Automatic synchronization of address directories for unified messaging

• US 6,418,200 B1
• Filed: 02/26/1999
• Issued: 07/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitel Networks Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitel Incorporated (MLN TopCo Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ciccolella, Sergio A., Ronca, David Randall
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US09/259,811
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/76, 379/83, 379/88.08, 379/88.09, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.25, 379/88.27, 379/88.28, 379/15.03, 379/201.01, 379/201.02, 379/201.12, 379/88.04, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.24, 455/414, 455/417, 455/445, 455/461
• US Class Current: 379/88.18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/625 Arrangements in the private branch exchange

Abstract

A messaging system to store and retrieve messages for playback in response to user input commands includes a telephony messaging application responsive to incoming calls. A directory stores addressing information concerning addressable entities within the messaging system. The telephony messaging application accesses the directory in response to caller address queries. A post office stores user messages and includes addressing information concerning addressable entities within the messaging system. A synchronization mechanism synchronizes the addressing information in the directory with addressing information in the post office.

Claims

1. A messaging system comprising:

a post office including a first enterprise wide address directory, said first address directory being updatable and including a directory record for each addressable entity in said messaging system, each directory record of said first address directory including addressing and other information relating to the associated addressable entity, said post office also including a mailbox for each addressable entity in said messaging system in which messages relating to the associated addressable entity are stored;

a second enterprise wide address directory including a directory record for each addressable entity in said messaging system, each directory record of said second address directory including a subset of the addressing and other information relating to the associated addressable entity that is stored in the corresponding directory record of said first address directory;

a telephony messaging application handling incoming telephone calls and communicating with said post office, said telephony messaging application forwarding messages to said post office for storage in mailboxes associated with addressable entities in said messaging system and retrieving messages from mailboxes in response to input commands, said telephony messaging application accessing said second address directory for addressable entity address information to enable enterprise wide messaging to be performed via said telephony messaging application; and

a synchronization mechanism synchronizing the addressing and other information of each directory record in the second address directory with addressing and other information of the corresponding directory record in the first address directory, said synchronization mechanism being triggered in response to selected events and at programmable selected intervals.

2. A messaging system according to claim 1 wherein said selected events include updates that are made to addressing information in one or more directory records of the first address directory.

3. A messaging system according to claim 2 wherein said updates include changes to critical message addressing data.

4. A messaging system according to claim 3 wherein updates to critical message addressing data include changes to spoken greetings, changes to message destination data and/or changes enabling telephone access to said messaging system.

5. A messaging system according to claim 1 wherein said synchronization mechanism further validates all addressing information in directory records of said second address directory with corresponding addressing information in directory records of said first address directory at specified second intervals.

6. A messaging system according to claim 1 wherein said synchronization mechanism is responsive to a timer in said telephony messaging application, said timer firing at said selected intervals.

7. A messaging system according to claim 6 wherein said synchronization mechanism includes an event notifier responsive to said timer and a directory service in communication with said post office, said event notifier polling said post office for addressing information in said first address directory that has changed since a previous polling cycle, said directory service receiving changed addressing information from said post office and updating directory records in said second address directory accordingly.

8. A messaging system according to claim 6 wherein said synchronization mechanism includes a clock, said synchronization mechanism synchronizing the clock with a second clock in said post office at regular intervals.

9. A messaging system according to claim 8 wherein said regular intervals are coincident with said selected intervals.

10. A messaging system according to claim 1 wherein the directory records in said second address directory have less fields than the directory records in said first address directory.

11. A messaging system according to claim 1 wherein said second address directory is stored in a directory cache.

12. A messaging system according to claim 11 wherein said directory cache provides a fast entity addressing look-up service to said telephony messaging application.

13. A messaging system according to claim 12 wherein said telephony messaging application is executed by a telephony messaging server and wherein said directory cache is stored in said telephony messaging server.

14. A messaging system according to claim 13 wherein directory records in said first address directory are updatable via said telephony messaging application.

15. A messaging system according to claim 14 wherein said post office communicates with at least one client computer system, directory records of said first address directory being updatable via said at least one client computer system.

16. A messaging system according to claim 1 wherein said post office communicates with at least one client computer system, directory records of said first address directory being updatable via said at least one client computer system.

17. A messaging system according to claim 16 wherein said synchronization mechanism is triggered in response to selected events and at selected intervals.

18. A messaging system according to claim 17 wherein said synchronization mechanism is responsive to a timer in said telephony messaging application, said timer firing at said selected intervals.

19. A messaging system according to claim 18 wherein said synchronization mechanism includes an event notifier responsive to said timer and a directory service in communication with said post office, said event notifier polling said post office for addressing information in said first address directory that has changed since a previous polling cycle, said directory service receiving changed addressing information from said post office and updating directory records in said second address directory accordingly.

20. A messaging system according to claim 19 wherein said synchronization mechanism further validates all addressing information in directory records of said second address directory with corresponding addressing information in directory records of said first address directory at specified second intervals.

21. In a messaging system, a method for synchronizing addressing information stored in a directory of a telephony messaging application with updatable addressing information stored in a directory of a post office, said method comprising the steps of:

at selected programmable intervals, determining if changes to the addressing information in said post office directory have been made and if so, updating corresponding addressing information in said telephony messaging application directory; and

in response to selected changes in addressing information in said post office directory, updating the corresponding addressing information in said telephony messaging application directory.

22. A method of claim 21 wherein said selected changes relate to changes to critical message addressing data.

23. A method of claim 22 wherein said selected changes to critical message addressing data include at least one of changes to spoken greetings, changes to message destination data, and changes enabling telephone access to said messaging system.

24. A method of claim 21 comprising the steps of

firing a timer at said selected intervals; and

updating the addressing information in said telephony messaging application directory in response to said timer if changes have been made to the corresponding addressing information in said post office directory.

25. A method of claim 24 further comprising the steps of:

validating all of the addressing information in said telephony messaging application directory with corresponding addressing information in said post office directory at specified second intervals.

26. A method of claim 25 further comprising the steps of:

synchronizing clocks in said telephony messaging application and said post office at regular intervals corresponding with said selected intervals.

27. In a messaging system, a method for synchronizing addressing information stored in a directory of a telephony messaging application with updatable addressing information stored in a directory of a post office, said method comprising the steps of:

at first selected programmable intervals, determining if changes to addressing information in the post office directory have been made and if so, updating the addressing information in the telephony messaging application directory,

in response to selected changes in addressing information in the post office directory, updating the addressing information in the telephony messaging application directory; and

at selected second intervals validating all addressing information in the post office directory and telephony messaging directory thereby to maintain the integrity of the addressing information therein.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein changes to addressing information in said post office directory that result in said updating of the addressing information in the telephony messaging application relate to changes to critical message addressing data.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein said changes to critical message addressing data include changes to spoken greetings, changes to message destination data and changes enabling telephone access to said messaging system.

30. The method of claim 27 further comprising the steps of firing a timer at said first selected intervals and updating the addressing information in the telephony messaging application directory in response to said timer if changes have been made to the addressing information in the post office directory.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising the step of synchronizing clocks in said telephony messaging application and said post office at regular intervals corresponding with said first selected intervals.

32. A messaging system comprising:

a post office including a first enterprise wide address directory, said first address directory being updatable and including a directory record for each addressable entity in said messaging system, each directory record of said first address directory including addressing and other information relating to the associated addressable entity, said post office also including a mailbox for each addressable entity in said messaging system in which messages relating to the associated addressable entity are stored;

a second enterprise wide address directory including a directory record for each addressable entity in said messaging system, each directory record of said second address directory including a subset of the addressing and other information relating to the associated addressable entity that is stored in the corresponding directory record of said first address directory;

a telephony messaging application handling incoming telephone calls and communicating with said post office, said telephony messaging application forwarding messages to said post office for storage in mailboxes associated with addressable entities in said messaging system and retrieving messages from mailboxes in response to input commands, said telephony messaging application accessing said second address directory for addressable entity address information to enable enterprise wide messaging to be performed via said telephony messaging application;

a timer firing at first intervals; and

a synchronization mechanism synchronizing the addressing and other information of each directory record in the second address directory with addressing and other information of the corresponding directory record in the first address directory, said synchronization mechanism being triggered in response to selected events and in response to firing of said timer at said first intervals.

33. A messaging system according to claim 32 wherein said second address directory is stored in a directory cache.

34. A messaging system according to claim 33 wherein said directory cache provides a fast entity addressing look-up service to said telephony messaging application.

35. A messaging system according to claim 34 wherein said telephony messaging application is executed by a telephony messaging server and wherein said directory cache is stored in said telephony messaging server.

36. A messaging system according to claim 35 wherein directory records in said first address directory are updatable via said telephony messaging application.

37. A messaging system according to claim 36 wherein said post office communicates with at least one client computer system, directory records of said first address directory being updatable via said at least one client computer system.

38. A messaging system according to claim 32 wherein said post office communicates with at least one client computer system, directory records of said first address directory being updatable via said at least one client computer system.

39. A messaging system according to claim 38 wherein said synchronization mechanism includes an event notifier responsive to said timer and a directory service in communication with said post office, said event notifier polling said post office for addressing information in said first address directory that has changed since a previous polling cycle, said directory service receiving changed addressing information from said post office and updating directory records in said second address directory accordingly.

40. A messaging system according to claim 39 wherein said synchronization mechanism further validates all addressing information in directory records of said second address directory with corresponding addressing information in directory records of said first address directory at specified second intervals.

41. A messaging system according to claim 32 wherein said selected events include updates that are made to addressing information in one or more directory records of the first address directory.

42. A messaging system according to claim 41 wherein said updates include changes to critical message addressing data.

43. A messaging system according to claim 42 wherein updates to critical message addressing data include changes to spoken greetings, changes to message destination data and/or changes enabling telephone access to said messaging system.

44. A messaging system according to claim 43 wherein the directory records in said second address directory have less fields than the directory records in said first address directory.

45. A messaging system according to claim 32 wherein said synchronization mechanism includes a clock, said synchronization mechanism synchronizing the clock with a second clock in said post office at regular intervals.

46. A messaging system according to claim 45 wherein said regular intervals are coincident with said first intervals.

47. A messaging system according to claim 32 wherein the directory records in said second address directory have less fields than the directory records in said first address directory.