Filtering computer network messages directed to a user's e-mail box based on user defined filters, and forwarding a filtered message to the user's receiver

• US 6,073,165 A
• Filed: 07/29/1997
• Issued: 06/06/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: j2 Cloud Services, LLC (Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Jafax Communications Inc.
• Inventors: Shemesh, Yaacov, Thaxter, Jason, Flannery, Jude M., Narasimhan, Anand
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US08/902,400
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/205, 709/206, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/223, 709/226, 455/412, 455/31.2, 379/100.01
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/658 Combination of voice calls and paging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message

Abstract

A message processing and forwarding system for processing electronic messages in a digital format received over a computer communication path or network, and forwarded over a telephone circuit switched network to a user'"'"'s receiver, such as a pager. A content processor in a message server processes the received digital message in accordance with knowledge of the receiver'"'"'s capabilities and user-configured message filtering information to create a customized second message suitable for handling by the user'"'"'s receiver at a remote physical location. Also, the system defines a distributed architecture for global paging, including multiple redundancy, to yield a robust system. In a preferred embodiment, the original digital message is part of an e-mail message received and forwarded through a conventional computer communication network such as the Internet.

Claims

1. A message processing and forwarding system, comprising:

source server configured to receive a plurality of computer network messages directed to a user'"'"'s e-mail box, and create a filtered message after extracting data from a selected one of the plurality of messages, the source server for sending the filtered message to a first address; and

first destination server having the first address and communicatively coupled to the source server, the first destination server in response to receiving the filtered message causing the filtered message to be sent to a first forwarding service; and

a fax server communicatively coupled to at least one of the e-mail box and the source server via the computer communication network, wherein the fax server is configured to send a notify message to at least one of the e-mail box and the source server in response to receiving a facsimile at the user'"'"'s facsimile number, the notify message indicating that the user has received a facsimile, and the source server receives the notify message and forwards the notify message to the first address of the destination server which then forwards the notify message to the first forwarding service.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein the filtered message is sent from the source server to the host server using an electronic mail messaging protocol.

3. A system as in claim 1 wherein the source server is configured to select one of the plurality of computer network messages in accordance with a message filter that defines search criteria used in parsing the plurality of computer network messages.

4. A system as in claim 1 wherein the first forwarding service is a paging service.

5. A system as in claim 1 wherein the source server sends the user'"'"'s pager telephone number, associated with the filtered message, to the first destination server.

6. A system as in claim 5 wherein the source server obtains the telephone number by accessing user account information database which associates the telephone number with a computer network address, wherein the computer network address is the destination address of the plurality of received computer network messages.

11. The system of claim 6 wherein the user account information database further stores one or more message filters for each user account.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the source server selects one of the plurality of messages based on a content of one or more message fields matching a predefined filter, the system further comprising:

user account information database containing the predefined filter, the filter being associated with a computer network address being the destination address of the plurality of computer network messages received by the source server.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the predefined filter is definable in a computer graphical user interface accessible by the user to customize the processing and forwarding of the plurality of computer network messages.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the user interface is part of a network browser application program.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the source server creates the filtered message based upon knowledge of the message reception capability of the user'"'"'s receiving device, the capability being identified in the user account information database and associated with said predefined filter, the receiving device being one of an alphanumeric pager, a portable wireless telephone, and a handheld computer-pager combination.

16. The system of claim 1 further comprising an alternate source server identical to the source server;

and,

an alternate destination server identical to said at least one destination server, wherein the alternate source and destination servers have access to the data needed for processing and forwarding the plurality of computer network messages.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the plurality of computer network messages do not identify the type of the user'"'"'s receiving device.

7. A message processing and forwarding system, comprising:

source server configured to receive a plurality of computer network messages directed to a user'"'"'s e-mail box, and create a filtered message after extracting data from a selected one of the plurality of messages, the source server for sending the filtered message to a first address; and

first destination server having the first address and communicatively coupled to the source server, the first destination server in response to receiving the filtered message causing the filtered message to be sent to a first forwarding service; and

a voice server communicatively coupled to at least one of the e-mail box and the source server via the computer communication network, wherein the voice server is configured to send a notify message to at least one of the e-mail box and the source server in response to receiving a voice message at the user'"'"'s voice mail number, the notify message indicating that the user has received a voice message, and the source server receives the notify message and forwards the notify message to the first address of the destination server which then forwards the notify message to the first forwarding service.

18. The system of claim 7 wherein the filtered message is sent from the source server to the host server using an electronic mail messaging protocol.

19. The system of claim 7 wherein the first forwarding service is a paging service.

20. The system of claim 7 wherein the source server sends the user'"'"'s pager telephone number, associated with the filtered message, to the first destination server.

21. The system of claim 7 wherein the source server selects one of the plurality of messages based on a content of one or more message fields matching a predefined filter, the system further comprising:

user account information database containing the predefined filter, the filter being associated with a computer network address being the destination address of the plurality of computer network messages received by the source server.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the predefined filter is definable in a computer graphical user interface accessible by the user to customize the processing and forwarding of the plurality of computer network messages.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the source server creates the filtered message based upon knowledge of the message reception capability of the user'"'"'s receiving device, the capability being identified in the user account information database and associated with said predefined filter, the receiving device being one of an alphanumeric pager, a portable wireless telephone, and a handheld computer-pager combination.

8. An article of manufacture comprising:

a machine-readable medium having instructions which when executed by a processor cause a computer system to

select one of a plurality of received computer network messages based on a predefined filter that is defined by a user and that matches a content of one or more fields in a selected message, the selected message including a notify message from at least one of a user'"'"'s e-mail box and a fax server, the notify message indicating that the user has received a facsimile at a facsimile number of the user;

create a filtered message in response to extracting data from the selected message based on filtering rules defined by the user; and

send the filtered message to a first address of a message forwarding service over a computer communication network, the first address being associated with the predefined filter and a user'"'"'s receiver, the forwarding service being in communication with the user'"'"'s receiver to forward the filtered message to the receiver.

9. An article of manufacture comprising:

a machine-readable medium having instructions which when executed by a processor cause a computer system to

select one of a plurality of received computer network messages based on a predefined filter that is defined by a user and that matches a content of one or more fields in a selected message, the selected message including a notify message from at least one of the user'"'"'s e-mail box and a voice server, the notify message indicating that the user has received a voice message at a voice mail of the user;

create a filtered message in response to extracting data from the selected message based on filtering rules defined by the user; and

send the filtered message to a first address of a message forwarding service over a computer communication network, the first address being associated with the predefined filter and a user'"'"'s receiver, the forwarding service being in communication with the user'"'"'s receiver to forward the filtered message to the receiver.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9 further comprising instructions which cause the system to send the filtered message to the message forwarding service using an electronic mail messaging protocol.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 9 further comprising instructions which cause the system to send the filtered message to the message forwarding service using an electronic mail messaging protocol to access a user account information database containing the predefined filter, the filter being associated with a computer network address being the destination address of the plurality of received computer network message.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 24 further comprising instructions which cause the system to provide a user interface accessible by the user to customize the processing and forwarding of the plurality of received computer network messages.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25 wherein the user interface appears on a Web site.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 24 further comprising instructions which cause the system to create the filtered message based upon knowledge of the message reception capability of the user'"'"'s receiving device, the capability being identified in the user account information database and associated with said predefined filter, the receiving device being one of an alphanumeric pager, a portable wireless telephone, and a handheld computer-pager combination.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 24 wherein the plurality of computer network messages do not identify the type of the user'"'"'s receiving device.