Systems and methods for providing unified collaboration systems with conditional communication handling

• US 7,783,023 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2008
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• 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): Anwah; Olisa
• Application Number:
  US12/247,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20090041216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/212.01, 379/88.14, 379/88.12, 379/88.17, 379/201.1
• US Class Current: 379/211.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• 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 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• 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 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• 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 system for providing unified collaboration comprising:

an email server in communication with a client device;

an instant messenger server in communication with the client device;

a PBX server in communication with the client device; and

wherein the instant messenger server receives user presence information from the client device and, in response to the presence information received by the instant messenger server, the PBX server selects a telephone handling scheme and the email server selects an email handling scheme, wherein the email handling scheme is configured so that so that email is directed as a user requests for various presence states, and

wherein a current state indicating user absence causes the PBX server to direct the telephone call to a voicemail system;

wherein the system provides a common log that includes entries for email communications, instant messenger communications and telephone communications.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the user presence information is provided as a current state that is selected from a plurality of possible presence states.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein a current state indicating user absence causes the PBX server to forward a telephone call to another client device.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising an address book server in communication with the client device, the address book server providing address information from a common address book that includes email address information, instant messenger address information and phone number information for an individual.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein communication with the client device is secured communication.

6. A method of providing integrated communication comprising:

determining a presence state of a user from an instant messenger portion of an integrated communication system, the presence state being one of a plurality of possible presence states;

in response to the determining of the presence state of the user, selecting an instant messenger handling scheme for an instant messenger server that receives incoming instant messages directed to the user, the instant messenger handling scheme selected from a plurality of possible instant messenger handling schemes;

in response to the determining of the presence state of the user, selecting an email handling scheme for an email server that receives incoming emails directed to the user, the email handling scheme selected from a plurality of possible email handling schemes, wherein the email handling scheme is configured so that so that email is directed as a user requests for various presence states;

in response to the determining of the presence state of the user, selecting a telephone call handling scheme for a PBX server that receives incoming telephone calls directed to the user, the telephone call handling scheme selected from a plurality of possible call handling schemes, wherein a current state indicating user absence causes the PBX server to direct the telephone call to a voicemail system; and

providing a common log that includes email communications, telephone communications and instant messenger communications.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the determined presence state is “

away” and

the call handling scheme comprises directing telephone calls directed to the user to another user, or to a mobile telephone.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising maintaining a common address book that includes email, telephone and instant messenger address information.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising determining access privileges of a user from the common address book.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing encryption and decryption of communication as part of the integrated communication system.

11. The method of claim 6 further comprising, in response to receiving a communication by email, instant messenger or telephone, providing the user with options to initiate a reply by email, instant messenger or telephone, each option selectable by a single command.