Patent ID: 6661877
Filing Date: 2003-12-09
Classification: H04L,H04M,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for managing heterogeneous messages, comprising the steps of:receiving, at a unified digital server, digital messages from each of a plurality of heterogeneous sources, said digital messages including at least two members selected from the group consisting of: email, video mail without an email container, voice mail without an email container, and facsimiles without an email container; storing said received digital messages as a first set of digital messages in a unified message store that is capable of managing a plurality of storage types; wherein each storage type of said plurality of storage types represents a combination of an organization strategy and a storage strategy; and transmitting a set of information identifying a second set of digital messages to a client for presentation through a user interface, wherein the second set of digital messages is a subset of the first set of digital messages; wherein the step of storing said received digital messages includes the steps of receiving digital messages that are associated with a first application at a container subsystem that presents an abstraction interface that renders transparent to said first application a first underlying storage type; and the container subsystem storing said digital messages associated with said first application using said first underlying storage type; receiving digital messages that are associated with a second application at said container subsystem that presents said abstraction interface that renders transparent to said second application a second underlying storage type that is different than said first underlying storage type; and the container subsystem storing said digital messages associated with said second application using said second underlying storage type.