MXPA99011851A - Electronic mail distribution system for integrated electronic communications - Google Patents

Abstract

Se desarrolla un sistema para integrar el correo electrónico, correo de voz y mensajería de correo de fax. Un formato común de mensaje estádefinido por el uso de un servicio de correo electrónico y un servicio de telecomunicaciones asícomo mensajes del correo electrónico que pueden incluir correo de voz y fax que pueden ser intercambiados entre los servicios. Los enviadores y receptores pueden escoger desde una variedad de opciones filtradas y adelantadas junto a ellas para manejar sus comunicaciones y especificar una recepción preferente de mensajes en el correo electrónico o servicio de telecomunicaciones. El adelantamiento y conversión de mensajes es efectuado automáticamente. Las opciones son usadas para definir una serie de reglas para ser utilizados para mensajes internos y externos asícomo mensajes que son enviados y recibidos en acordancia con las preferencias de los enviadores y receptores.

Description

ELECTRONIC EMAIL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM FOR INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates, in general, to communication technologies such as the sending of messages by electronic mail (e-mail), voice mail and facsimile mail (fax). Specifically, the present invention relates to an email gateway to integrate communications and thus facilitate access to email messages, voice mail and fax mail.

Description of Previous Inventions The current communications technology allows people to send messages to each other, from anywhere in the world and practically at any time of the day. The diversity of communication modalities (for example, telephone, computer) and means of communication (for example, email, voice mail and fax mail) that are available today, allows people to choose one of them for the circumstances.

In general, those who send messages today can choose between a variety of media, but the recipients of the messages are limited to the option selected by who sends the message. If the sender of the message uses the telephone to leave a voicemail message, the recipient of the message is required to use a telephone to retrieve the voicemail message. If the issuer uses a computer to send a message via email, the recipient is required to use a computer to retrieve the message sent by email. Some days, the recipient of the message will not be able to retrieve it because the communication mode available to it can not be used to retrieve the message. In other cases, even if the recipient of the message has access to the telephone, computer or other communication device, the receiver may prefer to use one device instead of the others. For example, the receiver could spend most of his working day on a computer and, consequently, he would prefer to recover all incoming messages, regardless of the communication medium that originated them, using his computer.

The inability to modify the medium by which the message was sent, after having been sent the same (or using any other mode of communication different from that selected by the issuer) is an unnecessary burden for both senders and message recipients. The senders and the receivers are required to select a means to communicate in advance, to guarantee both parties that the communication will be received on time. If the circumstances of the receiver change at any time after the means of communication have been selected, and the receiver can not notify the issuer of the change, the recipient may run the risk of not receiving the communication from the issuer because it could not be received. access to the message using a different communication mode. In addition, the recipient's inability to retrieve all incoming messages using a single device or communication mode results in additional charges. It is uncomfortable for recipients to be required to change, for example, between the phone, to retrieve voice mail messages, and the computer to retrieve messages sent via email.

Technologies that solve the annoyances imposed by the widespread use of different means of communication to send messages have been introduced. For example, Text-Talk (TTS) technology allows a receiver to hear written electronic messages. However, message receivers are generally required to integrate this technology into their own custom telecommunications and computer environments. Messages by different means of communication (e.g., e-mail, voice mail, fax mail) have not been integrated without sutures so that the recipient of a message can simply choose the means of message communication that he prefers and make all incoming or incoming messages are processed accordingly.

The present invention solves the existing limitations in the current communications technology, which requires the receivers to recover their messages according to a predetermined communication medium or according to the communication means selected by the issuer. The present invention is an integrated communication system, without sutures, that combines email messages, voice mail, and fax mail. The system for sending messages by different means of the present invention allows messages to be exchanged between email and telecommunications service providers, so that all incoming messages can be received by the receiver thereof using a telephone or computer, regardless of the means of communication that originated the message.

The present invention is an electronic mail gateway that allows the exchange of electronic messages between an electronic mail service and a telecommunications service. Messages sent from the email service to the telecommunications service can be retrieved using a telephone. With a normal phone, receivers can listen to voicemail messages, redirect faxes to a fax machine, or they can "listen" for emails that originated as text messages and have been sent from a mail service electronic to a telecommunications service switch. You can also send messages from the telecommunications service to the email service. Using a computer and a modem, users can play voice mail messages, view fax messages, or read email messages that originated as voice or fax messages. Messages or attachments of messages that are exchanged using email message sending technology are automatically reformatted or converted to the appropriate format (for example, xing protocol, TIFF format). The reformatting or conversion of the message is done automatically in a telecommunications or email service provider that sends incoming messages, so that the recipients of the message only need to specify the means of communications they prefer in order to take advantage of the features and functionality of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a flowchart of the system of the main components of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a graph of operations of the main steps of the present invention; Y Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of a common message format of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT (S) The present invention is a sophisticated computer system that facilitates communications between senders and receivers of email messages, voice mail and fax. The system is constituted by a set of application programs and services incorporated in different computers (or servers) and diverse devices that are interconnected by an infrastructure or gateway that supports electronic mail communications between the participating entities. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the application and service programs, as well as the supporting hardware components of the present invention, can be developed and maintained by different service providers, cooperating with each other to provide the features and functionality of the present invention. Using this arrangement, each service provider can concentrate on the development of technology appropriate to their field of expertise in particular. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the features and functionality can be developed and maintained by a single service provider or by a single access service. The service provider or the access service that the message receiver uses to send voice mail messages, email and fax, knows the preferences of the receiver, which will be defined in a set of rules stored in a database with the characteristics of the receiver or user of the messages, so that all messages can be sent to the recipient of according to your preference. The ability to exchange electronic messages between service providers based on rules defined according to the user's preference is a unique feature of the present invention.

The present invention offers a variety of characteristics to both the "senders" and the "receivers" of messages. Issuers are users who direct communications to message recipients. Issuers use a specific communication mode (for example, telephone, computer / modem) to send messages. Initially, the messages are routed to a mailbox, and stored in it, compatible with the mode or means of communication of the sender. For example, messages sent over the telephone can be stored in a voice mailbox. Messages sent by computer and modem can be stored in an e-mail box.

The recipients are the users to whom the individual voice mail, fax or e-mail message is addressed. Preferably, the recipients are subscribers or users of the telecommunications or email service, or both. Email services can be provided by an online information service such as the CompuServe Information Service. An online information service such as the CompuServe Information Service can provide access to the Internet and access to databases with proprietary rights, in addition to providing e-mail services. The information service can be constituted by a large number of nodes or network servers located all over the world, and that are capable of communicating with each other in order to create a global network.

The connection software provided by the email service allows message recipients to connect to and communicate with the service. Preferably, the connection software is incorporated into a graphical user interface that allows users to interact with the service using graphical displays and a pointing device, such as a mouse. Version 3.0 inCIM of CompuServe is an example of connection software that supports access to and interacts with the email service. To communicate with the service, the subscriber or user establishes a connection with one of the nodes or servers belonging to the information service.

In addition to providing access to and interacting with the email service, the connection software allows the user to set rules or filter and send instructions to manage incoming and outgoing messages. In addition to other rules, or to filter and send instructions, the recipient of the message can indicate the preferred means of communication by selecting options that define one or more rules that will be automatically applied to the incoming messages through a mail service provider. electronic. For example, when selecting cen options, the recipient can set a rule that prompts messages initiated by telephone to be stored in a voice mailbox and sent to an e-mail box for viewing later. Alternatively, by selecting cen options, the recipient may set a rule to request that computer / modem-initiated messages (ie, e-mail messages) be stored in an e-mail inbox and sent to a voice mailbox to recover them later.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the recipient of the messages can interact with a voice responder incorporated into a telephone in order to select options in which the rules to be applied to the incoming voice and fax messages are set. Messages can be stored in a telecommunications service database and applied to incoming messages.

It is obvious that user preferences can be selected and stored in a database of both the email service and the telecommunications service. When the messages addressed to the receiver reach the telecommunications or email service (facilitating any of them the delivery of the message), the rules set by the receiver are applied by an email distributor, or by another message distributor, so that all the sending and conversion of messages (if necessary) can be done automatically. Then, the receiver uses the appropriate communication mode (for example, telephone, computer) to retrieve incoming messages. For example, the recipient can dial, and enter a voice mailbox, with a normal telephone and listen to email messages, redirect faxes to a local fax machine or "listen" to email messages. Alternatively, the user can dial and enter an e-mail inbox, with a computer and play voice mail messages, view their fax messages and read e-mail messages.

With reference to Figure 1, the present invention is an electronic mail gateway that facilitates the exchange of electronic messages between an electronic mail service 10 and a telecommunications service 12, to support the sending and receiving of messages by different means . The messages are exchanged according to a common message format. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the messages exchanged between the email service 10 and the telecommunications service 12 are email messages which may include attachments of voice mail or fax. The messages are exchanged between the services, based on the preferences of the users of the system. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which e-mail messages are sent to a telecommunications service, an e-mail distributor 14 located in the e-mail service 10 examines the incoming message 16 of a user 18 (i.e. of the sender of the message) of the email service 10, who can use dial-up access 20 to send a message to another user (that is, to the recipient of the message) of the service. Alternatively, incoming messages 16 can be sent to the service from another email service or from the Internet. The email distributor 14, which preferably should be an application program that operates on a server located in the email service, detects who is the recipient of the message and accesses a Database with the Characteristics of the Message Receiver 22 for find out if the recipient of the message has a rule 24 in its characteristics, indicating that the recipient of the message would like it to be sent to the telecommunications service 12 to be retrieved later by telephone. If the receiver has already specified a preference (by means of a rule included in the characteristics of the recipient of the message) to receive incoming messages in the telecommunications service 12, the incoming message 16 is modified by the electronic mail distributor 14 to include the routing information 26 of the telecommunications service. The routing information of the telecommunication service is preferably stored in a Telecommunications Service Routing Information Database 28 which can be accessed through the e-mail distributor 14. For example, the information can be stored in the pairs of information on the name and routing of the service, within the database 28. The characteristics of the recipient of the message may include the name of a telecommunications service to which the email messages should be sent. The Telecommunications Service Routing Information Database 28 may include the pair of information on the name and routing of the service, so that the distributor can look at the database based on the name of the service found in the characteristics 22 of the message receiver.

Next, the modified electronic message 30 is sent by the electronic mail distributor 14 to an electronic mailbox 34 in communication with a node 32 of the email service network that is in the electronic mail service 10, and which is has created specifically for the telecommunications service 12. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an e-mail service network node 38, which is located in the telecommunications service 12, periodically interrogates the node 32 of the service network of electronic mail, which is in the electronic mail service 10, to find out if the mailbox 34 of the telecommunications service contains any modified message that is to be sent to the telecommunications service 12. Preferably, the interrogation operation and the exchange of messages between the services is done using an X.25 link, 36, which has been established between the services. Then, the modified messages 30 coming from the telecommunication service mailbox 34 can be transmitted over the X.25 link, 36, from the email service network node, which is in the email service 32, to the node of the electronic service network that is in the telecommunications service 38.

Once the incoming messages are in the telecommunications service 12, they are examined to identify the individual receivers of the messages. Then, the personal messages of each message receiver can be stored in an electronic mailbox 40 located at node 38 of the email service network. Then, the message can be provided by means of the telephone switch 46 that is in the telecommunications service 12, and the message 30 can be retrieved by the receiver thereof by means of the telephone. When the message receiver calls the telephone switch 46 to retrieve a message, the telephone switch 46 communicates with the node 38 of the email service network through a switching node 44 connected through a local area network 42. The text-speech operation performed in the telecommunications service allows the e-mail message to be heard by the receiver thereof by calling the switch to hear the message. Alternatively, the recipient of the message may arrange what is necessary to receive the e-mail message on a fax machine specified therein.

Alternatively, if the recipient of the message does not specify a preference for receiving the incoming message in the telecommunications service, the electronic mail distributor 14 takes as a basis other preferences or actions of the recipient and can send the electronic message 16 to the recipient's mailbox 48, which is in the electronic mail service 10, or can be sent to one or more electronic mailboxes 50 designated for use by other members of the electronic mail service 10. Finally, the message 16 can be sent to the Internet or to another Email service 52.

With reference to Figure 2, a graph of operations corresponding to the main steps of the present invention is shown, for a preferred embodiment of the present invention in which e-mail messages are sent from an electronic mail service to a telecommunications service. . Preferably, the operations or steps shown in Figure 2 are performed by the electronic mail distributor of the present invention. When the email distributor receives an incoming message, it first examines the preferences of the recipient of the message or filters and sends instructions defined in the characteristics of the message receiver that are stored in the feature database 60 of the recipient of the message. Preferably, the incoming message is constituted by a header that includes an identifier for the recipient of the message, plus a text for the message. Next, the email distributor can look at the characteristics of the receiver, based on the identifier found in the header of the message. In the next step, the email distributor ascertains, based on the information or instructions stored in the features, whether the recipient of the message wants the email message to be sent to the telecommunications service 62. If the recipient of the message do not want the e-mail message to be sent to the telecommunications switch, the e-mail distributor arranges the necessary to send the message to the recipient's mailbox, which is located in the e-mail service, to other subscribers of the service, to the Internet or to another e-mail service 64. If the recipient of the message wants the e-mail message to be sent to the telecommunications switch, the e-mail distributor modifies the message to include in it the routing information for the electronic mailbox of the telecommunications service that is located in the service E-mail 66. Next, the message is sent to mailbox 68 of the telecommunications service. Once they are in the mailbox of the telecommunications service, the messages stored in the mailbox are sent to the node of the e-mail service network located in the telecommunications service, when the node of the e-mail service network, located in the telecommunications service, interrogates the mailbox 70. When the message is already in the telecommunications service, the recipient of the message can retrieve it by telephone.

With reference to Figure 3, a common message format is shown for the messages exchanged between the electronic mail service and the telecommunications service. Preferably, the message is constituted by an envelope 80 and a text body 82. The text body of the common message format should preferably be the original message sent by the issuer thereof. Preferably, the original message is constituted, in part, by a header 84 that identifies the subject matter of the original message, the recipient of the original message, the sender of the original message, plus the date and time at which the original message was sent. original message. The original message also contains the text of the original message 86. In the common message format, the envelope 80 is preferably constituted by a message header 88 that includes several fields with information, which allow the message to be processed in the service of telecommunications or in the electronic mail service. A first field 90 can identify the telecommunications or email service provider to which the message can be sent. The message header of envelope 88 may also include a field, with a line for subject 92, which refers to the telecommunications service or the email service, as well as a field with the date and time when the change was made. original message 94. Finally, the envelope message header 88 may include a field identifying the sender of the message 96, such as the telecommunications or email service, instead of identifying the sender of the original message.

The fact of modifying the original message so that it includes a new envelope allows electronic messages to be exchanged between an electronic mail service and a telecommunications service. The messages are exchanged between the mailboxes that the services designate to be used. One or more distributors located in each service routing electronic messages to a central repository of the service, so that the services can exchange messages. After the messages reach the designated service, they can be sent to mailboxes, and stored in them, related to the individual message recipients, so they can be retrieved. Once retrieved, messages can be converted, as needed, by additional equipment located at the service site or the recipient of the message.

The common message format, plus the use of the central message repository for each service, facilitates the exchange of messages between the email service and the telecommunications service. The common format is based on known e-mail formats, so that messages can be sent from the e-mail service to the telecommunications service, and vice versa, using normal e-mail protocols. Using this approach, it seems to the email service that the telecommunications service is part of the global email service network and that it is another member of the service to whom messages can be sent. The telecommunications service can accept any type of messages, including messages consisting of several parts and binary messages, that the email service is capable of processing. For example, messages processed by the e-mail service and, consequently, by the telecommunications service, may include attachments such as voicemail attachments (for example, xing protocol) and fax attachments (for example, TIFF files). Next, the telecommunication service team can be adapted to understand the common message format, so that the email messages originally constituted by text can be processed in the telecommunications switch. For example, the original text can be converted by a text-speech process so that the recipient of the message can hear the original message over the phone. The original text can also be converted to TIFF images, so that the message can be processed by a fax machine.

By using the common message format approach, the e-mail service feels that the telecommunications service is another e-mail service from which e-mail messages can also be received. Voicemail messages originating in the telecommunications service may be sent to the email service in accordance with an email message having an audio file containing the original voicemail message attached thereto. Afterwards, computer users can use a connection software to retrieve their email messages, including emails related to audio files. Next, the connection software, which can be equipped with an audio file player, can, at the request of the user, reproduce the voice mail message for the user of the computer. Alternatively, fax messages originating from the telecommunications service can be sent to the email service in accordance with an email message that has a TIFF file containing the original fax message attached to it. . Then, computer users can use connection software to retrieve e-mail messages, including those e-mail messages related to fax files. The fax file can be viewed using a fax viewer provided with the connection software.

Although the invention is described in detail with specific reference to a single preferred embodiment and to certain alternatives, it is not limited to that embodiment or specific alternatives. For example, the configuration of the components on which the features and functionality of the present invention are based can be changed and framed within the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the following claims.

Claims (1)

1. E IS CLAIMED IS: An email gateway to facilitate the sending of messages by means of communication between an email message system and a telecommunications switch, including the following: a first central computer in communication with said system for sending email messages, said first central computer being adapted to store and send a plurality of email messages; an email distributor in said first central computer, to selectively alter said email messages to route them to a plurality of electronic mailboxes related to said telecommunications switch; Y a second central computer in communication with said telecommunications switch, said second central computer adapted to receive electronic mail messages from said electronic mailboxes related to said telecommunications switch. The gateway of claim 1, wherein said email message delivery system is part of an online information service. The gateway of claim 1, wherein said electronic mail distributor selectively alters said email messages to route them to said electronic mailboxes in connection with said telecommunications switch, in accordance with the characteristics of the recipient of the electronic mail messages. . The gateway of claim 1, wherein said e-mail distributor selectively alters said e-mail messages in accordance with a common message format. The gateway of claim 1, wherein said electronic distributor selectively alters said e-mail messages, by concatenating a new routing information to certain messages of said plurality of e-mail messages. The electronic mail distributor of claim 5, wherein the new routing information includes a sender's field identifying an email service provider, and a receiver's field identifying a telecommunication service provider. An electronic mail gateway for facilitating the sending of messages by means of communication between a message delivery system by electronic mail and a telecommunications switch, including the following: a first central computer in communication with said telecommunications switch, being said first central computer adapted to store and send a plurality of e-mail messages with attachments of voice mail or mail by fax; a second central computer in communication with said system for sending messages by electronic mail, said second central computer being adapted to receive said email messages with said annexes, from said first central computer; an electronic mail distributor for distributing said email messages with said attachments to a plurality of electronic mailboxes; Y a graphical user interface to be used by the recipients of said email messages, said graphical user interface being adapted to communicate with said electronic mailboxes, and which includes an audio player to reproduce said voice mail attachments, and a fax viewer to view said fax attachments. The gateway of claim 7, wherein said email message delivery system is part of an online information service. A method to send email messages to a telecommunications switch, which includes the following steps: (a) accept an email message, according to a first format, of a system for sending electronic messages; (b) locate the characteristics related to the recipient of said electronic mail message, including said characteristics the shipping instructions; (c) altering said email message in accordance with said shipping instructions, to route it to an electronic mailbox in connection with said telecommunications switch; Y (d) sending said altered e-mail message to said telecommunications switch. The method of claim 9, wherein said email message is altered in accordance with a common message format. The method of claim 9, wherein said step (c) includes concatenating the new routing information to said email message. The method of claim 11, wherein said new routing information includes a sender's field that identifies an email service provider, and a receiver's field that identifies a telecommunications service provider.