Unified Messaging Interface for Email and Voice Mail Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication systems lack integration between email and voice mail messaging, requiring separate administration and databases, which complicates user setup, management, and access to both types of messages.
Innovation Solution
An integrated communication system (ICS) that integrates voice mail, email, and other messaging types through a single message interface, using a communication server, cache system, and interface module, allowing access to voice mail messages via the email messaging system and eliminating the need for a separate voice mail database.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate email and voice mail systems are used, then each system can be managed independently with specialized protocols, but the complexity of user setup and administration increases due to multiple databases and protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines separate email and voice mail systems into a unified messaging system where both message types are stored in a single database using a common protocol. The message store contains both email messages and voice mail messages, eliminating the need for separate databases and administration procedures while maintaining reliable access to both message types through standardized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal message store that handles multiple message types (email and voice mail) through a single interface and protocol. The system uses universal message headers and fields that work for both message types, allowing the same infrastructure to serve multiple messaging functions without requiring specialized handling for each type.
2Reliability
If separate voice mail database is used, then voice mail data can be stored independently, but the complexity of accessing and managing both email and voice mail messages increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the voice mail database with the email message store into a single unified database. Both email and voice mail messages are stored together using a common message format with standardized fields, allowing users to access both message types through the same interface without needing to know which type they are accessing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses message header copying where voice mail messages are stored with email-compatible header structures. The message headers contain universal fields that work for both message types, allowing the system to treat voice mail messages as a special case of email messages, thereby simplifying access procedures.
3Reliability
If multiple specialized systems are used, then each system can be optimized for its specific message type, but the number of protocols and interfaces increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal messaging protocol that handles both email and voice mail messages through a single interface. The message store uses standardized fields and formats that work for all message types, eliminating the need for multiple specialized protocols while maintaining the ability to optimize handling for specific message types through software logic rather than protocol differentiation.
4Adaptability or versatility
If separate administration procedures are used, then email and voice mail can be configured independently, but user setup time and administrative overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges user setup and administration procedures into a single unified process. When a user is added to the system, both email and voice mail access are configured simultaneously through the same administrative interface, eliminating the need for separate setup procedures and reducing administrative overhead while maintaining flexible configuration options for each message type.
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated messaging system for performing various types of messaging across different types of networks, including integrated user interfaces and administrator interfaces. Embodiments include a communication server that couples among networks of different types, and an interface module that couples to the communication server. The interface module may be hosted on a messaging server of a network. The interface module pulls various user information from the messaging server, including information relevant to at least the network that includes the messaging server. A cache couples to the communication server and to the interface module to hold information from the communication server and/or the user information pulled from messaging server. The interface module directs a message from the messaging server and/or the cache to at least one device on the networks using the user information.