Method and System for Providing Visual Notification in a Unified Messaging System

Abstract

A method and system for interfacing a legacy e-mail, voice mail and facsimile system into a unified messaging system. The system includes visual message notification for notifying a user of incoming messages. Visual notification may include a flashing light emitting diode and/or text messages. The text messages may include various characteristics of the waiting messages, such as identification of the sender, subject header, message type, time and date received and a like.

1 - 13 . (canceled)  
     
     
         14 . A service for notifying a user of messages from a plurality of disparate message sources, comprising: 
 enabling an adjunct display system of said user to access a unified messaging server, operable for storing messaging data, to determine the presence of stored messaging data originating from an enterprise communication system coupled to said unified messaging server; and    enabling said adjunct display system to provide a visually detectable indication of said presence responsive to detecting the presence of said stored messaging data.    
     
     
         15 . The service of  claim 14 , wherein said adjunct display system includes an interface to said unified messaging server for polling said unified messaging server and providing an indication of said messages  
     
     
         16 . The service as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said interface includes a modem.  
     
     
         17 . The service as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said adjunct display system includes a microprocessor, a memory and a display, and a control system for retrieving message information from said unified messaging server and processing any retrieved message information and displaying retrieved messages on said display.  
     
     
         18 . The service as recited in  claim 14 , wherein enabling said adjunct display system to provide said indication includes activating a light emitting diode.  
     
     
         19 . The service as recited in  claim 14 , wherein enabling said adjunct display system to provide said indication includes providing said indication to a human readable display describing one or more characteristics of each message retrieved from said unified messaging server.  
     
     
         20 . The service as recited in  claim 19 , wherein said one or more characteristics include the identification of the sender.  
     
     
         21 . The service as recited in  claim 19 , wherein said one or more characteristics include subject header.  
     
     
         22 . The service as recited in  claim 19 , wherein said one or more characteristics include message type.  
     
     
         23 . The service as recited in  claim 19 , wherein said one or more characteristics include time and date of message.  
     
     
         24 . Computer executable code, stored on a computer readable medium, for providing to a user a visually detectable message indicator, comprising: 
 computer code for storing, in storage of a unified messaging server, a first message received from a first message source and a second message received from an enterprise communication system coupled to said unified messaging server; and    computer code for causing an adjunct display system of said user to generate a visually detectable message indicator responsive to said storing of said first and second messages.    
     
     
         25 . The computer code of  claim 24 , wherein said computer code for causing said adjunct display system to provide a visually detectable indication includes computer code for detecting a polling request from said adjunct display system and computer code for responding to said polling request by sending at least one message notice to said adjunct display system.  
     
     
         26 . The computer code of  claim 24 , wherein said first and second messages are email messages and wherein said a protocol of said first message is a standard protocol selected from the group consisting of POP3 and IMAP4 and wherein a protocol of said second message is a nonstandard protocol and wherein receiving said second message include converting said protocol of said second message from said nonstandard protocol to a standard protocol.  
     
     
         27 . The computer code of  claim 24 , wherein said computer code for causing include computer code for detecting a polling event from said adjunct display system and, responsive thereto, sending at least one message notice to said adjunct display system.  
     
     
         28 . The computer code of  claim 24 , wherein said computer code for detecting a polling event includes computer code for detecting a caller ID signal from the adjunct display system wherein the caller ID signal includes an alphanumeric identification (ANI) associated with the adjunct display system.  
     
     
         29 . A unified messaging system, comprising: 
 a unified messaging server operable to receive a first message from a first source and a second message from a legacy messaging system; and    a notification server operable to respond to (a) said unified messaging server receiving said first and second messages and (b) receiving a polling event from an adjunct display system of a user by transmitting at least one message notice to said adjunct display system.    
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein said first and second messages are email messages and wherein said a protocol of said first message is a standard protocol selected from the group consisting of POP3 and IMAP4 and wherein a protocol of said second message is a nonstandard protocol and wherein receiving said second message include converting said protocol of said second message from said nonstandard protocol to a standard protocol.  
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein receiving the polling event comprises receiving a caller ID signal including an alphanumeric identification (ANI) associated with the user.  
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein said computer code for detecting a polling event includes computer code for detecting a caller ID signal from the adjunct display system wherein the caller ID signal includes an alphanumeric identification (ANI) associated with the adjunct display system.