Systems and methods for providing unified collaboration systems with combined communication log

• US 7,593,515 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2008
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Union Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Union Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Balk, Igor, Choupak, David Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo; Stella L
• Application Number:
  US12/247,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20090041217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 349 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.24, 379/93.01, 379/90.01, 379/93.09, 379/156
• US Class Current: 379/93.24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking 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 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components

Abstract

A communication system provides integrated email, telephone and instant messenger communication including a common address book, a common log of communication history and shared presence information. A user can respond to a communication according to any format, email, telephone or instant messenger, with a response using the same format or any other format. The response may be initiated by a single command.

Claims

1. A communication system for email and telephone communication comprising:

an email server that exchanges email communication with a client device;

an instant messenger server that exchanges instant messenger communication with the client device;

a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) server in communication with the client device, the PBX server also in communication with a telephone, the PBX server providing an indication of an incoming telephone call to both the client device and the telephone; and

wherein when a communication is received according to any one of the plurality of communication formats, an application operating on the client device causes an indication of the communication to be presented to a user and also causes a plurality of reply options to be presented to the user, the plurality of reply options including creating a reply according to any one of the plurality of communication formats, each of the plurality of reply options selectable by a single command;

wherein the communication system provides a combined log of email communication history, instant messenger communication history and telephone communication history, the telephone communication history including telephone communication with the PBX through the client device and telephone communication with the PBX through the telephone.

2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the telephone is a legacy telephone or an Internet Protocol telephone.

3. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising a calendar server and an address book server, the address book server maintaining an address book that has a plurality of entries, an individual entry containing email, telephone and instant messenger address information.

4. The communication system of claim 3 wherein the address book server provides user access information to the client device.

5. A method for email and telephone communication comprising:

exchanging email communication with an email server;

exchanging instant messenger communication with an instant messenger server;

communicating with a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) server via a client device and a telephone,

receiving a communication according to any one of the plurality of communication formats;

presenting an indication of the communication, including presenting an indication of an incoming telephone call from the PBX server via the client device and the telephone;

presenting a plurality of reply options to the communication according to any one of the plurality of communication formats, each of the plurality of reply options selectable by a single command; and

providing a combined log of email communication history, instant messenger communication history and telephone communication history, the telephone communication history including telephone communication with the PBX through the client device and telephone communication with the PBX through the telephone.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the telephone is a legacy telephone or an Internet Protocol telephone.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising accessing an address book on an address book server that has a plurality of entries, an individual entry containing email, telephone and instant messenger address information.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the address book server provides user access information to the client device.