System and method for intelligent message and document access over different media channels

Abstract

A method is described for providing cross-media access to messages and/or documents comprising: storing and managing a set of messages and/or documents on behalf of a plurality of users; receiving information from a first user of the plurality indicating different subsets of the set of messages and/or documents that the first user wishes to be provided with access to over each of a plurality of different media channels; identifying a first media channel of the plurality of media channels over which the first user is connecting to access messages and/or documents; identifying a first subset of messages and/or documents associated with the first media channel; and providing access to the first subset of messages and/or documents associated with the first media channel when the user connects over the second media channel.

1 . A method for providing cross-media access to messages and/or documents comprising: 
 storing and managing a set of messages and/or documents on behalf of a plurality of users;    receiving information from a first user of the plurality indicating different subsets of the set of messages and/or documents that the first user wishes to be provided with access to over each of a plurality of different media channels;    identifying a first media channel of the plurality of media channels over which the first user is connecting to access messages and/or documents;    identifying a first subset of messages and/or documents associated with the first media channel; and    providing access to the first subset of messages and/or documents associated with the first media channel when the user connects over the first media channel.    
   
   
       2 . The method as in  claim 1  further comprising: 
 identifying a second media channel of the plurality of media channels over which the first user is connecting to access messages and/or documents;    identifying a second subset of messages and/or documents associated with the second media channel; and    providing access to the second subset of messages and/or documents associated with the second media channel when the user connects over the second media channel.    
   
   
       3 . The method as in  claim 2  wherein providing access comprises providing a limited view or user-defined characteristics only of the first or second subsets of messages and/or documents associated with the first or second media channels, respectively.  
   
   
       4 . The method as in  claim 1  wherein the plurality of media channels include telephony-based media channels, data network-based media channels and wireless media channels.  
   
   
       5 . The method as in  claim 2  further comprising: 
 grouping and/or sorting the first subset of messages and/or documents in a first manner when the user connects over the first media channel; and    grouping and/or sorting the second subset of messages and/or documents in a second manner when the user connects over the second media channel.    
   
   
       6 . The method as in  claim 5  wherein the first media channel comprises a telephony channel and wherein grouping comprises playing back messages clustered by first user-specified groups associated with the telephony channel prior to other messages.  
   
   
       7 . The method as in  claim 6  wherein sorting comprises playing back the messages from within first user-specified groups in a designated order.  
   
   
       8 . The method as in  claim 7  wherein the grouping and/or sorting is performed based on the identity of the sender and/or caller associated with the messages.  
   
   
       9 . The method as in  claim 1  wherein the first media channel comprises a telephony channel and wherein grouping comprises providing access to documents clustered by first user-specified groups associated with the telephony channel prior to other documents.  
   
   
       10 . The method as in  claim 6  wherein the second media channel comprises a data network channel wherein grouping comprises displaying all messages from a set of second user-specified groups associated with the data network channel.  
   
   
       11 . The method as in  claim 9  wherein the second user-specified grouping and/or sorting is performed based on the identity of the sender and/or caller associated with the messages.  
   
   
       12 . The method as in  claim 2  wherein the second media channel comprises a data network channel wherein grouping comprises displaying all documents from within a second user-specified group associated with the data network channel.  
   
   
       13 . The method as in  claim 2  further comprising: 
 generating a first disposition of a message within the set of messages and/or documents in response to an action by the first user when connected over the first media channel; and    generating a second disposition of the message within the set of messages and/or documents in response to the same action by the first user when connected over the second media channel.    
   
   
       14 . The method as in  claim 12  wherein the action is accessing of a message and wherein the disposition is to mark the message as “read” if the action occurs over the first media channel and to not mark the message as “read” if the action occurs over the second media channel.  
   
   
       15 . The method as in  claim 12  wherein the action is deleting a message and wherein the disposition is to mark the message as deleted if the action occurs over the first media channel and to not mark the message as not deleted if the action occurs over the second media channel.  
   
   
       16 . The method as in  claim 1  further comprising: 
 generating a supplemental notification to notify the user of the existence of messages and/or documents with certain user-specified characteristics when the user connected over the first and/or second media channels.    
   
   
       17 . The method as in  claim 14  wherein the special notification is that a message from a designated sender/caller has arrived or that a document with certain user-specified characteristics is available to be accessed.  
   
   
       18 . The method as in  claim 2  further comprising: 
 providing only summary information for each message and/or document when the user connects over the first media channel and providing complete information for each message when the user connects over the second media channel.    
   
   
       19 . A machine-readable medium having stored thereon program code which, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform the operations of: 
 storing and managing a set of messages and/or documents on behalf of a plurality of users;    receiving information from a first user of the plurality indicating different subsets of the set of messages and/or documents that the first user wishes to be provided with access to over each of a plurality of different media channels;    identifying a first media channel of the plurality of media channels over which the first user is connecting to access messages and/or documents;    identifying a first subset of messages and/or documents associated with the first media channel; and    providing access to the first subset of messages and/or documents associated with the first media channel when the user connects over the second media channel.    
   
   
       20 . The machine-readable medium as in  claim 19  comprising additional program code to cause the machine to perform the operations of: 
 identifying a second media channel of the plurality of media channels over which the first user is connecting to access messages and/or documents;    identifying a second subset of messages and/or documents associated with the second media channel; and    providing access to the second subset of messages and/or documents associated with the second media channel when the user connects over the second media channel.    
   
   
       21 . The machine-readable medium as in  claim 20  wherein providing access comprises providing a limited view of only the first or second subsets of messages and/or documents associated with the first or second media channels, respectively.  
   
   
       22 . The machine-readable medium as in  claim 19  wherein the plurality of media channels include telephony-based media channels, data network-based media channels and wireless media channels.  
   
   
       23 . The machine-readable medium as in  claim 20  comprising additional program code to cause the machine to perform the operations of: 
 grouping and/or sorting the first subset of messages in a first manner when the user connects over the first media channel; and    grouping and/or sorting the second subset of messages in a second manner when the user connects over the second media channel.    
   
   
       24 . The machine-readable medium as in  claim 23  wherein the first media channel comprises a telephony channel and wherein grouping comprises playing back messages from within a first user-specified group associated with the telephony channel prior to other messages.  
   
   
       25 . The machine-readable medium as in  claim 24  wherein sorting comprises playing back the messages from within the first user-specified group in a designated order.  
   
   
       26 . The machine-readable medium as in  claim 25  wherein the grouping and/or sorting is performed based on the identity of the sender and/or caller associated with the messages.  
   
   
       27 . The machine-readable medium as in  claim 24  wherein the second media channel comprises a data network channel wherein grouping comprises displaying all messages from within a second user-specified group associated with the data network channel.  
   
   
       28 . The machine-readable medium as in  claim 27  wherein the second user-specified group comprises all new messages.  
   
   
       29 . The machine-readable medium as in  claim 20  comprising additional program code to cause the machine to perform the operations of: 
 generating a first disposition of a message within the set of messages and/or documents in response to an action by the first user when connected over the first media channel; and    generating a second disposition of the message within the set of messages and/or documents in response to the same action by the first user when connected over the second media channel.    
   
   
       30 . The machine-readable medium as in  claim 29  wherein the action is accessing of a message and wherein the disposition is to mark the message as “read” if the action occurs over the first media channel and to not mark the message as “read” if the action occurs over the second media channel.  
   
   
       31 . The machine-readable medium as in  claim 29  wherein the action is deleting a message and wherein the disposition is to mark the message as deleted if the action occurs over the first media channel and to not mark the message as not deleted if the action occurs over the second media channel.  
   
   
       32 . The machine-readable medium as in  claim 19  comprising additional program code to cause the machine to perform the operations of: 
 generating a supplemental notification to notify the user of the existence of certain special types of messages when the user connected over the first and/or second media channels.    
   
   
       33 . The machine-readable medium as in  claim 32  wherein the special notification is that a message from a designated sender/caller has arrived.  
   
   
       34 . The machine-readable medium as in  claim 20  comprising additional program code to cause the machine to perform the operations of: 
 providing only summary information for each message when the user connects over the first media channel and providing complete information for each message when the user connects over the second media channel.    
   
   
       35 . A system comprising: 
 message/document management means for storing and managing a set of messages and/or documents on behalf of a plurality of users;    communication means for receiving information from a first user of the plurality indicating different subsets of the set of messages and/or documents that the first user wishes to be provided with access to over each of a plurality of different media channels;    channel identification means for identifying a first media channel of the plurality of media channels over which the first user is connecting to access messages and/or documents;    message/document identification means for identifying a first subset of messages and/or documents associated with the first media channel; and    message/document access means providing access to the first subset of messages and/or documents associated with the first media channel when the user connects over the second media channel.    
   
   
       36 . The method as in  claim 35  further comprising: 
 the channel identification means identifying a second media channel of the plurality of media channels over which the first user is connecting to access messages and/or documents;    the channel identification means identifying a second subset of messages and/or documents associated with the second media channel; and    the message/document access means providing access to the second subset of messages and/or documents associated with the second media channel when the user connects over the second media channel.