Caching message information in an integrated communication system

• US 20060177007A1
• Filed: 02/07/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Wang, Yang, Skakkebaek, Jens, Vaghar, Shahriar
• Granted Patent: US 8,233,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/67.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components

Abstract

An integrated messaging system for performing various types of messaging across different types of networks, including integrated user interfaces and administrator interfaces. Embodiments include a communication server that couples among networks of different types, and an interface module that couples to the communication server. The interface module may be hosted on a messaging server of a network. The interface module pulls various user information from the messaging server, including information relevant to at least the network that includes the messaging server. A cache couples to the communication server and to the interface module to hold information from the communication server and/or the user information pulled from messaging server. The interface module directs a message from the messaging server and/or the cache to at least one device on the networks using the user information.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a communication server that couples among networks of different types to receive messages and requests for messages, wherein the networks include a messaging server;

at least one cache server that couples to the communication server and caches the received messages; and

a detector that couples to detect a state of the messaging server, wherein the communication server transfers the received messages to the messaging server for storage when the state is available, wherein the communication server in response to a request for the message retrieves the message from the cache when the state is unavailable and retrieves the message from the messaging server when the state is available.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the detector polls the messaging server to detect the state.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the detector receives an exception from the messaging server to detect the state.

4. A method comprising:

receiving a message at a first device;

assigning identification information to the message and caching the message;

transferring the received message to a second device in response to a detected state of the second device;

receiving a request for the message at the first device from a requesting device;

retrieving the message from at least one of the first device and the second device in response to the detected state; and

transmitting the retrieved message in response to the request.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the message includes at least one of a voice mail type, an email type, a multimedia type, an instant message type, and a short messaging system type.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein caching the message includes caching at least one of a description of the message, content of the message, mailbox number of a user to whom the message is directed, and a time stamp.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein retrieving includes retrieving information of the requested message from the first device in response to an unavailable state of the second device.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein retrieving includes retrieving information of the requested message from the second device in response to an available state of the second device.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein transferring includes:

detecting an unavailable state of the second device;

holding the message in the cache; and

retrieving the message from the cache and transferring the message to the second device in response to a change in the detected state to available.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein transferring includes:

detecting an available state of the second device; and

transferring the message to the cache and to the second device.

11. The method of claim 4, further comprising tracking a status of each message at the first device and caching the status with the message, wherein the status includes read, unread, retrieved, not retrieved, and expired.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the message further comprises receiving the message in at least one of a plurality of servers of the first device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein caching the message further comprises caching the message in a first store when the message is received at a first server of the first device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein caching the message further comprises caching the message in a second store when the message is received at a second server of the first device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the request further comprises receiving the request in at least one of the plurality of servers of the first device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein retrieving the message further comprises retrieving the message from a second store when the request is received at the first server and the message is received and cached at the second server of the first device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising caching the retrieved message at a first store, wherein the first store is a component of the first server.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein retrieving the message further comprises retrieving the message from a first store when the request is received at the second server and the message is received and cached at the first server of the first device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising caching the retrieved message at a second store, wherein the second store is a component of the second server.

20. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

retrieving user information from the second device; and

caching the retrieved user information, the user information including at least one of name, a plurality of greetings, class of service, permissions, and personal information.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving user information at the first device, wherein the user information received at the first device is input by the user to the first device; and

caching the user information received at the first device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein caching the user information further comprises:

caching the user information in a first store when the user information is received at a first server of the first device; and

caching the user information in a second store when the user information is received at a second server of the first device.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving a call during which the message is received; and

retrieving at least one item of the user information during the call.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein retrieving the item of the user information further comprises retrieving the item from the second store when the call is received at the first server and the item is received and cached at the second server of the first device.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein retrieving the item further comprises retrieving the item from a first store when the call is received at the second server and the item is received and cached at the first server of the first device.

26. A method comprising:

receiving a message at a first device;

assigning identification information to the message and caching the message;

detecting a state of a second device;

transferring the received message to the second device when the second device is in an available state;

receiving a request for the message at the first device; and

transmitting the message in response to the request, wherein the message is retrieved for the transmitting from the first device in response to an unavailable state of the second device, wherein the message is retrieved for the transmitting from the second device in response to the available state of the second device.

27. A device comprising:

means for receiving a message at a first device;

means for assigning identification information to the message and caching the message;

means for transferring the received message to a second device in response to a detected state of the second device;

means for receiving a request for the message at the first device from a requesting device;

means for retrieving the message from at least one of the first device and the second device in response to the detected state; and

means for transmitting the retrieved message in response to the request.