Communication system having unified messaging
AssigneesAmerican Telephone and Telegraph Company, AT&T Information Systems Inc.
InventorsRoberta S. Cohen, Kenneth M. Huber, Deborah J. Mills
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Unified messaging is a concept that provides for a single electronic mailbox for different types of messages. The mailbox can be on a user's host computer, PBX, PC, etc., and the user has consistant facilities available to originate, receive and manipulate messages. Messages can be translated from one media to another for reception, and a single message may be composed of parts that use different native media. The message recipient has a single controllable point of contact where all messages can be scanned and/or viewed.
Claims34
A message delivery arrangement for use in situations where a plurality of users send voice or data messages and wherein said messages have recipients and said data messages are typically delivered to data terminals and said voice messages are typically delivered to voice terminals, said arrangement comprising
- means controlled by a potential message recipient for designating either a voice terminal or a data terminal as a prime message receptor for said recipient and for sending a notification of the arrival of either a voice or a data message to said prime message receptor, and
- means controlled by said prime message receptor for alerting said recipient of said notification after receipt by said prime message receptor.
A message delivery system for controlling the delivery of messages to message recipients, said messages communicable to one of said message recipients via a plurality of message networks and receivable by a plurality of control services associated with said one message recipient, sad system comprising
- means for designating for said one message recipient any one of said control services as a prime message receptor and for sending to said prime message receptor a notification of the arrival of either a voice or a data message, and
- means controlled by said prime message receptor for alerting said one recipient of said notification after receipt by said prime message receptor.
A consolidated message delivery system operable for providing notifications to a recipient of messages when messages are directed to either a voice or a data terminal, said voice and said data terminal are both associated with said recipient, said system comprising
- means for receiving any said messages,
- means for designating for said recipient either said voice terminal or said data terminal to receive said notifications, and
- means responsive to messages directed to said voice or said data terminal for providing said notifications to said designated terminal independent of any request by said recipient.
A message delivery method for use in situations where a plurality of users send voice or data messages, said messages having recipients, said method comprising the steps of
- designating, under control of a recipient, either a voice terminal or a data terminal as a prime message receptor for said recipient,
- sending to said prime message receptor notifications of the arrival of either voice or data messages, and
- alerting, under control of said prime message receptor, said recipient of said notifications.
A consolidated message delivery method operable for providing notifications to a recipient of messages when messages are directed to either a voice or data terminal, said voice and said data terminal are both associated with said recipient, said system comprising the steps of
- receiving any said messages,
- designating for said recipient either said voice terminal or said data terminal to receive said notifications, and
- providing, in response to messages directed to said voice or said data terminal, notifications to said designated terminal independent of any request by said recipient.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.