System and method for providing unified messaging to a user with a thin web browser

• US 6,411,685 B1
• Filed: 01/29/1999
• Issued: 06/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: OʼNeal, Stephen C.
• Primary Examiner(s): WEAVER, SCOTT LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US09/240,367
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.16, 379/88.17, 379/88.19, 379/88.2, 379/88.21, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.25, 379/93.01, 379/93.15, 379/93.24, 379/100.01, 379/100.08, 379/100.13, 709/203, 709/217, 709/246, 358/402, 358/403, 358/407
• US Class Current: 379/88.14
• 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 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• 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 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components

Abstract

A unified messaging system. A server node with a telephony interface to interface with the public switch telephone network and a web interface providing an interface to a wide area network receives messages of a plurality of type via these interfaces. The messages are stored in a database and provided by the server node to a user node executing a web browser. The server node provides message conversion so that a user at the user node can retrieve messages of the different media types, respond to those messages, forward messages, and send messages of different message types across a plurality of media originating from the user node over the wide area network.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a web interface;

a telephony interface; and

a server node able to receive e-mails via the web interface, and facsimiles and voicemails via the telephony interface, the server node providing access to a message arriving on any of these media and ability to respond on any of these media from a user node executing a thin web browser;

wherein the server node includes a conversion engine to convert a first message received on a first medium to a second message forwardable on a second medium; and

wherein the conversion engine comprises;

a text to speech application;

a text to Tagged Image File Format (“

TIFF”

) application; and

a TIFF to Graphic Interchange Format (“

GIF”

) application.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the server node provides alternative user selectable delivery formats for at least one message type.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the server node further comprises:

an audio streamer and wherein a voicemail may be downloaded to the user node as a wave file or streamed to the user node.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein a facsimile may be downloaded to the user node in either TIFF format or GIF format.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein the server node retains a set of preferences associated with a user.

6. A method comprising:

receiving a request over a network from a user node to send a facsimile to an e-mail address;

converting the facsimile into a Graphic Interchange Format (“

GIF”

) format; and

inserting the GIF into an e-mail form.

7. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 6.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a request over a network from a user node to send a first message having an e-mail message type to a target address that is a phone number;

determining if the phone number is a voicemail address or a facsimile address;

defaulting to the facsimile address if the determination is unsuccessful; and

converting, on a server side, the first message to a second message compatible with the target address.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the phone number is a facsimile address, further comprising:

converting the e-mail to Tagged Image File Format (“

TIFF”

); and

converting any text attachment to TIFF.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the phone number is a voicemail address, further comprising:

converting the e-mail text to speech; and

saving the converted text in an audio format.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 8.

12. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 9.

13. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 10.

14. A method comprising:

receiving a request over a network from a user node to send a first message having a first message type to a voicemail address;

converting, on a server side, the first message into a second message, the second message being voicemail compatible, if the first message type is not voicemail compatible;

placing a physical call to the voicemail address; and

playing one of the first message and the second message responsive to an answer of the voicemail address.

15. A method comprising:

receiving a request over a network from a user node to send a first message having a first message type to a voicemail address;

converting, on a server side, the first message into a second message, the second message being voicemail compatible, when the first message type is not voicemail compatible;

discerning if a gateway exists between a local voicemail system and a forward voicemail system; and

directly inserting one of the first message and the second message into an inbox on the forward voicemail system if the gateway exists.