Facsimile and static presentation processing – Facsimile – Document filing and retrieval system
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-08
2001-12-11
Williams, Kimberly A. (Department: 2622)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Facsimile
Document filing and retrieval system
C358S402000, C358S407000, C358S442000, C379S100120, C379S100150, C379S102020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06330079
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to telecommunications systems and more particularly to managing services in telecommunications systems such as systems having single telephone number access to multiple communications services.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In conventional telecommunications systems, a number of different telecommunications services are offered to subscribers. Each telecommunications service requires a unique telephone number. Examples of telecommunications services that require a unique telephone number are automatic routing services, voicemail services, facsimile services, paging services, cellular phone services, and personal 800 numbers. One of the drawbacks of each service requiring a different telephone number is that managing and publishing multiple telephone numbers for a subscriber that uses multiple communications services can prove to be quite cumbersome. For example, a subscriber may have to provide a first telephone number for facsimile services, a second telephone number for voicemail services, and a third telephone number for cellular services. Thus, a subscriber must remember all of the unique telephone numbers and must make clear to people to whom the subscriber gives the telephone numbers what services are associated with what telephone numbers. Oftentimes, a party confuses the mapping of telephone numbers to services and reaches the wrong service when dialing the telephone number that was given to the party. For instance, a caller may dial a number thinking that he will reach a person and instead the caller reaches a facsimile machine.
Another drawback of conventional systems is the lack of flexibility regarding the telecommunications services that are provided to subscribers. A subscriber may need to provide access to different services to different people at various times. For example, a subscriber may need to have phone calls directed to the subscriber's workplace during the work week but may need to have phone calls directed to his home or cellular phone on weekends. The subscriber may also wish to limit the people that may reach the subscriber by phone on the weekends. Still further, the subscriber may wish to provide other people with access to his voicemail.
Unfortunately, with conventional systems such configurability of telecommunications services is not available. Moreover, a subscriber has difficulty managing a multitude of communications services, where each service has a different number. For example, if the subscriber wishes to update multiple aspects of his or her services over a phone, multiple iterative menu selections and presentations are required. Furthermore, a caller must typically call one number to update aspects of his or her voicemail services, and then call another number to update aspects of his or her pager services. Still further numbers are required to update other telecommunications services.
Known systems have combined telecommunications services in an attempt to provide more convenient services to the user. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,161 combines some paging functions with voicemail functions. For example, the voicemail system will page the user when a voicemail has been recorded for the user. Such a system can be awkward to use, since specific codes are required to be memorized by the user for many functions. Furthermore, such a system provides only limited telecommunications services to a user. For example, no facsimile services are provided.
Another difficulty users of telecommunications services suffer from is receiving facsimile messages. Often, the user may have two office locations (e.g., a home office and a work office), with separate facsimile numbers for each. If the user receives a facsimile message at one number, the sender may believe that the user has received the message, when in fact the user is located at the other location (and at the other fax machine).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,584 provides a “store and forward” system for facsimile messages. Under this system, a single number is provided for receiving a user's facsimile messages. The user can then direct received facsimile messages to a desired location (e.g., to a facsimile machine located at his or her home office). As with the above described patent, the system under this patent suffers from providing only limited telecommunications services to the user. Additionally, such a system can be awkward for the user to efficiently receive facsimile messages at desired locations. For example, the user cannot provide efficient predetermined routing for facsimile messages to various locations based on a mobile user. Furthermore, the systems under both such patents provide only a limited hardware and software platform functionality. A fault effecting one component in the platform could compromise the entire platform, and thereby be practicably useless to a user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Aspects of the present invention overcome the problems of the prior systems, and provide additional benefits, as described in detail herein. Under an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a platform for use in a communications system integrates voicemail, faxmail, video mail, email, telex and other electronic information mail services. The platform collects, stores, and retrieves messages, such as voicemail and faxmail messages, for numerous subscribers. Each subscriber accesses his or her account with, for example, a single telephone number assigned to the user. The integrated platform collects, stores, forwards, distributes, saves, deletes, and retrieves voicemail, faxmail, etc. messages for the numerous subscribers based on their single numbers. The platform also provides capability for enhanced features such as automatic callback to individuals who leave the message for a subscriber, broadcasting of faxmail messages to multiple recipients, pager notification, and the creation and management of distribution lists for messages.
Furthermore, the platform provides for redundant and expanded hardware and software functionality. As a result, the platform can handle not only a high volume of message traffic, but also ensure that faults effecting one or more components of the system do not compromise the entire platform. The platform is therefore highly reliable.
In a broad sense, an embodiment of the present invention is applicable for use in a telecommunications network. The embodiment includes several telephony network interface servers, at least two routing hubs, a centralized mass storage device, and at least two management servers. The interface servers are coupled to receive voice and facsimile messages from the telecommunications network. The routing hubs are coupled to the interface servers, while the mass storage device stores subscriber accounts. Each account is for storing the voice and facsimile messages for at least one subscriber. The management servers are coupled to the mass storage device and the routing hubs. At least one management server routes incoming voice and facsimile messages for storage in accounts within the mass storage device, while at least another management server is configured to replace functionality of the one management server if it experiences a fault.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method performed by a message server, such as a server for voice messages and facsimile messages. The method includes the steps of the: (a) establishing a communications link with an automated response unit (ARU) in response to a call received from the telecommunications network; (b) receiving subscriber information of requested service data, wherein the requested service data corresponds to a telecommunications service request associated with the received call; (c) determining whether a subscriber account is satisfactory based on the subscriber information or requested service data; and (d) providing a confirmation message to the automated response unit if the subscriber account is satisfactory. During the step (a) of establishing a link, the ARU typically initiates establishment of the link.
I
Dugan Andrew J.
Há Lâm V.
McHugh M. Kevin
Wise Robert M.
MCI Communications Corporation
Williams Kimberly A.
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