Centralized message service apparatus and method

• US 6,373,926 B1
• Filed: 09/17/1998
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Westrich, Robert S., Goldman, Shelley B., Wang, Shaoqing Q., Foladare, Mark Jeffrey, Silverman, David Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Escalante, Ovidio
• Application Number:
  US09/156,169
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.26, 379/88.18, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.15, 379/88.16, 379/88.17, 379/67.1, 379/93.15, 379/100.01, 379/88.12, 379/93.01, 379/88.22, 709/206, 709/212, 709/201, 709/223, 709/313, 709/219, 709/224
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• 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 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention provides a centralized messaging service method and apparatus in which a message is sent to each of a subscriber'"'"'s messaging services. When a sending party wishes to leave a message for a receiving party, the sending party activates his/her user device and enters the access number for the centralized message service. The centralized message service receives the communication signals from the sending party which include a receiving party identifier and the message to be sent. The centralized message service then retrieves profile information from a database corresponding to the messaging services of the receiving party based on the receiving party identifier entered by the sending party. The centralized message service then forwards the message to a portion of the receiving party'"'"'s messaging services based on the profile information retrieved from the database. The centralized message service then monitors the messaging services to determine if the receiving party has retrieved the message from any of the messaging services. If the receiving party retrieves the message from any of the messaging services, a delete command is sent to at least a portion of the other messaging services based on the profile information retrieved.

Claims

1. A message sending apparatus that sends messages to a plurality of messaging services of a receiving party, comprising:

a controller; and

a database, wherein the controller receives a receiving party identifier and retrieves information from the database corresponding to the receiving party identifier, the information identifying the messaging services of the receiving party, and wherein the controller sends a message to the messaging services of the receiving party based on the information retrieved from the database;

wherein the controller monitors the messaging services to which the message was sent and determines if the message is retrieved using at least one of the messaging services, and wherein the controller sends a delete command to a portion of the other messaging services in response to the retrieval of the message.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller receives the message from a sending party user device and determines a first message type of the message, and wherein the message is sent to only those messaging services of the receiving party that are capable of receiving messages having the first message type.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller translates the message into a second message type different from the first message type and sends the message to those messaging services of the receiving party that are capable of receiving messages having the second message type.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller translates the message from analog voice to text data.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller translates the message from text data to analog voice.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller retrieves a delete list from the database and the delete command is sent to the messaging services that are flagged for deletion in the delete list.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller receives a signal from a messaging service to which the message was sent indicating that the message has been retrieved.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the messaging services include at least one of electronic mail, paging service and voice mail.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiving party identifier includes at least one of an electronic mail address, a telephone number, a pager number, extension number, a name and a personal identification code.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second message types include at least one of analog voice and text data.

11. A method of sending a message to a plurality of messaging services of a receiving party, comprising:

receiving a receiving party identifier;

identifying the messaging services of the receiving party based on the receiving party identifier;

sending the message to the messaging services;

monitoring whether the message is retrieved from at least one of the messaging services; and

deleting the message from a portion of the other messaging services, wherein the deleting the message is performed in response to the retrieval of the message.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a message from a sending party user device; and

determining a first message type of the message, wherein the message is sent in the sending step to only those messaging services of the receiving party that are capable of receiving messages having the first message type.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

translating the message into a second message type different from the first message type; and

sending the message to those messaging services of the receiving party that are capable of receiving messages having the second message type.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the translating step further comprises translating the message from analog voice to text data.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the translating step further comprises translating the message from text data to analog voice.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising deleting the message based on a delete list.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of monitoring comprises receiving a signal from a messaging service to which the message was sent indicating that the message has been retrieved.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the messaging services include at least one of electronic mail, paging service and voice mail.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving party identifier includes at least one of an electronic mail address, a telephone number, a pager number, extension number, a name and a personal identification code.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second message types include at least one of analog voice and text data.