Cisco Technology, Inc.

Other

Robert James Lockwood

Satish Joshi

Nagendran Parasu

Brenda Gates Spielman

Lewis Dean Dodrill

Robert Raymond Sealey

David S Gress

Geetha Ravishankar

Govind V Pande

A notification architecture utilizes multiple processes configured for managing notification operations based on reception of SMTP-based messages within IMAP based message stores. The notification architecture enables use of multiple instances of a notification process, each configured for receiving notification messages for respective subscribers from messaging sources according to a prescribed open protocol such as Internet Protocol. Each notification process accesses subscriber profile information from an open protocol-based subscriber directory based on the received notification messages. Each notification process determines, for each received notification message, the subscriber's notification preference based on the accessed profile information, and selectively outputs a notification delivery message according to a prescribed open protocol to at least one notification delivery process within the notification architecture based on the subscriber's notification preference. Each notification process may have access via the prescribed open protocol to multiple notification delivery processes, each configured for outputting a notification to a subscriber's notification device according to a corresponding device protocol. Multiple instances of each type of notification delivery process may also be utilized for increased capacity. Hence, subscribers may be notified of events according to their respective preferences, including subscriber device type, or time of notification. Moreover, the notification architecture can be scaled without adversely affecting any existing instances of the notification process or the notification delivery processes.

Scalable IP-based notification architecture for unified messaging

A unified communications system is configured for receiving, storing, and/or sending SMS messages based on management of the SMS messages according to a prescribed open standards-based protocol. The unified communications system includes an SMS module configured for receiving SMS messages according to SMPP protocol. The SMS module obtains source and destination information from the received SMS message, and accesses a subscriber profile directory for subscriber profile information based on at least one of the source and destination information. The SMS module generates a common format message that includes the SMS message, and selectively supplies the common format message to selected destinations based on the accessed subscriber profile information. The common format message may be stored in a prescribed message store, for example an IMAP directory, or output as an e-mail message to a prescribed destination. The SMS module also is configured for selectively supplying stored messages to a unified messaging subscriber as an SMS message based on the profile information on the unified messaging subscriber. Hence, the unified communications system enables SMS messaging users to send SMS messages to non SMS-type devices (e.g., telephones, e-mail clients, etc.) and retrieve stored common format messages (e.g., fax, e-mail, voice messages) using the SMS message system.

Unified messaging system configured for management of short message service-type messages

A notification system includes a dial map configured for converting the destination telephone number within a notification message from an original format to another format recognizable by a messaging server, based on execution of a mapping rule selected based on a match between the mapping rule and the destination telephone number having the original format.

Arrangement for converting telephone number formats for notification systems

A notification architecture utilizes multiple processes configured for managing notification operations based on reception of SMTP-based messages within IMAP based message stores. The notification architecture includes a notification process, configured for receiving notification messages for respective subscribers from messaging sources according to a prescribed open protocol such as Internet Protocol. The notification process accesses subscriber profile information from an open protocol-based subscriber directory based on the received notification messages. The notification process determines, for each received notification message, the subscriber's notification preference based on the accessed profile information, and selectively outputs a notification delivery message according to a prescribed open protocol to at least one notification delivery process within the notification architecture based on the subscriber's notification preference. The notification process may have access via the prescribed open protocol to multiple notification delivery processes, each configured for outputting a notification to a subscriber's notification device according to a corresponding device protocol. Hence, subscribers may be notified of events according to their respective preferences, including subscriber device type, or time of notification. The notification process also generates the notification delivery message using selected portions of the notification information and subscriber information based on the notification device type, providing a common format for device specific notification messages. Hence, each notification delivery process can receive device specific notification messages according to a common format from the notification process or another external process.

Arrangement for common-format notification delivery messages based on notification device type in an IP-based notification architecture

A unified communications system includes an SMS command processor configured for executing prescribed messaging operations based on reception of an SMS message having respective prescribed commands, and a text-to-speech resource configured for controlling conversion of the SMS message into an audible message. The SMS command processor parses the received SMS message for the prescribed command, and executes the prescribed command as necessary. In response to detecting a text-to-speech command, the SMS command processor invokes the text-to-speech resource for conversion of the SMS message into an audible message. The SMS command processor outputs the audible message for delivery of the audible message, for example using a notification service that initiates an outgoing telephone call to a messaging destination specified in the SMS message, or by establishing a voice over IP telephone connection with the messaging destination and playing the audible message.

Unified messaging system configured for converting short message service messages to audible messages

A unified communications system includes an SMS command processor configured for executing prescribed messaging operations based on reception of an SMS message having respective prescribed commands. The SMS command processor is configured for receiving the SMS message based on the SMS message having a prescribed destination that corresponds to the address for the SMS command processor. The SMS message may be generated by the unified messaging subscriber requesting execution of a prescribed messaging operation, or from another agent configured for generating the SMS message based on a prescribed event. The SMS command processor parses the received SMS message for the prescribed command, and executes the prescribed command as necessary. The prescribed command may be defined by the service provider, alternately the prescribed command may be user-defined according to a command table stored in a subscriber profile directory. Hence, SMS messaging users can send SMS messages as a command interface for a unified messaging system, enabling storage and retrieval of unified messages.

Unified messaging system having short message service command processor

A notification architecture utilizes multiple processes configured for managing notification operations based on reception of SMTP-based messages within IMAP based message stores. The notification architecture includes a notification process, configured for receiving notification messages for respective subscribers from messaging sources according to a prescribed open protocol such as Internet Protocol. The notification process accesses subscriber profile information from an open protocol-based subscriber directory based on the received notification messages. The notification process determines, for each received notification message, the subscriber's notification preference based on the accessed profile information, and selectively outputs a notification delivery message according to a prescribed open protocol to at least one notification delivery process within the notification architecture based on the subscriber's notification preference. The notification process may have access via the prescribed open protocol to multiple notification delivery processes, each configured for outputting a notification to a subscriber's notification device according to a corresponding device protocol. Hence, subscribers may be notified of events according to their respective preferences, including subscriber device type, or time of notification.

IP-based notification architecture for unified messaging

A notification architecture utilizes multiple processes configured for managing notification operations based on reception of SMTP-based messages within IMAP based message stores. The notification architecture includes a notification process, configured for receiving notification messages for respective subscribers from messaging sources according to a prescribed open protocol such as Internet Protocol. The notification process accesses subscriber profile information from an open protocol-based subscriber directory based on the received notification messages. The subscriber directory is controlled by a directory management process, configured for storing subscriber notification preference information in an open protocol-based subscriber directory (such as LDAP). The directory management process stores, as a first object class, notification attributes for respective notification types, each notification attribute specifying for the corresponding notification type a corresponding notification device tag. The notification device tag can include native device information usable to generate a message for a corresponding native notification device. The directory management process selectively stores, as a second object class, device attributes for a non-native notification device referenced by the notification device tag, one of the device attributes specifying service provider information for the non-native notification device. The directory management process also selectively stores, as a third object class, service provider attributes based on the service provider information specified in the device attributes. Hence, the storage of subscriber notification preference information using a hierarchal structure of multiple object classes provides a schema enabling an efficient management of relatively complex device information for different notification devices having respective protocols and service providers. Hence, notification subscribers having different notification devices in communication with respective service providers can store all notification preference information for all the different notification devices in a single, unified subscriber directory.

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Richmond, VA, United States of America

Robert James Lockwood