Distributed control and storage for a large capacity messaging system

A message processing method for a message communication system connected to a telephone switching system, the message communication system including a digital switching system connected to the telephone switching system, at least first and second message processing units connected to the digital switching system, a control processor connected to the digital switching system and said first and second message processing units, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) selecting, by said control processor, one of said first and second message processing units for processing a first message;
• (b) controlling the digital switching system to route the first message to and/or from the selected one of said first and second message processing units;
• and
• (c) processing the first message by the selected message processing unit initiating buffering the first message and storing and/or retrieving and transmitting the first message.

A message communication system connected to a telephone switching system, comprising:

• at least first and second message processing means each capable of processing a first message by initiating buffering the first message and storing and/or retrieving and transmitting the first message;
• digital switching means for routing the first message to and/or from a selected one of said first and second message processing means from and/or to the telephone switching system;
• and
• control means, connected to said digital switching means and said first and second message processing means, for selecting an available one of said first and second message processing means which is available to process the first message and causing said switching means to route the first message to and/or from the selected one of said first and second message processing means, said control means including a data structure comprising:
• a linked list of message location records, each record including a storage location indicator indicating which of said first and second message processing means stores the first message and used for controlling switching by the digital switching means and interunit message transfer by the first and second message processing means.

A message communication system connected to a telephone switching system, comprising:

• at least first and second message processing means each capable of processing a first message by initiating storing and/or retrieving and transmitting the first message;
• digital switching means for routing the first message to and/or from a selected one of said first and second message processing means from and/or to the telephone switching system and said first message processing means being designated a home message processing means for the first message;
• and
• control means, connected to said digital switching means and said first and second message processing means, for selecting an available one of said first and second message processing means which is available to process the first message and causing said switching means to route the first message to and/or from the selected one of said first and second message processing means and said control means controlling routing responsive to which of said first and second message processing means is said home processing means, availability of said home and second message processing means, available message storage on said home and second message processing means and availability of message ports to said home and second message processing means.

A message communication system connected to a telephone switching system, comprising:

• at least first and second message processing means each capable of processing a first message by initiating storing and/or retrieving and transmitting the first message;
• digital switching means for routing the first message to and/or from a selected one of said first and second message processing means from and/or to the telephone switching system;
• and
• control means, connected to said digital switching means and said first and second message processing means, for selecting an available one of said first and second message processing means which is available to process the first message and causing said switching means to route the first message to and/or from the selected one of said first and second message processing means;
• and
• said second message processing means including a message cache for receiving and storing the first message transferred from said first message processing means.

A message communication system connected to a telephone switching system, comprising:

• at least first and second message processing means each capable of processing a first message by initiating storing and/or retrieving and transmitting the first message;
• digital switching means for routing the first message to and/or from a selected one of said first and second message processing means from and/or to the telephone switching system;
• and
• control means, connected to said digital switching means and said first and second message processing means, for selecting an available one of said first and second message processing means which is available to process the first message and causing said switching means to route the first message to and/or from the selected one of said first and second message processing means;
• and
• said message communication system serving at least two users, each user having a message box, said control means storing user message box information and sending the message box information to the one of said first and second processing means processing the first message and said message communication system processing at least the first message and a second message which are stored in one of said first and second message processing means and said control means including a list of message storage locations for each user indicating which of said first and second message processing means stores said first and second messages.

A message communication system connected to a telephone switching system, comprising:

• at least first and second message processing means each capable of processing a first message by initiating storing and/or retrieving and transmitting the first message;
• digital switching means for routing the first message to and/or from a selected one of said first and second message processing means from and/or to the telephone switching system;
• and
• control means, connected to said digital switching means and said first and second message processing means, for selecting an available one of said first and second message processing means which is available to process the first message and controlling said switching means to route the first message to and/or from the selected one of said first and second message processing means;
• and
• said first message processing means can send a stored message, said first processing means indicating to said routing means that a stored message needs to be sent, said routing means controlling said switching means to route said stored message and said first processing means sending said stored message through said digital switching means.

A voice message communication system connected to a central office switching system, said communication system comprising:

• a home voice processing computer, having voice ports, a home message cache and local message storage, processing voice messages and sending voice messages to and receiving voice messages from the central office switching system in accordance with message box information, said home processing computer specified the home for a user's message processing, sending and receiving;
• a remote voice processing computer, having voice ports, a remote message cache and local message storage, processing voice messages, sending voice messages to and receiving voice messages from the central office switching system in accordance with the message box information;
• a digital switching system, connected to said home voice processing computer, said remote voice processing computer and the central office switching system, for routing messages between the central office switching system and said processing computers;
• a local area network having a data path and having a message path connecting said home voice processing computer and said remote voice processing computer and;
• a master control computer, connected to said digital switching system and to said home and remote voice processing computers via said data path, storing a message box having the message box information for each user, the message box information listing messages for each user, each list entry indicating which of said processing computers stores each user's messages where either processing computer can store a user's messages, said master control computer controlling processing by and routing of messages to and from said processing computers through said digital switching system in accordance with P(I)=W1*H(I)+W2*RS(I)+W3*PA(I), where I is an index specifying one of said processing computers, W1-W3 are weights, H is an indicator indicating whether the one of said processing computers is the home processing computer, RS is an available amount of the local storage for the one of said processing computers, PA is a number of unoccupied voice ports on the one of said processing computers, and P is a message placement value, the one of said processing computers with the highest placement value being selected from processing, sending and/or receiving the voice messages, the weights being set to route messages from the user to said home processing computer when said home processing computer is available, has at least one unoccupied voice port and has sufficient local storage for the messages, said control computer routing a user's messages to said remote computer when said home computer is not selected, when one of said processing computers stores one of the messages and the other one of said processing computers is selected for processing the one of the messages, the message is transferred over the message path and stored in the respective one of the home and remote message caches for processing by the selected processing computer if the one of said processing computers is unavailable, message processing being transferred to the one of said processing computers from the other one of said processing computers along with changing of the message routing by said digital switching system if the one of the processing computers is available, said master control computer transferring the message box information to the one of the processing computers processing, sending or receiving the messages for the user.

A message processing method for a message communication system connected to a telephone switching system, the message communication system including a digital switching system connected to the telephone switching system, at least first and second message processing units connected to the digital switching system, a control processor connected to the digital switching system and said first and second message processing units, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) selecting, by said control processor, one of said first and second message processing units for processing a first message;
• (b) controlling the digital switching system to route the first message to and/or from the selected one of said first and second message processing units;
• and
• (c) processing the first message by the selected message processing unit initiating storing and/or retrieving and transmitting the first message;
• and
• wherein step (b) includes controlling routing responsive to which of said first and second message processing units is a home message processing unit, availability of each of the first and second message processing units, available message storage on the first and second message processing units and availability of message ports to the first and second message processing units.

A message processing method for a message communication system connected to a telephone switching system, the message communication system including a digital switching system connected to the telephone switching system, at least first and second message processing units connected to the digital switching system, a control processor connected to the digital switching system and a network connected to said control processor and said first and second message processing units, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) selecting, by said control processor, one of said first and second message processing units for processing a first message;
• (b) controlling the digital switching system to route the first message to and/or from the selected one of said first and second message processing units;
• and
• (c) processing the first message by the selected message processing unit initiating storing and/or retrieving and transmitting the first message;
• and
• wherein when the first message processing unit stores the first message and the first message processing unit becomes unavailable after the first message is stored by the first message processing unit, step (c) includes the second message processing unit processing the first message by obtaining the first message from the first message processing unit and the network connecting the first and second message processing units carrying the first message between the first and second message processing units.

A message processing method for a message communication system connected to a telephone switching system, the message communication system including a digital switching system connected to the telephone switching system, at least first and second message processing units connected to the digital switching system, a control processor connected to the digital switching system and said first and second message processing units, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) selecting, by said control processor, one of said first and second message processing units for processing a first message;
• (b) controlling the digital switching system to route the first message to and/or from the selected one of said first and second message processing units;
• and
• (c) processing the first message by the selected message processing unit initiating storing and/or retrieving and transmitting the first message;
• and
• wherein when the first message processing unit stores the first message and the first message processing unit becomes unavailable after the first message is stored by the first message processing unit, step (c) includes the second message processing unit processing the first message by obtaining the first message from the first message processing unit, and during step (c) the first message processing unit suspending operation while the second message processing unit processes the first message.

A message processing method for a message communication system connected to a telephone switching system, the message communication system including a digital switching system connected to the telephone switching system, at least first and second message processing units connected to the digital switching system, a control processor connected to the digital switching system and said first and second message processing units, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) selecting, by said control processor, one of said first and second message processing units for processing a first message;
• (b) controlling the digital switching system to route the first message to and/or from the selected one of said first and second message processing units;
• and
• (c) processing the first message by the selected message processing unit initiating storing and/or retrieving and transmitting the first message;
• and
• the first message processing unit processing a second message while the second message processing unit processes the first message.

A message processing method for a message communication system connected to a telephone switching system, the message communication system including a digital switching system connected to the telephone switching system, at least first and second message processing units connected to the digital switching system, a control processor connected to the digital switching system and said first and second message processing units, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) selecting, by said control processor, one of said first and second message processing units for processing a first message;
• (b) controlling the digital switching system to route the first message to the selected one of said first and second message processing units;
• and
• (c) processing the first message by the selected message processing unit initiating storing and/or retrieving and transmitting the first message;
• and
• wherein when the first message processing unit stores the first message and the first message processing unit becomes unavailable after the first message is stored by the first message processing unit, step (c) includes the second message processing unit processing the first message by obtaining the first message from the first message processing unit, and a message processing state being transferred from the first message processing unit to the second message processing unit.

A message processing method for a message communication system connected to a telephone switching system, the message communication system including a digital switching system connected to the telephone switching system, at least first and second message processing units connected to the digital switching system, a control processor connected to the digital switching system and said first and second message processing units, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) selecting, by said control processor, one of said first and second message processing units for processing a first message;
• (b) controlling the digital switching system to route the first message to and/or from the selected one of said first and second message processing units;
• and
• (c) processing the first message by the selected message processing unit initiating storing and/or retrieving and transmitting the first message;
• and
• wherein when the first message processing unit stores the first message and the first message processing unit becomes unavailable after the first message is stored by the first message processing unit, step (c) includes the second message processing unit processing the first message by obtaining the first message from the first message processing unit and the second message processing unit includes a message cache for receiving and storing the first message from the first message processing unit and step (c) includes storing the obtained first message in the message cache.

A message processing method for a message communication system connected to a telephone switching system, the message communication system including a digital switching system connected to the telephone switching system, at least first and second message processing units connected to the digital switching system, a control processor connected to the digital switching system and said first and second message processing units, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) selecting, by said control processor, one of said first and second message processing units for processing a first message;
• (b) controlling the digital switching system to route the first message to and/or from the selected one of said first and second message processing units;
• and
• (c) processing the first message by the selected message processing unit initiating storing and/or retrieving and transmitting the first message;
• and
• wherein several messages are stored and step (c) includes processing message responsive to a list of message storage locations for each user indicating which of said first and second message processing units stores the messages.

A voice message communication system connected to a central office switching system, said communication system comprising;

• a home voice processing computer, having voice ports, a home message cache and local message storage, detecting, processing, monitoring and controlling voice messages and an order of message processing steps, and sending voice messages to and receiving voice messages from the central office switching system in accordance with message box information, said home processing computer specified as the home for a user's message processing, sending and receiving;
• a remote voice processing computer, having voice ports, a remote message cache and local message storage, processing voice message, sending voice message to and receiving voice messages from the central office switching system in accordance with the message box information;
• a digital switching system, connected to said home voice processing computer, said remote voice processing computer and the central office switching system, for routing messages between the central office switching system and said processing computers;
• a communication path connected to said digital switching system;
• a local area network having a data path and having a message path connecting said home voice processing computer and said remote voice processing computer;
• and
• a master control computer, connected to said digital switching system via said communication path and to said home and remote voice processing computers via said data path, storing a message box having the message box information for each user, the message box information listing messages for each user, each list entry indicating which of said processing computers stores each user's message where either processing computer can store a user's messages, said master control computer directly controlling processing by and routing of messages to and from said processing computers through said digital switching system in accordance with P(I)=W1*H(I)+W2*RS(I)+W3*PA(I), where I is an index specifying one of said processing computers, W1-W3 are weights, H is an indicator indicating whether the one of said processing computers is the home processing computer, RS is an available amount of the local storage for the one of said processing computers, PA is a number of unoccupied voice ports on the one of said processing computers, and P is a message placement value, the one of said processing computers with the highest placement value being selected for processing, sending and/or receiving the voice messages, the weights being set to route messages for the user to said home processing computer when said home processing computer is available, has at least one unoccupied voice port and has sufficient local storage for the messages, said control computer routing a user's messages to said remote computer when said home computer is not selected, when one of said processing computers stores one of the messages and the other one of said processing computers is selected for processing the one of the messages, the message is transferred over the message path and stored in the respective one of the home and remote message caches for processing by the selected processing computer if the one of said processing computers is unavailable, message processing being transferred to the one of said processing computers from the other one of said processing computers along with changing of the message routing by said digital switching system if the one of the processing computers is available, said master control computer transferring the message box information to the one of the processing computers processing, sending or receiving the messages for the user.