function from a menu display H04M1/2474 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/252 where a voice mode is enhanced with visual information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5335 Message type or catagory, e.g. priority, indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53358 Message preview
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message

Abstract

A system includes receiving a voicemail data object at a business application system. The voicemail data object is associated with a voicemail originated from a caller, and includes a caller identifier identifying the caller that originated the voicemail. The voicemail data object is automatically associated with an entity data object of the business application system, the association being based on the caller identifier. A voicemail indicator is presented to a user of the business application system based on the association, the presentation of the voicemail indicator being in conjunction with presenting of caller identification information for the caller.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a voicemail data object, from an interface, at a business application system, the voicemail data object being associated with a voicemail originated from a caller, the voicemail received at a messaging system, and including a caller identifier identifying the caller that originated the voicemail, the caller identifier including at least one of a plurality of elements comprising a caller telephone number, a caller name, and an account identifier;

automatically associating, using an association component including a matching module, the voicemail data object with an entity data object retrieved from the business application system, a determination of the entity data object being based on a matching operation by the matching module between the caller identifier and an entity identifier of the entity data object, the entity data object containing information related to the caller, the association being between the voicemail data object and the matched entity data object; and

presenting a voicemail indicator, by a presentation interface, to a messaging system of a user of the business application system based on the association with the entity data object, the presentation of the voicemail indicator being in conjunction with presenting caller identification information for the caller, the presenting of the voicemail indicator including presenting a message entry, in association with the caller identification information, together with other entries in a dedicated message interface of a recipient of the voicemail.

2. The method of claim 1, including, prior to the associating of the voicemail data object with the entity data object, determining whether the voicemail data object is related to at least one of a plurality of entity data objects of the business application system, and associating the voicemail data object with the entity data object based on the determination.

3. The method of claim 2, including instantiating the entity data object within the business application system based on a determination that the voicemail data object is not related to at least one of the plurality of entity data objects of the business application system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the voicemail data object includes a reference to a recording of the voicemail, the method including, responsive to a selection event with respect to the voicemail indicator, retrieving the recording of the voicemail.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the retrieving of the recording of the voicemail includes at least one of streaming the recording of the voicemail to a user device, or downloading the recording of the voicemail to the user device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the reference identifies a storage location from which the recording of the voicemail is retrievable, and the retrieving of the recording of the voicemail includes retrieving the voicemail recording from the storage location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the storage location is within a storage facility that is separate from the business application system and that is associated with a voicemail system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the caller identifier further includes at least one of a plurality of elements comprising a caller address, a caller account number, a project identifier, and a purchase order number.

9. The method of claim 1, including supplementing the voicemail data object with supplemental data retrieved from the business application system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the business application system is a customer relationship management (CRM) system, and wherein the supplemental data comprises at least one of relationship stage data, task data identifying a task associated with a relationship with the caller, other entities related to the relationship with a caller, or opportunity data related to an opportunity associated with the caller.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity data object is representative of at least one of a person, organization, account or a relationship.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity data object is representative of at least one of an event, process, project or campaign.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the voicemail indicator is presented in association with the caller identification information in a contact list presented by the business application system.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the voicemail indicator is presented within a contact interface dedicated to at least one of the caller or an entity with which the caller is associated.

15. The method of claim 1, including enabling the user of the business application system to manually associate the voicemail object with a further entity data object of the business application system.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the voicemail data object includes metadata pertaining to the voicemail, the metadata including at least one of the caller identifier, a recipient identifier, time and date information, storage size data indicating a storage size for a recording of the voicemail or duration information indicating a duration of the voicemail, note information pertaining to the voicemail, tag information to categorize the voicemail, text transcription of the voicemail, information regarding an accessed or unaccessed status, follow-up required information, urgency information, and association information with other objects of the business application system.

17. A system comprising:

a message data object creation component, having one or more processors, to;

receive a voicemail data object at a business application system, from an interface, the voicemail data object being associated with a voicemail originated from a caller, the voicemail received at a messaging system, and including a caller identifier identifying the caller that originated the voicemail, the caller identifier including at least one of a plurality of elements comprising a caller telephone number, a caller name, and an account identifier; and

an association component having a matching module to automatically associate the voicemail data object with an entity data object to be retrieved from the business application system, a determination of the entity data object being based on a matching operation by the matching module between the caller identifier and an entity identifier of the entity data object, the entity data object containing information related to the caller, the association being between the voicemail data object and the matched entity data object; and

a presentation interface to present a voicemail indicator to a messaging system of a user of the business application system based on the association with the entity data object, the presentation of the voicemail indicator being in conjunction with presenting caller identification information for the caller, the voicemail indicator to present a message entry, in association with the caller identification information, together with other entries in a dedicated message interface of a recipient of the voicemail.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the association component, prior to the associating of the voicemail data object with the entity data object, is to determine whether the voicemail data object is related to at least one of a plurality of entity data objects of the business application system, and is to associate the voicemail data object with the entity data object based on the determination.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the association component is to instantiate the entity data object within the business application system based on a determination that the voicemail data object is not related to at least one of the plurality of entity data objects of the business application system.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the voicemail data object includes a reference to a recording of the voicemail, the recording of the voicemail being retrievable using the reference.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the caller identifier further includes at least one of a plurality of elements comprising a caller address, a caller account number, a project identifier, and a purchase order number.

22. The system of claim 17, including a supplementing component to supplement the voicemail data object with supplemental data retrieved from the business application system.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the business application system is a customer relationship management (CRM) system, and wherein the supplementing component is to supplement the voicemail data object with at least one of relationship stage data, task data identifying a task associated with a relationship with the caller, other entities related to the relationship with a caller, or opportunity data related to an opportunity associated with the caller.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the entity data object is representative of at least one of a person, organization, account or relationship.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the entity data object is representative of at least one of an event, process, project or campaign.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein the presentation interface is to present a message entry, in association with the caller identification information, together with other entries in a dedicated message interface of a recipient of the voicemail.

27. The system of claim 17, wherein the presentation interface is further to present the voicemail indicator in association with the caller identification information in a contact list presented by the business application system.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein the presentation interface is further to present the voicemail indicator within a contact interface dedicated to at least one of the caller or an entity with which the caller is associated.

29. The system of claim 17, including a manual association module to enable a user of the business application system to manually associate the voicemail object with a further entity data object of the business application system.

30. A system comprising:

means for receiving a voicemail data object at a business application system, the means for receiving including an interface, the voicemail data object being associated with a voicemail originated from a caller, the voicemail received at a messaging system, and including a caller identifier identifying the caller that originated the voicemail;

means for automatically associating the voicemail data object with an entity data object located in the business application system, the means for automatically associating including a matching means, a determination of the entity data object being based on a matching operation by the matching means between the caller identifier and an entity identifier of the entity data object, the entity data object containing information related to the caller, the association being between the voicemail data object and the matched entity data object; and

means for presenting a voicemail indicator to a messaging system of a user of the business application system based on the association with the entity data object, the means for presenting including a presentation interface, the presentation of the voicemail indicator being in conjunction with presenting of caller identification information for the caller, the voicemail indicator to present a message entry, in association with the caller identification information, together with other entries in a dedicated message interface of a recipient of the voicemail.

31. A computer-readable storage device having no transitory signals and embodying instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to perform the following operations, comprising:

receiving a voicemail data object, from an interface, at a business application system, the voicemail data object being associated with a voicemail originated from a caller, the voicemail received at a messaging system, and including a caller identifier identifying the caller that originated the voicemail;

automatically associating the voicemail data object, by an association component including a matching module, with an entity data object retrieved from the business application system, a determination of the entity data object being based on a matching operation by the matching module between the caller identifier and an entity identifier of the entity data object, the entity data object containing information related to the caller, the association being between the voicemail data object and the matched entity data object; and

presenting a voicemail indicator, by a presentation interface, to a user of the business application system based on the association with the entity data object, the presentation of the voicemail indicator being in conjunction with presenting caller identification information for the caller, the voicemail indicator to present a message entry, in association with the caller identification information, together with other entries in a dedicated message interface of a recipient of the voicemail.