SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING UNIFIED COLLABORATION SYSTEMS WITH USER SELECTABLE REPLY FORMAT

• US 20090041052A1
• Filed: 10/08/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Union Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Union Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Balk, Igor, Choupak, David Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/247,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20090041052A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• 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 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• 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 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53341 Message reply

Abstract

A communication system provides integrated email, telephone and instant messenger communication including a common address book, a common log of communication history and shared presence information. A user can respond to a communication according to any format, email, telephone or instant messenger, with a response using the same format or any other format. The response may be initiated by a single command.

Claims

1. A communication system for unified collaboration comprising:

a display device that presents information to a user;

a client device that controls the information presented by the display device;

an application operating on the client device, the application providing communication capability according to a plurality of communication formats, the plurality of communication formats comprising email, instant messenger and telephone; and

wherein when a communication is received according to any one of the plurality of communication formats, the application causes an indication of the communication to be presented to the user and also causes a plurality of reply options to be presented to the user, the plurality of reply options including creating a reply according to any one of the plurality of communication formats, each of the plurality of reply options selectable by a single command,

wherein a combined log includes communications received and sent according to each of the plurality of formats.

2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the single command is a single mouse-click, a single key stroke or a drag and drop operation.

3. The communication system of claim 1 wherein communication according to the telephone format includes voicemail communication and duplex telephone communication.

4. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising a telephone linked to a PBX server, and where a communication according to the telephone format is received, the PBX server causes the telephone to provide an indication of the communication and also notifies the application of the received communication.

5. The communication system of claim 4 wherein the telephone is a stand-alone telephone unit that is separate from the client device.

6. The communication system of claim 4 wherein the telephone is a softphone.

7. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising one or more servers in communication with the client device according to the plurality of communication formats, the one or more servers being managed through a common control system.

8. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising a shared address book that stores address information for each of the plurality of communication formats.

9. The communication system of claim 8 wherein presence information is used to manage communication according to each of the plurality of communication formats.

10. The communication system of claim 8 wherein the application uses permission information in the address book to limit a user'"'"'s access to the plurality of communication formats.

11. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the application provides both encrypted and unencrypted communication capability.

12. A method of unified communication using different formats comprising:

providing a user with communication according to a plurality of communication formats, the plurality of communication formats including email, instant messenger and telephone;

in response to receipt of a communication according to any one of the plurality of communication formats, presenting a user with a display that includes options to respond according to any one of the plurality of communication formats, each option selected by a single command; and

presenting the user with a combined log that includes communications received and sent according to each of the plurality of formats.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the single command is a single mouse-click or a single key stroke.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein communication according to the telephone format includes voicemail communication and duplex telephone communication.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein, a communication according to the telephone format is directed to a client device that is associated with the user, the client device controlling the display, the communication according to the telephone format also directed to a separate telephone device that is associated with the user.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising managing communication according to each of the plurality of formats through a common control system.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising presenting the user with a common address book that shows address information according to each of the plurality of formats.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising determining a presence state of the user and in response to determining the presence state selecting a management scheme for each of the plurality of communication formats.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising using permission information in the common address book to limit a user'"'"'s access to the plurality of communication formats.

20. The method of claim 12 further comprising decrypting the received communication and encrypting a reply prior to sending the reply.