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Coalescence of voice mail systemsRelated Patent Categories: Telephonic Communications, Audio Message Storage, Retrieval, Or SynthesisCoalescence of voice mail systems description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070206734, Coalescence of voice mail systems. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates in general to telecommunications systems, and in particular, to voice mail systems. BACKGROUND INFORMATION [0002] Voice mail systems have evolved over the years from simple answering machines using cassette tape cartridges to today's fully digital software driven systems, which have become an essential part of both our personal and business lives. Additionally, our tools for communicating with each other have multiplied to where it is not uncommon for a person to have a home phone, work phone, cell phone, home computer, work computer, and a PDA, such as a Blackberry.TM. or other handheld device. Even stay-at-home moms will communicate with friends, school, children and spouses using the home phone, their cell phone, and their home computer. [0003] Further, the technologies used to implement these various telecommunications devices have begun to blur together, mostly because of the digital transformation of telephone systems. A still further adaptation is occurring with the blending of voice and data over the same digital networks. The result of these advances is the ability of a person's telephones and computers to communicate with each other and share information. Digital wireless phones and handheld devices are essentially small computers using digital signal processing to enable a user to have voice communications with one another. Moreover, software is available for use on laptop and desktop computers enabling the user to utilize the computer as a telephone. [0004] A problem that has surfaced as a result of the foregoing is the proliferation of multiple voice mail boxes associated with each of these telecommunication devices. For example, a person could have a separate voice mail box they would have to check for each of their home phone, work phone, cell phone, home computer, and work computer. Having to individually access each of these voice mail systems can be a burden. Therefore, what is needed in the art is a system for coalescing a plurality of voice mail systems, providing a user an ability to access all of their voice mail systems from any one of the user's telecommunications devices. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0005] The present invention addresses the foregoing needs by providing a voice mail broker that communicates with each of a user's voice mail systems. The voice mail broker utilizes interface adapters for communicating with each of the technologies of the telecommunications systems associated with each of the voice mail systems so that notification messages and stored voice mails can be passed back and forth between the voice mail broker and each of the voice mail systems. With such a system, a user could use any of his/her telecommunications devices to access the user's voice mail systems through the voice mail broker. Thus, the user could listen to voice mail messages stored on each of the user's voice mail systems, and could also manage and perform maintenance of such voice mail systems, such as retrieving messages, deleting messages, saving messages, forwarding messages, etc., using the broker. [0006] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which from the subject of the claims of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0007] For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [0008] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system for coalescing voice mail systems in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; [0009] FIG. 2 illustrates processes implemented within a telecommunications device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; [0010] FIG. 3 illustrates processes implemented within a voice mail broker in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; [0011] FIG. 4 illustrates a data processing system configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; [0012] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary process of a workflow system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and [0013] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of database table 190 shown in FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0014] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth such as specific network configurations, etc. to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, well-known circuits have been shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the present invention in unnecessary detail. For the most part, details concerning timing considerations and the like have been omitted inasmuch as such details are not necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the present invention and are within the skills of persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art. [0015] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary configuration where a voice mail broker communicates with a plurality of voice mail systems to enable a user to access and manipulate all of such voice mail systems. Though the system illustrated in FIG. 1 shows several different types of telecommunications systems coupled to the voice mail broker, the present invention should not be limited to such telecommunications systems. Instead, any telecommunications system can be accessed with the present invention through the use of a proper interface adapter, enabling the voice mail broker to communicate with the telecommunications systems. [0016] A third party service may provide a business integration hub, such as a Websphere.TM. Business Integration Server (WBI) 101, coupled with newly created adapters 104, 106 and 108-109 to interact with various voice mail services and telecommunications systems. An adapter may be written for each such service, (such as Sprint PCS.TM., IBM.TM. Corporate Voice Mail, etc.) and integrated into the hub as a data-connect point just as existing technology adapters are utilized. Each adapter is responsible both for the control data associated with a given service, as well as the serializing/deserializing of the data format for each service. That is, a "Sprint PCS.TM. adapter" is able to retrieve voice messages from a Sprint PCS.TM. telecommunications system, as well as delete and save them based on actions mandated by the hub/voice mail broker. For some adapter/services, a simple "record audio data" function may be required, whereas others may be coupled with more modem technologies, such as Voice over IP (VoIP) or a common voice mail data standard, which would make integration easier. An exemplary data standard for voice data could be a WAV or MP3 file, which contains the audio component of the VoIP, with the corresponding control data being represented as an XML structure, for example, as a WebSphere.TM. Business Integration "Business Object." [0017] The hub 101 has a traditional work flow in which it is capable of communicating with the various technology adapters in an integrated fashion to achieve a global result. That is, the hub may constantly poll the various providers for new voice mail (or simply check when the user explicitly requests it) and coalesce the voice mails into a standard "business object" format for voice mail data on the hub (described in more detail below). This voice mail data may be then be considered generic, and can be manipulated in various ways as described below. [0018] Hub 101 includes the voice mail broker described below. A database 102 may be utilized to store user preferences, such as the identification of the various voice mail accounts the user desires to access. Database 102 may include a list of entries for all of the various service providers that a user would subscribe to. For example, the primary key of the table may be a combination of user ID and service provider. As illustrated in FIG. 6, each row in the database table may describe an individual service provider and all of the various login/control parameters for the given provider (e.g., the row might contain (name, Cingular.TM., PIN:12345, deleteWhenRead). Functions are implemented within the hub 101 for creating voice mail, retrieving voice mail, updating voice mail, deleting voice mail, etc. In the exemplary configuration illustrated in FIG. 1, a voice mail system 103 may be accessed by the voice mail broker in hub 101 with a DTMF interface adapter 104. In such a system, DTMF tones are needed for the voice mail broker in hub 101 to communicate with the voice mail system 103. Another voice mail system 105 may be accessed over a data network using VoIP protocols, through the use of a VoIP adapter 106. Another voice mail system 107 implemented on the Internet may be accessed by the voice mail broker in hub 101 using a web service adapter 108 using HTML protocols. [0019] A service provider may implement the foregoing by subscribing users who wish to access their other voice mail systems. Such a coalescence service provider 110 may then communicate through an interface adapter 109 with the voice mail broker in hub 101. Thus, it is not necessary that such a coalescence service provider 110 be the same entity as the provider of the voice mail broker process 101. Well-known security measures may be implemented for securing such access processes. Continue reading about Coalescence of voice mail systems... Full patent description for Coalescence of voice mail systems Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Coalescence of voice mail systems patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Coalescence of voice mail systems or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: System and method for providing dsl and selected telephone service over a common line Next Patent Application: Information processing apparatus and method, program recording medium, and program Industry Class: Telephonic communications ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Coalescence of voice mail systems patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.29874 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Electronics: Semiconductor , Audio , Illumination , Connectors , Crypto , 174 |
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