Method and system for interfacing systems unified messaging with legacy systems located behind corporate firewalls

• US 7,162,014 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation), SBC Properties, L.P.
• Inventors: Ng, Alexander Siu-Kay, Skladman, Julia, Chatterley, Bruce A., Peterson, Bruce L., Thornberry, Robert J. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang; Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELAHEE, MD S
• Application Number:
  US10/881,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20040234046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.13, 379/67.1, 379/88.22, 379/88.26, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.14, 379/88.04, 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• 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 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 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/908 Multimedia

Abstract

A system and method for interfacing unified message processing systems with legacy voice mail, e-mail and facsimile systems, located behind corporate firewalls. The system includes a unified message server, a proxy interface and a message protocol converter. The proxy interface is configured to access the legacy system in response to a request from a unified message server. Messages stored on the legacy system are converted by a protocol converter to a predetermined format compatible with the unified message server. The converted messages are then transferred to a unified message server which is capable of providing messages from different messaging system, such as voice mail, e-mail and facsimile to users in a predetermined format. The invention permits enterprise wide communication systems to provide unified messaging without abandoning pre-existing legacy messaging system.

Claims

1. Software for providing user access, through a unified messaging system, to messages obtained from one or more legacy message systems maintained behind a firewall, wherein the one or more legacy message systems use one or more protocols not usable by a unified messaging server of the unified messaging system, and wherein the software is embodied in computer readable media and when executed operable to direct one or more computers coupled between the unified messaging server and the one or more legacy message systems to:

retrieve one or more messages from the one or more legacy message systems maintained behind the firewall in response to a query and detection of at least one message on the one or more legacy message systems;

convert at least one message retrieved from the one or more legacy message systems to a protocol usable by the unified messaging server; and

forward at least one retrieved and converted message to the unified messaging server for access by a user.

2. The software of claim 1, further operable to automatically periodically poll the one or more legacy message systems to detect whether at least one message for at least one user has been received by the legacy message systems.

3. The software of claim 1, further operable to permit user definition of a user profile and selection of one or more predetermined message processing attributes.

4. The software of claim 3, further operable to permit definition of a user profile and selection of one or more predetermined message processing attributes through a unified messaging system web-based interface.

5. The software of claim 3, further operable to permit definition of a user profile and selection of one or more predetermined message processing attributes through an interactive voice response system.

6. The software of claim 1, wherein the one or more computers coupled between the unified messaging server and the one or more legacy message systems comprise a middleware server.

7. A messaging system, comprising:

one or more legacy message systems;

a unified messaging system including a unified messaging server operably coupled to the one or more legacy message systems maintained behind a firewall, the one or more legacy message systems using one or more protocols not usable by the unified messaging server; and

a middleware server coupled between the unified messaging server and the one or more legacy message systems maintained behind the firewall, the middleware server operable to;

retrieve one or more messages maintained by the one or more legacy message systems maintained behind the firewall in response to a query and detection of at least one message on the one or more legacy message systems;

convert one or more messages retrieved from the one or more legacy message systems from a legacy message system protocol to a protocol usable by the unified messaging server; and

forward the converted one or more messages to the unified messaging server for access by a user.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising the middleware server operable to record and digitize one or more messages retrieved from a voicemail-based legacy message system.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising the unified messaging system operable to provide to the one or more legacy messaging systems account access authorization information maintained in a user profile associated with the user.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising the unified messaging system operable to communicate one or more notifications to a message indicator associated with a user communication device.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising the unified messaging system operable to communicate a message indicator in response to retrieval of a message from the one or more legacy message systems.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising the unified messaging system operable to communicate a message indicator in response to a query received from the user communication device.

13. A method for presenting a message from one or more legacy message systems to a user through a unified messaging system including a unified messaging server and a middleware server coupled between the unified messaging server and the one or more legacy message systems, the one or more legacy message systems maintained behind a firewall and operating on one or more protocols not usable by the unified messaging server, the method comprising:

the middleware server of the unified messaging system retrieving from the one or more legacy message systems maintained behind the firewall one or more messages belonging to a user requesting message reporting;

the middleware server converting one or more messages retrieved from a legacy message system protocol to a protocol compatible with the unified messaging system; and

the unified messaging server delivering the one or more converted messages to a user communication device in accordance with one or more settings in a user profile defining user preferences for message delivery.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising contacting the one or more legacy message systems to determine the presence of one or more user messages in response to a user request for message reporting.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising contacting the one or more legacy message systems to determine the presence of one or more user messages in response to a request for message reporting from a user communication device.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing converted messages retrieved from the one or more legacy message systems; and

communicating a message indicator to a user communication device indicative of a stored message awaiting user review.