SYNCHRONIZATION IN UNIFIED MESSAGING SYSTEMS

• US 20120042011A1
• Filed: 10/25/2011
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Inventors: VENDROW, Vlad, SHMUNIS, Vlad
• Granted Patent: US 8,335,498 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/65 Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party in the exchange H04M3/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5315 where the non-audio components are still images or video still image mailbox systems H04N1/324, intermediate storage of video signals for videophones H04N7/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

In one embodiment, a server maintains a plurality of fax messages associated with a user. Each fax message of the plurality of fax messages has a state that indicates at least a status of read or unread for the fax message. A HTTP connection is established between the server and a phone that serves as a client through which the plurality of fax messages are viewable. States of one or more fax messages are identified at the server and at the phone that serves as the client. One or more synchronization actions are performed, using the HTTP connection, to synchronize the one or more fax messages at the server and the one or more corresponding fax messages at the phone that serves as the client.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a storage device configured to store software for a plurality of modules; and

one or more programmable processors configured to execute the software for the plurality of modules, wherein the plurality of modules include

a server message storage module configured to store a plurality of fax messages associated with a user, each fax message of the plurality of fax messages having a state that indicates at least a status of read or unread for the fax message,

an autodelete module configured to automatically delete fax messages of the plurality of fax messages associated with the user after a predetermined amount of time,

a client interaction module configured to interact with a phone of the user that serves as a client through which the plurality of fax messages and their respective states are viewable, the client interaction module to include

an application program interface configured to receive a message over an Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) connection with the phone that serves as the client, and

a parser configured to parse the message to identify one or more fax messages of the plurality of fax messages stored by the server message storage module,

a server message access module configured to access the one or more fax messages, and

a synchronization module configured to use the HTTP connection to perform one or more synchronization actions to synchronize the one or more fax messages at the server message storage module and at the phone that serves as the client, wherein the one or more synchronization actions are configured to;

when a new fax message has been added at the server message storage module, cause the new fax message to be added at the phone that serves as the client,

when the state of a particular fax message at the server message storage module has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the particular fax message at the phone that serves as the client indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the particular fax message at the phone that serves as the client to be changed to also indicate the status of read,

when the state of a particular fax message at the phone that serves as the client has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the particular fax message at the server message storage module indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the particular fax message at the server message storage module to also be changed to indicate the status of read, and

when an existing fax message has been deleted at the server message storage module, cause the existing fax message to be deleted at the phone that serves as the client.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more synchronization actions are further configured to:

when an existing fax message has been deleted at the phone that serves as the client, delete the existing fax message at the server message storage module.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more synchronization actions are further configured to:

when the state of a certain fax message at the server message storage module has been changed to indicate a status of unread, and the state of the certain fax message at the phone that serves as the client indicates a status of read, cause the state of the certain fax message at the phone that serves as the client to be changed to also indicate the status of unread.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more synchronization actions are further configured to:

when the state of a certain fax message at the phone that serves as the client has been changed to indicate a status of unread, and the state of the certain fax message at the server message storage module indicates a status of read, cause the state of the certain fax message at the server message storage module to be changed to also indicate the status of unread.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server message storage module is configured to store the plurality of fax messages on a server that includes the one or more programmable processors configured to execute the server message storage module.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server message storage module is configured to store the plurality of fax messages on an external server that is different than a server that includes the one or more programmable processors configured to execute the server message storage module.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the application program interface is an Internet Server Application Program Interface (ISAPI).

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the parser is a markup language parser.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message is a request and the client interaction module is further configured to send a response to the phone that serves as the client including information descriptive of states of the one or more fax messages stored at the server.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the synchronization module is further configured to generate a unique identifier (ID) associated with the one or more synchronization actions.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server message storage module is further configured to store a plurality of voicemail messages, the synchronization module is further configured to synchronize one or more voicemail messages at the server message storage module and at the phone that serves as the client, and wherein the one or more synchronization actions are further configured to:

when a new voicemail message has been added at the server message storage module, cause the new voicemail message to be added at the phone that serves as the client,

when a state of a particular voicemail message at the server message storage module has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the particular voicemail message at the phone that serves as the client indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the particular voicemail message at the phone that serves as the client to be changed to also indicate the status of read,

when the state of a particular voicemail message at the phone that serves as the client has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the particular voicemail message at the server message storage module indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the particular voicemail message at the server message storage module to also be changed to indicate the status of read, and

when an existing voicemail message has been deleted at the server message storage module, cause the existing voicemail message to be deleted at the phone that serves as the client.

12. A method, comprising

maintaining, by a server that includes one or more programmable processors, a plurality of fax messages associated with a user, each fax message of the plurality of fax messages having a state that indicates at least a status of read or unread for the fax message;

automatically deleting fax messages of the plurality of fax messages after a predetermined amount of time;

causing a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) connection to be established between the server and a phone that serves as a client through which the plurality of fax messages are viewable;

identifying states of one or more fax messages at the server;

identifying states of one or more corresponding fax messages at the phone that serves as the client; and

performing one or more synchronization actions, using the HTTP connection, to synchronize the one or more fax messages at the server and the one or more corresponding fax messages at the phone that serves as the client, wherein the one or more synchronization actions,

when a new fax message has been added at the server, cause the new fax message to be added at the phone that serves as the client,

when the state of a particular fax message at the server has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the particular fax message at the phone that serves as the client indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the particular fax message at the phone that serves as the client to be changed to also indicate the status of read,

when the state of a particular fax message at the phone that serves as the client has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the particular fax message at the server indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the particular fax message at the server to also be changed to indicate the status of read, and

when an existing fax message has been deleted at the server, cause the existing fax message to be deleted at the phone that serves as the client.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more synchronization actions further,

when an existing fax message has been deleted at the phone that serves as the client, delete the existing fax message at the server.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more synchronization actions further,

when the state of a certain fax message at the server has been changed to indicate a status of unread, and the state of the certain fax message at the phone that serves as the client indicates a status of read, cause the state of the certain fax message at the phone that serves as the client to be changed to also indicate the status of unread.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the maintaining further comprises storing the plurality of fax messages on the server.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the maintaining further comprises storing information indicating where the plurality of fax messages are stored on an external server.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the performing one or more synchronization actions further comprises:

generating a unique identifier (ID) for the one or more synchronization actions that is saved at both the server and at the phone that serves as the client.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the performing one or more synchronization actions further comprises:

receiving a unique identifier (ID) from the phone that serves as the client, the received unique ID associated with a prior synchronization;

comparing the received unique ID with a unique ID stored at the server; and

proceeding with the one or more synchronization actions provided the received unique ID corresponds to the unique ID stored at the server.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifying states of one or more fax messages at the server further comprises:

accessing the one or more fax messages at the server; and

returning a response to the phone that serves as the client that includes the state of each of the one or more fax messages at the server.

20. A method, comprising,

storing a plurality of fax messages associated with a user at a server message storage module of a server that includes one or more programmable processors, each fax message of the plurality of fax messages having properties that indicate a sender of the fax message and a state that indicates at least a status of read or unread for the fax message;

interacting with a phone that serves as a client to establish a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) connection between a client interaction module of the server and the phone that servers as the client;

receiving a request at an application program interface of the server from the phone that serves as the client over the HTTP connection;

processing the request at a markup language parser of the server to identify one or more fax messages of the plurality of fax messages; and

performing one or more synchronization actions using the HTTP connection to synchronize the one or more fax messages at the server message storage module and one or more corresponding fax messages at the phone that serves as the client, wherein the one or more synchronization actions,

when a new fax message has been added at the server message storage module, cause the new fax message to be added at the phone that serves as the client,

when the state of a particular fax message at the server message storage module has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the particular fax message at the phone that serves as the client indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the particular fax message at the phone that serves as the client to be changed to also indicate the status of read,

when the state of a particular fax message at the phone that serves as the client has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the particular fax message at the server message storage module indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the particular fax message at the server message storage module to also be changed to indicate the status of read, and

when an existing fax message has been deleted at the server message storage module, cause the existing fax message to be deleted at the phone that serves as the client.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

automatically deleting fax messages of the plurality of fax messages after a predetermined amount of time.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the performing one or more synchronization actions further comprises:

receiving a unique identifier (ID) from the phone that serves as the client, the received unique ID associated with a prior synchronization;

comparing the received unique ID with a unique ID stored at the server message storage module; and

proceeding with the one or more synchronization actions provided the received unique ID corresponds to the unique ID stored at the server message storage module.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the processing further comprises:

accessing the identified one or more fax messages through a message access module of the server; and

sending a response to the phone that serves as the client that includes the state of each of the one or more fax messages at the server message storage module.

24. A non-transitory machine-readable storage device containing one or more computer programs, the one or more computer programs, when executed by one or more processors, operable to:

maintain a plurality of fax messages associated with a user at a server that includes one or more programmable processors, each fax message of the plurality of fax messages having properties that indicate a sender of the fax message and a state that indicates at least a status of read or unread for the fax message;

use an application program interface of the server to offer web-based access to a client through which the plurality of fax messages are viewable by the user;

process a message received at the application program interface of the server from the client, to identify one or more fax messages of the plurality of fax messages; and

perform one or more synchronization actions to synchronize states of the one or more fax messages at the server and states of one or more corresponding fax messages at the client, wherein the one or more synchronization actions,

when a new fax message has been added at the server, cause the new fax message to be added at the client,

when the state of a particular fax message at the server has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the particular fax message at the client indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the particular fax message at the client to be changed to also indicate the status of read, and

when an existing fax message has been deleted at the server, cause the existing fax message to be deleted at the client.

25. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device containing one or more computer programs of claim 24, wherein the one or more computer programs, when executed by the one or more processors, are further operable to:

automatically delete fax messages of the plurality of fax messages after a predetermined amount of time.

26. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device containing one or more computer programs of claim 24, wherein the one or more synchronization actions further,

when the state of a certain fax message at the client has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the certain fax message at the server indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the certain fax message at the server to also be changed to indicate the status of read.

27. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device containing one or more computer programs of claim 24, wherein the message is a request and the one or more computer programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, are operable to process are further operable to:

send a response to the client, wherein the response contains information descriptive of states of the one or more fax messages at the server.

28. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device containing one or more computer programs of claim 24, wherein the one or more computer programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, are operable to maintain are further operable to maintain a plurality of voicemail messages, the one or more computer programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, are operable to perform are further operable to perform one or more synchronization actions to synchronize one or more voicemail messages at the server and at the client, and the one or more synchronization actions further,

when a state of a particular voicemail message at the server has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the particular voicemail message at the client indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the particular voicemail message at the client to be changed to also indicate the status of read, and

when the state of a particular voicemail message at the client has been changed to indicate a status of read, and the state of the particular voicemail message at the server indicates a status of unread, cause the state of the particular voicemail message at the server to also be changed to indicate the status of read.