METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DELIVERING MESSAGES

• US 20120170724A1
• Filed: 12/29/2010
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Yoakum, John H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,955,014 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5335 Message type or catagory, e.g. priority, indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects

Abstract

A method and apparatus for delivering a message. A plurality of audio messages destined for a recipient is received from a corresponding plurality of senders. Each of the plurality of audio messages includes a corresponding first sender designated priority designated by the corresponding sender. Member configuration data that identifies a first recipient prioritization attribute is accessed. A prioritized list of the plurality of audio messages is generated based on both the corresponding first sender designated priority and the first recipient prioritization attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages. A subset of the plurality of audio messages is provided to a client device associated with the recipient based on the prioritized list.

Claims

1. A method for delivering a message, comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a plurality of audio messages destined for a recipient from a corresponding plurality of senders, each of the plurality of audio messages including a corresponding first sender designated priority designated by the corresponding sender, the plurality of senders and the recipient being members of a messaging system;

accessing, by the computing device, member configuration data that identifies a first recipient prioritization attribute, the first recipient prioritization attribute being based at least in part on a message attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages;

generating, by the computing device, a prioritized list of the plurality of audio messages based on both the corresponding first sender designated priority and the first recipient prioritization attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages; and

providing, by the computing device, a subset of the plurality of audio messages to a client device associated with the recipient based on the prioritized list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient prioritization attribute comprises a community attribute identifying a community with which an audio message is associated, and wherein each of the plurality of senders is associated with at least one different community of a plurality of communities defined in the messaging system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient prioritization attribute comprises a sender attribute identifying a sender of a corresponding audio message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sender designated priority comprises a sender importance attribute identifying a sender designated importance of a corresponding audio message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sender designated priority comprises a sender response urgency attribute identifying a sender designated response urgency of a corresponding audio message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the each of the plurality of audio messages further comprises a second sender designated priority comprising a sender message importance attribute identifying a sender designated importance of the corresponding audio message, and wherein generating the prioritized list of the plurality of audio messages based on both the corresponding first sender designated priority and the first recipient prioritization attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages further comprises generating the prioritized list of the plurality of audio messages based on the corresponding first sender designated priority, the second sender designated priority, and the first recipient prioritization attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of the plurality of audio messages comprises only a single audio message of the plurality of audio messages.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

removing the single audio message from a top of the prioritized list in response to a message from the client device that the single audio message was processed;

receiving a request from the client device for a next audio message; and

in response, providing to the client device another single audio message from the top of the prioritized list.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising iteratively:

removing the single audio message from a top of the prioritized list in response to a message from the client device that the single audio message was processed;

receiving a request from the client device for a next audio message; and

in response, providing to the client device another single audio message from the top of the prioritized list;

until the prioritized list contains no more audio messages.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the prioritized list of the plurality of audio messages based on both the corresponding first sender designated priority and the first recipient prioritization attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages further comprises:

determining for each audio message of the plurality of audio messages an aggregate message priority value based on the corresponding first sender designated priority and the first recipient prioritization attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages; and

generating the prioritized list of the plurality of audio messages based on the aggregate message priority value associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of the plurality of audio messages comprises a number of audio messages greater than one audio message and less than the plurality of audio messages.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving data from the client device indicating a first audio message in the subset of the plurality of audio messages was processed prior to a second audio message in the subset of the plurality of audio messages, the first audio message having a lower aggregate message priority value than an aggregate message priority value of the second audio message; and

in response, automatically altering the member configuration data such that if reprioritized, the first audio message would have a higher aggregate message priority value than prior to altering the member configuration data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the messaging system is a closed messaging system, and wherein only senders and recipients defined in the closed messaging system may send or receive an audio message via the closed messaging system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the closed messaging system comprises a temporary member interface to enable access to the closed messaging system by a temporary member.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an additional audio message; and

reprioritizing the prioritized list of the plurality of audio messages based on both the corresponding first sender designated priority and the first recipient prioritization attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages and the additional audio message.

16. A computing device adapted to deliver a message, comprising:

a communication interface adapted to interface with a network; and

a control system comprising a processor, the control system adapted to;

receive a plurality of audio messages destined for a recipient from a corresponding plurality of senders, each of the plurality of audio messages including a corresponding first sender designated priority designated by the corresponding sender, the corresponding plurality of senders and the recipient being members of a messaging system;

access member configuration data that identifies a first recipient prioritization attribute, the first recipient prioritization attribute being based at least in part on a message attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages;

generate a prioritized list of the plurality of audio messages based on both the corresponding first sender designated priority and the first recipient prioritization attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages; and

provide a subset of the plurality of audio messages to a client device associated with the recipient based on the prioritized list.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the corresponding first sender designated priority comprises a sender response urgency attribute identifying a sender response urgency of a corresponding audio message.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the each of the plurality of audio messages further comprises a second sender designated priority comprising a sender importance attribute identifying a sender importance of the each of the plurality of audio messages, and wherein generating the prioritized list of the plurality of audio messages based on both the corresponding first sender designated priority and the first recipient prioritization attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages further comprises generating the prioritized list of the plurality of audio messages based on the corresponding first sender designated priority, the second sender designated priority, and the first recipient prioritization attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the subset of the plurality of audio messages comprises only a single audio message of the plurality of audio messages.

20. A computer program product comprising a computer-usable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed on a processor to implement a method for delivering a message, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a plurality of audio messages destined for a recipient from a corresponding plurality of senders, each of the plurality of audio messages including a corresponding first sender designated priority designated by the corresponding sender, the plurality of senders and the recipient being members of a messaging system;

accessing, by the computing device, member configuration data that identifies a first recipient prioritization attribute, the first recipient prioritization attribute being based at least in part on a message attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages;

generating, by the computing device, a prioritized list of the plurality of audio messages based on both the corresponding first sender designated priority and the first recipient prioritization attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages; and

providing, by the computing device, a subset of the plurality of audio messages to a client device associated with the recipient based on the prioritized list.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the first sender designated priority comprises a sender response urgency attribute identifying a sender response urgency of the corresponding audio message, and wherein the each of the plurality of audio messages further comprises a second sender designated priority comprising a sender importance attribute identifying a sender importance of the corresponding audio message, and wherein generating the prioritized list of the plurality of audio messages based on both the corresponding first sender designated priority and the first recipient prioritization attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages further comprises generating the prioritized list of the plurality of audio messages based on the corresponding first sender designated priority, the second sender designated priority, and the first recipient prioritization attribute associated with the each of the plurality of audio messages.