Multi-mode message routing and management

• US 20060177021A1
• Filed: 01/19/2006
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Varolii Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mathews, Robert, Kirtley, William H., Sarabura, Martin, Warden, Gregory, Kuszewski, Robert, Delaney, Jeffrey, Page, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,609,821 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.130
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2083 Confirmation by serviced party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

Transmission of messages composed on one or more input devices to a single or multiple recipients by means of one or plural communication modes is facilitated. Such communication modes may include conventional or wireless telephone, facsimile transmission, pager, e-mail, postal mail or courier. Thus, a message may be directed to a single recipient via multiple modes, such as e-mail and fax, in order to ensure the earliest possible receipt of the message; or may be directed to multiple recipients by a single mode or by different modes. In the case of multiple-mode delivery, “escalation” rules may specify conditions under which different delivery modes may be sequentially employed. Automatic follow-up to determine whether a message has been received, as well as automatic sender notification upon confirmation of receipt, may be employed. The system is capable of sending messages having embedded questions, and facilitating multi-question surveys.

Claims

1. A messaging system comprising:

a. a message server comprising a plurality of modalities for transmitting messages;

b. an interface for receiving a message and a designation of at least some of the transmission modalities;

c. a memory for storing escalation rules specifying sequential transmission of the message by means of each of the designated modalities upon occurrence of a specified condition; and

d. a routing facility, responsive to the escalation rules and to the occurrence of the conditions, for causing the message to be sequentially transmitted by the message server in accordance with the escalation rules.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the condition associated with at least some of the modalities is non-receipt of the message transmitted via said modalities.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the modalities comprise electronic mail, facsimile transmission, public telephone network, cellular telephone, pager, and postal mail.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the condition associated with telephone transmission is non-receipt of the message, the system further comprising means for detecting said non-receipt.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising means for notifying, by means of at least one of the transmission modalities, a source of a message that the message has been received.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface comprises means for receiving escalation rules from a message sender.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the escalation rules specify a default transmission modality, the routing facility causing the message to be transmitted via the default modality if no designation is received by the interface.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a. means facilitating response to a received message, the message server receiving the responses; and

b. a memory for collecting records of the responses, the interface being configured to tabulate and present the records in a summary format.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface is further configured to receive, from a message sender, a list of recipients for the message and escalation rules for each recipient, the routing facility causing the message to be transmitted to each recipient by the message server in accordance with the escalation rules.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface is further configured to receive, from a message sender, a global list of potential message recipients and criteria associated with each potential recipient, the interface facilitating searching of the list based on specified criteria and identification of potential recipients whose recipient criteria match the specified criteria.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the recipient criteria for each potential recipient include escalation rules for that potential recipient.