Patent ID: 6430272
Filing Date: 2002-08-06
Classification: H04M

Abstract:
A flexible and customizable message switching apparatus, comprising:motive-procedure set storing means for storing a plurality of motive-procedure sets, each motive-procedure set comprising a motive and a message processing procedure with a condition, wherein the motive is adapted to detect: an event occurring in association with the message switching, an occurrence of the event firing the motive, wherein the message processing procedure with a condition comprises both a message processing procedure to be performed on a message and the condition that allows the message processing procedure to be performed if the message satisfies the condition, and wherein contents of the motive, the condition, and the message processing procedure are set independently from each other so as to arbitrarily distribute their contents among the motive, the condition, and the message processing procedure; message receiving means for receiving, from a sender's communication terminal or information terminal, a particular message and a destination address of a receiver receiving the particular message; motive firing judging means for: identifying the receiver being addressed in the particular message, retrieving a plurality of specific sub set of motive-procedure sets corresponding to the identified receiver from the plurality of motive-procedure sets, identifying a plurality of specific motives corresponding to the specific sub set of motive-procedure sets, detecting the occurrence of a particular event expressing a particular motive from among the specific motives, and selecting a particular motive-procedure set corresponding to the particular motive from the sub set plurality of specific motive-procedure sets, and determining whether the particular motive has been fired or not; and message processing procedure performing means for performing a particular message processing procedure with a particular condition of the particular motive-procedure set in cases where the motive firing judging means judges that the particular motive has been fired and the particular condition has been satisfied by the particular message.