Multi-mode message routing and management

• US 7,609,821 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2006
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Varolii Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mathews, Robert, Kirtley, William H., Sarabura, Martin, Warden, Gregory, Kuszewski, Robert, Delaney, Jeffrey, Page, David
• Primary Examiner(s): SING, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US11/334,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20060177021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.18, 379/88.22, 379/88.25, 379/211.03, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.23
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• 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 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• 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 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2083 Confirmation by serviced party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

Transmission of messages composed on one or more input devices to a single or multiple recipients by means of one or plural communication modes is facilitated. Such communication modes may include conventional or wireless telephone, facsimile transmission, pager, e-mail, postal mail or courier. Thus, a message may be directed to a single recipient via multiple modes, such as e-mail and fax, in order to ensure the earliest possible receipt of the message; or may be directed to multiple recipients by a single mode or by different modes. In the case of multiple-mode delivery, “escalation” rules may specify conditions under which different delivery modes may be sequentially employed. Automatic follow-up to determine whether a message has been received, as well as automatic sender notification upon confirmation of receipt, may be employed. The system is capable of sending messages having embedded questions, and facilitating multi-question surveys.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

a message server comprising a plurality of modalities for transmitting messages;

a sender interface configured to receive from a sender a given message and a designation of a plural set of designated modalities, designated by the sender, including at least some of the transmission modalities at least some of which are yet to be used to transmit the given message;

memory-stored escalation rules specifying sequential transmission of the given message by each of the designated modalities upon occurrence of a specified condition; and

a routing facility configured to, responsive to the escalation rules and to the occurrence of the specified condition, cause the given message to be sequentially transmitted by the message server via the designated modalities in accordance with the escalation rules;

wherein the sender interface comprises an escalation rule receiver configured to receive escalation rules from a message sender.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the specified condition associated with at least some of the modalities is non-receipt of the message transmitted via said modalities.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the modalities comprise electronic mail, facsimile transmission, public telephone network, cellular telephone, pager, and postal mail.

4. The apparatus in claim 3, wherein the specified condition associated with telephone transmission is non-receipt of the message, the system further comprising a non-receipt detector configured to detect said non-receipt.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a notifier configured to notify, by at least one of the transmission modalities, a source of the given message that the given message has been received.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the escalation rules specify a default transmission modality, and wherein the routing facility is configured to cause the given message to be transmitted via the default modality if no designation is received by the sender interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a response receiver configured to receive, at the message server, a response to the given message after the given message has been received by a recipient; and

memory for collecting records of responses including the response, the sender interface being configured to tabulate and present the records in a summary format.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sender interface is further configured to receive, from a message sender, a global list of potential message recipients and criteria associated with respective one of the potential message recipients in the global list, the sender interface facilitating searching of the list based on specified criteria and identification of potential recipients whose recipient criteria match the specified criteria.

9. Apparatus comprising:

a message server comprising a plurality of modalities for transmitting messages;

a sender interface configured to receive from a sender a given message and a designation of a plural set of designated modalities, designated by the sender, including at least some of the transmission modalities at least some of which are yet to be used to transmit the given message;

memory-stored escalation rules specifying sequential transmission of the given message by each of the designated modalities upon occurrence of a specified condition; and

a routing facility configured to, responsive to the escalation rules and to the occurrence of the specified condition, cause the given message to be sequentially transmitted by the message server via the designated modalities in accordance with the escalation rules;

wherein the sender interface is further configured to receive, from a message sender, a list of recipients for the given message, and escalation rules for each recipient, and different designated modalities for respective ones of the recipients, the routing facility being configured to cause the given message to be transmitted to each recipient by the message server in accordance with the escalation rules.

10. Apparatus comprising:

a message server comprising a plurality of modalities for transmitting messages;

a sender interface configured to receive from a sender a given message and a designation of a plural set of designated modalities, designated by the sender, including at least some of the transmission modalities at least some of which are yet to be used to transmit the given message;

memory-stored escalation rules specifying sequential transmission of the given message by each of the designated modalities upon occurrence of a specified condition; and

a routing facility configured to, responsive to the escalation rules and to the occurrence of the specified condition, cause the given message to be sequentially transmitted by the message server via the designated modalities in accordance with the escalation rules;

wherein the sender interface is further configured to receive, from a message sender, a global list of potential message recipients and criteria associated with respective one of the potential message recipients in the global list, the sender interface facilitating searching of the list based on specified criteria and identification of potential recipients whose recipient criteria match the specified criteria; and

wherein the recipient criteria for respective ones of the potential message recipients include escalation rules.