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US006301245B1
(12) United States Patent ao) Patent No.: us 6,301,245 Bi
Luzeski et al. (45) Date of Patent: Oct. 9,2001
(54) UNIVERSAL MESSAGING SYSTEM
PROVIDING INTEGRATED VOICE, DATA
AND FAX MESSAGING SERVICES TO
PC/WEB-BASED CLIENTS, INCLUDING A
LARGE OBJECT SERVER FOR
EFFICIENTLY DISTRIBUTING VOICE/FAX
MESSAGES TO WEB-BASED CLIENTS
(75) Inventors: Nicholas M. Luzeski, Paoli; Allie A.
Murphy, Frazer; John L. Homan,
Ephrata; Gary Paul Russell, King of
Prussia, all of PA (US)
(73) Assignee: Unisys Corporation, Blue Bell, PA
(US)
( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
(21) Appl. No.: 09/094,266
(22) Filed: Jun. 9, 1998
(51) Int. CI.7 H04L 12/66; H04M 1/64
(52) U.S. CI 370/352; 379/88.13
(58) Field of Search 370/352, 353,
370/355, 356, 401; 379/88.13, 88.22, 93.09,
93.25, 220
(56) References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
5,737,395 * 4/1998 Irribarren 379/88.13
5,951,638 * 9/1999 Hoss et al 709/206
6,025,931 * 2/2000 Bloomfield 358/402
6,058,435 * 5/2000 Sassin et al 709/305
6,134,235 * 10/2000 Goldman et al 370/352
FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
0 845 895 A 6/1998 (EP) .
2 301 260 A 11/1996 (GB) . WO 96 34341
A 10/1996 (WO) .
* cited by examiner
Primary Examiner—-Wellington Chin
Assistant Examiner—Brenda Pham
(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Woodcock, Washburn, Kurtz, Mackiewicz & Norris; Mark T. Starr; Lisa A. Rode
(57) ABSTRACT
A Universal Messaging system provides e-mail, voice-mail and fax-mail services to subscribers that may utilize the Internet to access their messages. The system integrates an e-mail messaging system with a voice/fax messaging system on a messaging platform computer. E-mail messages are stored in an e-mail message store, and voice and/or fax messages are stored in a separate store controlled, e.g., by a Voice Mail Message Manager (VMMM). Subscribers can access messages from a personal computer via the Internet using a standard Web browser with an applet that present each subscriber with a "universal inbox" that displays all of that subscriber's voice, fax, and e-mail messages. A Web platform controls the Web browser interface to the messaging platform, accepting requests from the Web browser (such as a request to read an e-mail or listen to a voice mail) and passing prescribed types of information back to the Web browser. The Web platform interfaces with the messaging platform via a generic TCP/IP interface/router. A Session Manager application manages the Web browser's "session" with the messaging system. A CMC layer in the messaging platform provides the "glue" to enable communication and control between and among the different message stores. The CMC layer provides an industry standard mechanism for providing a standard API through which access to proprietary message stores can be made.
9 Claims, 15 Drawing Sheets
