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Claims  |
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I claim:
1. A method of media conversion, comprising the steps of:
identifying segments of textual information in a message comprising a
sequence of segments of information represented in a first visually
presentable form, which identified segments can be represented in an
auditorily presentable form;
converting representation of the identified segments from the first
visually presentable form into the auditorily presentable form;
converting representation of other segments of the sequence of segments of
information of said message from the first visually presentable form into
a second visually presentable form;
interspersing pointers, represented in the auditorily presentable form and
pointing to the segments represented in the second visually presentable
form, among the segments represented in the auditorily presentable form
such that each pointer pointing to a corresponding segment represented is
the second visually presentable form takes a place of said corresponding
segment in said sequence among the segments represented in the auditorily
presentable form; and
collectively presenting the segments represented in the second visually
presentable form and the sequence of the segments represented in the
auditorily presentable form with interspersed said pointers represented in
the auditorily presentable form as a multi-media message to a user.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the step of identifying is preceded by the step of obtaining the message
comprising the sequence of segments of information represented in the
first visually presentable form; and
the step of interspersing pointers comprises the step of substituting the
information represented in the auditorily presentable form and the second
visually presentable form for the information represented in the first
visually presentable form.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the first visually presentable form comprises data; and
the auditorily presentable form comprises voice and the second visually
presentable form comprises image.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein
the step of converting representation of other segments comprises the step
of:
identifying the other segments of information of the message represented in
the first visually presentable form which can be represented in the second
visually presentable form.
5. A messaging method comprising the steps of: obtaining an e-mail message;
identifying segments of the obtained e-mail message that can be converted
into voice message segments; convening the identified segments into voice
message segments; converting other segments of the e-mail message into fax
message segments;
interspersing voice pointers to the fax message segments among the voice
message segments; and
delivering the received message as an integrated voice-and-fax message
comprising the fax message segments and the voice message segments
interspersed with the voice pointers.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein
the step of convening other segments comprises the steps of:
selecting other segments of the e-mail message that are not to be
discarded;
convening the selected segments into the fax message segments; and
discarding segments of the obtained message other than the identified and
the selected segments.
7. A messaging method comprising the steps of:
receiving an e-mail message;
parsing the received message into header, whitespace, prose, and non-prose
segments;
convening the header segment into a voice header segment;
convening the prose segments into voice message segments;
convening the non-prose segments into fax message segments;
inserting among re voice message segments, at places occupied in the
received e-mail message by the non-prose segments, voice pointers to the
fax message segments; and
delivering the received message to a recipient as an integrated
voice-and-fax message comprising a voice message that includes the voice
header segments, the voice message segments, and the inserted voice
pointers, and further comprising a fax message that includes the fax
segments.
8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of:
discarding the whitespace segments except those that are surrounded by the
non-prose segments.
9. A method of media conversion comprising the steps of:
obtaining a multi-media message comprising a sequence of information
segments including graphical information segments represented in a first
visually presentable form, textual information segments represented in an
auditorily presentable form, arid pointers represented in the auditorily
presentable form and pointing to the graphical information segments, the
pointers being interspersed among the textual information segments
represented in the auditorily presentable form such that the textual
information segments represented in the auditorily presentable form with
the interspersed pointers together define said sequence of information
segments in the multi-media message;
converting representation of the graphical information segments from the
first visually presentable form into a second visually presentable form;
converting representation of the textual information segments from the
auditorily presentable form into the second visually presentable form; and
interspersing the graphical information segments represented in the second
visually presentable form among the textual information segments
represented in the second visually presentable form in place of the
pointers such that each pointer pointing to a corresponding graphical
information segment is replaced by said corresponding graphical
information segment in the second visually presentable form in said
sequence among the textual information segments represented in the second
visually presentable form; and
collectively presenting said sequence of the textual information segments
represented in the second visually presentable form and the graphical
information segments represented in the second visually presentable form
in place of said multi-media message to a user.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein:
the step of obtaining comprises the step of
receiving an integrated voice-and-fax message comprising a fax file
including fax message segments and a voice file including voice message
segments interspersed with pointers to the fax message segments;
the step of converting representation of the graphical information segments
comprises the step of
converting the fax message segments into e-mail message segments;
the step of converting representation of the textual information segments
comprises the step of
converting the voice message segments into e-mail message segments;
the step of interspersing comprises the step of
inserting the e-mail message segments converted from the fax message
segments among the e-mail message segments converted from the voice
message segments in place of the voice pointers; and
the step of collectively presenting includes the step of
delivering to a recipient an e-mail message comprising the e-mail message
segments converted from the voice message segments and interspersed with
the e-mail message segments converted from the fax message segments,
instead of the received message.
11. A media-conversion arrangement comprising:
means for identifying segments of textual information in a message
comprising a sequence of segments of information represented in a first
visually presentable form, which identified segments can be represented in
an auditorily presentable form;
processor means for converting representation of the identified segments
from the first visually presentable form into the auditorily presentable
form;
processor means for converting representation of other segments of the
sequence of segments of information of the message from the first visually
presentable form into a second visually presentable form;
means for interspersing pointers, represented in the auditorily presentable
form and pointing to the segments represented in the second visually
presentable form, among the segments represented in the auditorily
presentable form such that each pointer pointing to a corresponding
segment represented in the second visually presentable form takes a place
of said corresponding segment in said sequence among the segments
represented in the auditorily presentable form; and
means for collectively presenting the segments represented in the second
visually presentable form and the segments represented in the auditorily
presentable form with interspersed said pointers represented in the
auditorily presentable form as a multi-media message to a user.
12. The arrangement of claim 11 further comprising:
means for obtaining the message comprising the sequence of segments of
information represented in the first visually presentable form; and
means for substituting the information represented in the auditorily
presentable form and the second visually presentable form for the
information represented in the first visually presentable form.
13. The arrangement of claim 11 wherein:
the first visually presentable form comprises data; and
the auditorily presentable form comprises voice and the second visually
presentable form comprises image.
14. The arrangement of claim 11 wherein
the means for converting representation of other segments comprise:
means for identifying the other segments of information of the message
represented in the first visually presentable form which can be
represented in the second visually presentable form.
15. A messaging arrangement comprising:
means for obtaining an e-mail message;
means for identifying segments of the obtained e-mail message that can be
converted into voice message segments;
processor means for convening the identified segments into voice message
segments;
processor means for converting other segments of the e-mail message into
fax message segments;
means for interspersing voice pointers to the fax message segments among
the voice message segments; and
means for delivering the received message as an integrated voice-and-fax
message comprising the fax message segments and the voice message segments
interspersed with the voice pointers.
16. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein
the means for converting other segments comprise:
means for selecting other segments of the e-mail message that are not to be
discarded;
means for convening the selected segments into the fax message segments;
and
means for discarding segments of the obtained message other than the
identified and the selected segments.
17. A messaging arrangement comprising:
means for receiving; an e-mail message;
processing means for parsing the received message into header, whitespace,
prose, and non-prose segments;
processing means for converting the header segment into a voice header
segment;
processing means for converting the prose segments into voice message
segments;
processing means for converting the non-prose segments into fax message
segments;
means for inserting among the voice message segments, at places occupied in
the received e-mail message by the non-prose segments, voice pointers to
the fax message segments; and
means for delivering the received message to a recipient as an integrated
voice-and-fax message comprising a voice message that includes the voice
header segments, the voice message segments; and the inserted voice
pointers, and further comprising a fax message that includes the fax
segments.
18. The arrangement of claim 17 further comprising:
means for discarding the whitespace segments except those that are
surrounded by the non-prose segments.
19. A media conversion arrangement comprising:
means for obtaining a multi-media message comprising a sequence of
information segments including graphical information segments represented
in a first visually presentable form, textual information segments
represented in an auditorily presentable form, and pointers pointing to
the graphical information segments represented in the first visually
presentable form, the pointers being represented in the auditorily
presentable form and interspersed among the textual information segments
represented in the auditorily presentable form such that the interspersed
pointers together define said sequence of information segments in the
multi-media message;
processor means for converting representation of the graphical information
segments from the first visually presentable form into a second visually
presentable form;
processor means for converting representation of the textual information
segments from the auditorily presentable form into the second visually
presentable form; and
means for interspersing the graphical information segments represented in
the second visually presentable form among the textual information
segments represented in the second visually presentable form in place of
the pointers such that each pointer pointing to a corresponding graphical
information segment is replaced by said corresponding graphical
information segment in the second visually presentable form in said
sequence among the textual information segments represented in the second
visually presentable form; and
means for collectively presenting said sequence of textual information
segments represented in the second visually presentable form and the
graphical information segments represented in the second visually
presentable form in place of said multi-media message to a user.
20. The arrangement of claim 19 wherein:
the means for obtaining comprise
means for receiving an integrated voice-and-fax message comprising a fax
file including fax message segments and a voice file including voice
message segments interspersed with voice pointers to the fax message
segments;
the means for converting representation of the graphical information
segments comprise
means for converting the fax message segments into e-mail message segments;
the means for converting representation of the textual information segments
comprises
means for converting the voice message segments into e-mail message
segments;
the means for interspersing comprises;
means for inserting the e-mail message segments converted from the fax
message segments among the e-mail message segments converted from the
voice message segments in place of the voice pointers; and
the means for collectively presenting includes
means for delivering an e-mail message comprising the e-mail message
segments converted from the voice message segments and interspersed with
the e-mail message segments converted from the fax message segments, to a
recipient instead of the received message.
21. A method of media conversion comprising the steps of:
obtaining information comprising voice message segments, fax message
segments, and voice pointers pointing to the fax message segments, the
voice pointers being interspersed among the voice message segments;
converting the voice message segments into e-mail message segments;
convening the fax message segments into e-mail message segments; and
interspersing the e-mail message segments convened from the fax message
segments among the e-mail message segments convened from the voice message
segments in place of the voice pointers to form an e-mail message.
22. A media conversion arrangement comprising:
means for obtaining information comprising voice message segments, fax
message segments, and voice pointers pointing to the fax message segments,
the voice pointers being interspersed i among the voice message segments;
processor means for converting the voice message segments into e-mail
message segments;
processor means for converting the fax message segments into e-mail message
segments; and
means for interspersing the e-mail message segments converted from the fax
message segments among the e-mail message segments converted from the
voice message segments in place of the voice pointers to form an e-mail
message.
23. A method of media conversion, comprising the steps of:
identifying segments of information in a message comprising a sequence of
segments of information represented in a first sensory medium in which the
information is perceivable by the senses of a person, which identified
segments can be represented in a second sensory medium in which the
information is perceivable by the senses of a person, distinct from the
first medium;
converting representation of the identified segments from the first sensory
medium into the second sensory medium;
converting representation of other segments of the sequence of segments of
information of said message from the first sensory medium into a third
sensory medium in which the information is perceivable by the senses of a
person, distinct from the first and the second media;
interspersing pointers, represented in the second sensory medium and
pointing to the segments represented in the third sensory medium, among
the segments represented in the second sensory medium such that each
pointer pointing to a corresponding segment represented in the third
sensory medium takes a place of said corresponding segment in said
sequence among the segments represented in the second sensory medium; and
presenting the segments represented in the third sensory medium and the
sequence of the segments represented in the second sensory medium with
interspersed said pointers represented in the second sensory medium as a
multi-media message to a user.
24. A method of media conversion comprising the steps of:
obtaining a multi-media message comprising a sequence of information
segments including first information segments represented in a first
sensory medium in which the information is perceivable by the senses of a
person, second information segments represented in a second sensory medium
in which the information is perceivable by the senses of a person,
distinct from the first medium, and pointers represented in the second
sensory medium and pointing to the first information segments, the
pointers being interspersed among the information segments represented in
the second sensory medium such that the second information segments
represented in the second sensory medium with the interspersed pointers
together define said sequence of information segments in the multi-media
message;
converting representation of the first information segments from the first
sensory medium into a third sensory medium in which the information is
perceivable by the senses of a person, distinct from the first and the
second media;
converting representation of the second information segments from the
second sensory medium into the third sensory medium; and
interspersing the first information segments represented in the third
sensory medium among the second information segments represented in the
third sensory medium in place of the pointers such that each pointer
pointing to a information segment represented in the third sensory
corresponding first information segment is replaced by said corresponding
first among the second information segments represented in the third
sensory medium; and
presenting said sequence of the second information segments represented in
the third sensory medium and the first information segments represented in
the third sensory medium as a message instead of said multi-media message
to a user.
25. A media-conversion arrangement comprising:
means for identifying segments of information in a message comprising a
sequence of segments of information represented in a first sensory medium
in which the information is perceivable by the senses of a person, which
identified segments can be represented in a second sensory medium in which
the information is perceivable by the senses of a person, distinct from
the first medium;
processor means for converting representation of the identified segments
from the first sensory medium into the second sensory medium;
processor means for converting representation of other segments of the
sequence of segments of information of said message from the first sensory
medium into a third sensory medium in which the information is perceivable
by the senses of a person, distinct from the first and the second media;
means for interspersing pointers, represented in the second sensory medium
and pointing to the segments represented in the third sensory medium,
among the segments represented in the second sensory medium such that each
pointer pointing to a corresponding segment represented in the third
sensory medium takes a place of said corresponding segment in said
sequence among the segments represented in the second sensory medium; and
means for presenting the segments represented in the third sensory medium
and the sequence of the segments represented in the second sensory medium
with interspersed said pointers represented in the second sensory medium
as a multi-media message to a user.
26. A media conversion arrangement comprising:
means for obtaining a multi-media message comprising a sequence of
information segments including first information segments represented in a
first sensory medium in which the information is perceivable by the senses
of a person, second information segments represented in a second sensory
medium in which the information is perceivable by the senses of a person,
distinct from the first medium, and pointers pointing to the first
information segments represented in the first sensory medium, the pointers
being represented in the second sensory medium and interspersed among the
information segments represented in the second sensory medium such that
the second information segments represented in the second sensory medium
with the interspersed pointers together define said sequence of
information segments in the multi-media message;
processor means for converting representation of the first information
segments from the first sensory medium into a third sensory medium in
which the information is perceivable by the senses of a person, distinct
from the first and the second media;
processor means for converting representation of the second information
segments from the second sensory medium into the third sensory medium; and
means for interspersing the first information segments represented in the
third sensory medium among the second information segments represented in
the third sensory medium in place of the pointers such that each pointer
pointing to a corresponding first information segment is replaced by said
corresponding first information segment represented in the third sensory
medium in said sequence among the second information segments represented
in the third sensory medium; and
means for presenting said sequence of the second information segments
represented in the third sensory medium and the first information segments
represented in the third sensory medium as a message instead of said
multi-media message to a user.
27. A method of media conversion, comprising the steps of:
receiving an integrated voice-and-fax message comprising a fax file
including fax message segments and a voice file including voice message
segments interspersed with voice pointers to the fax message segments;
converting the fax message segments into e-mail message segments;
converting the voice message segments into e-mail message segments;
inserting thee-mail message segments converted from the fax message
segments among the e-mail message segments converted from the voice
message segments in place of the voice pointers; and
delivering to a recipient an e-mail message comprising the e-mail message
segments converted from the voice message segments and interspersed with
the e-mail message segments converted from the fax message segments,
instead of the received message.
28. A media conversion arrangement comprising:
means for receiving an integrated voice-and-fax message comprising a fax
file including fax message segments and a voice file including voice
message segments interspersed with voice pointers to the fax message
segments;
processor means for,converting the fax message segments into e-mail message
segments;
processor means for converting the voice message segments into e-mail
message segments;
means for inserting the e-mail message segments converted from the fax
message segments among the e-mail message segments converted from the
voice message segments in place of the voice pointers; and
means for delivering an e-mail message comprising the e-mail message
segments converted from the voice message segments and interspersed with
the e-mail message segments converted from the fax message segments, to a
recipient instead of the received message. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to integrated message systems, and
specifically to voice-and-fax message systems and electronic mail systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Multi-media messaging involves integrating discrete messages or individual
message components of different media, e.g., voice, text, video, and the
ability to deliver the integrated messages through a single universal
mailbox.
The integration of voice and facsimile (fax) messages is well known in the
art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,926, discloses an integrated
voice-and-facsimile store-and-forward message system that provides for the
sending, storage, and delivery of voice messages, fax messages, fax
messages annotated with voice messages, and voice messages annotated with
fax messages. The disclosed system additionally provides for display of
fax messages on terminal screens, and the conversion of fax printed text
messages into voice messages via text-to-speech conversion facilities.
Electronic mail, or e-mail, systems are also well known in the art. They
provide for the sending, storage, and delivery between computer terminals
of displayable data--text and/or graphics--messages.
Integration of e-mail systems with voice-and-fax message systems is highly
desirable. For example, it is becoming common for salesmen to work out of
"mobile offices"--their cars--which are equipped normally with telephones,
often with fax machines, but generally not with data terminals, yet the
salesmen would like to have the capability of receiving in their mobile
offices messages sent to them in any form--voice, fax, or e-mail. The
integration of fax and e-mail messaging is readily accomplished through
conversion of e-mail messages into fax messages for delivery to their
recipients. But while fax machines are more likely to be available to
mobile recipients of the messages than data terminals, they are not as
readily available as telephones. Therefore, it is often preferable to
instead accomplish the integration of voice and e-mail messaging through
conversion of e-mail messages into voice messages for delivery to their
recipients. This type of conversion is also readily accomplished if the
e-mail messages constitute text only.
A problem arises, however, when e-mail messages constitute information
other than text--such as diagrams, charts, special symbols, computer code
fragments, pictures, etc.--which is not suitable for conversion into a
voice message. Attempts to convert such data message segments into speech
result in unintelligible garble. This may be avoided by simply identifying
and discarding the non-voiceable data message segments, but this results
in the delivery of an incomplete message to the recipient--an unacceptable
result.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to solving these and other problems and
disadvantages of the prior art. Generally according to the invention, data
messaging, such as e-mail messaging, is integrated with audio-and-image
messaging, such as voice-and-fax messaging, by converting voiceable
segments of a data message into voice message segments, converting
non-voiceable segments of the data message into image message segments,
and substituting in the voice message voiced pointers to the image message
segments in place of the non-voiceable segments. Alternatively, the
transformation of the message from one media to another may be done in the
reverse direction.
According to specific principles of the invention, segments of information
(for example, of a received message) represented in a first medium (for
example, e-mail) which can be represented in a second medium (for example,
voice) are identified, representation of the identified segments is
converted from the first medium into the second medium, representation of
other segments of the obtained information is converted from the first
medium into a third medium (for example, fax) and then pointers
represented in the second medium and pointing to the segments represented
in the third medium are interspersed among the segments represented in the
second medium. The information represented in the second and third media
may then be substituted for the information represented in the first
medium.
The conversion of the information from one set of media to another allows
the information to be delivered and presented to a user in a form selected
by, and most suitable to, the user. Yet, the multi-media form of the
message ensures that none of the informational content of the message need
be discarded during the conversion process. Thus, for example, a traveling
sales representative is able to receive the voice portion of the converted
e-mail message on his or her mobile telephone and decide from the contents
of the voice portion whether to go to the effort of printing the
associated fax component of the message. If the recipient decides to
receive the entire message, he or she is able to receive the entire e-mail
message as an integrated voice-and-fax message on his or her mobile
telephone and fax without loss of any of the information carded by the
e-mail message. Furthermore, the pointers used in the multi-media message
to point from one medium to the other ensure that the recipient can follow
the logical flow of the original message in the multi-media message, and
can receive all the information contained in the original message in the
proper order.
Preferably, header information of a received e-mail message is converted
for delivery to a recipient into a voice header. This allows the recipient
to examine and browse through headers of integrated voice-and-fax messages
in the same manner as he or she does with headers of conventional voice
messages. Further preferably, certain white-space segments of the e-mail
message which carry no user information, are discarded during the
conversion process. This increases the efficiency and compactness of the
resulting integrated voice-and-fax message.
These and other advantages and features of the invention will become more
apparent from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of
the invention considered together with the drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a multi-media integrated message system
embodying an illustrative example of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of message storing and delivery functions of an
integrated voice-and-facsimile store-and-forward system of the multi-media
integrated message system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an e-mail message to integrated
voice-and-facsimile message conversion function of an e-mail system of the
multi-media integrated message system of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 is a symbolic representation of the e-mail message to integrated
voice-and-facsimile message conversion performed by the function of FIG. 3
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows an illustrative telecommunications system. It comprises
telephone terminals 29 and fax terminals 30 connected by a private branch
exchange switch (PBX) 24 to a message System 1000. Message system 1000
stores voice and fax messages in a mass storage 12, such gas a disk,
operating under control of a controller 10. Terminals 29 and 30 access
message system 1000 through PBX 24 over phone lines 1004 and a voice/data
interface 34 that interfaces phone lines 1004 to the internal circuits and
functions of message system 1000, to store the messages in system 1000 and
to retrieve the messages from system 1000. Message system 1000 is
illustratively the AT&T Ovation multimedia communication system, or an
AT&T voice-mail system of the type disclosed in the application of G. R.
Brunson and R. D. Reeder entitled "Adjunct Processor Embedded in a
Switching System", Ser. No. 07/826,345, filed Jan. 27, 1992, now issued as
U.S. Pat. No. 5,311,576 or in the application of G. R. Brunson entitled
"Modular Adjunct Processor" Made of Identical Multi-Function Modules Each
Innately Unable to Perform the Adjunct-Processor Function But Adaptable
Under Direction of One of Them to Perform any of the Adjunct-Processor
Functions, Ser. No. 07/919,674, filed Jul. 27, 1992, now issued as U.S.
Pat. No. 5,329,579 both of which are assigned to the same assignee as this
application, which systems are further adapted to store both voice and fax
messages. Alternatively, portion 1 of the system of FIG. 1 which includes
terminals 29 and 30, PBX 24, and message system 1000, is illustratively
the integrated voice-and-facsimile store-and-forward system disclosed in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,926, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
While the operation of message system 1000 is described in the
above-referenced patent, a brief overview of its functionality relevant
hereto is presented here and in FIG. 2 for completeness of description. As
mentioned above, message system 1000 operates under the guidance of a
control 10. Control 10 is illustratively a general-purpose processor
operating under control of programs 1006 stored in its memory. Execution
of programs 1006 implements the store-and-forward messaging functionality
flowcharted in FIG. 2.
In response to receipt of a call, at step 200 of FIG. 2, control 10
determines from caller input whether or not this is a message storage
request, at step 202. If so, control 10 identifies from the caller's input
the caller/message sender and the intended message recipient, at step 204,
and the message medium or media, at step 206. In this example, the media
may be voice, fax, or voice-plus-fax, though other media, such as video,
may also be allowed. Control 10 then forms a message header that includes
information such as the sender's identification, date and time of receipt
of the message, etc., and sets media I.D. flags in the header to indicate
the identified message media, at step 208. Control 10 then receives the
segment, if any, of the message which is in the voice medium, at step 210,
stores the received segment in a file in mass storage 12, at step 212, and
sets a voice file pointer in the message header to point to the stored
file, at step 214. Control 10 performs the same functions for the segment,
if any, of the message which is in the fax medium, at steps 214-220.
Control 10 then stores the header in the intended message recipient's
universal mailbox in mass storage 12, at step 222, and returns to step 202
to determine if the caller has further requests.
If the caller's request is not to store a message, as determined at step
202, control 10 determines from the caller's input whether this is a
message retrieval request, at step 230. If not, control 10 continues its
operation with other conventional operations, not relevant hereto, at step
250. If so, control 10 identifies the caller, at step 232, and then
retrieves stored message headers from the caller's universal mailbox and
sends them to the caller, at step 234. Control 10 then determines from the
caller's further input whether the caller has selected a message for
retrieval, at step 236. If not, control 10 returns to step 202; if so,
control 10 examines the media I.D. flags of the header of the selected
message to determine the message's media, at step 238. Control 10 then
retrieves the message segments that are in the identified media using the
file pointers of the message header, and sends the message segments to the
caller, at steps 240-242. Control 10 then returns to step 202.
As shown in FIG. 1, message system 1000 is connected by a local area
network (LAN) 1001 to an electronic mail (e-mail) network 1003. LAN 100 is
interfaced to the internal circuits and functions of message system 1000
by a LAN interface 84, in a conventional manner such as is disclosed in
the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,926.
E-mail network 1003 is a conventional network, comprising a plurality of
communicatively interconnected computers including the e-mail computer
1002. Computer 1002 couples data terminals 28 to network 1003, by means of
which users can send and retrieve e-mail messages in a conventional
manner.
According to the invention however, an e-mail user who is also served by
system portion 1 has the choice of receiving e-mail messages either in the
conventional manner, or as integrated voice-and/or-fax messages through
portion 1. The user's choice is programmed: into the user's e-mail profile
stored by computer 1002. If the user has chosen to receive e-mail messages
through portion 1, computer 1002 examines an e-mail message received for
that user to | | |
