Message durability and retrieval in a geographically distributed voice messaging system

Abstract

A message retrieval subsystem comprises a voice extensible mark-up language browser, a message server, and a message library. The VXML browser is configured with an application programming interface that enables a subscriber of a distributed voice messaging service to request a stored message. The message server receives a request to open a connection from a client process operative on the voice extensible mark-up language browser, spawns a thread to enable the connection, uses the thread to queue one or more subscriber requests for respective blocks of audio information, removes and processes the one or more subscriber requests, and uses the thread to forward a retrieved block of audio information to a subscriber. The message library is coupled to the message server and interposed between the message server and a common message store. The upper library isolates the VXML browser from a streaming protocol used to access the stored message.

1 . A method for providing streaming audio information in a distributed voice messaging system, the method comprising: 
 providing a voice extensible mark-up language browser on a media server, the voice extensible mark-up language browser including an application programming interface;    providing a message server on a document server communicatively coupled to the media server through the application programming interface and a common message store configured with message information;    receiving a request to open a connection between the voice extensible mark-up language browser and the message server;    spawning a connection thread for processing a subsequent request for message information stored in the common message store;    receiving the subsequent request for message information;    using the connection thread to queue the subsequent request;    using a worker thread to remove and process the subsequent request; and    using the connection thread to forward a response to the voice extensible mark-up language browser.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein using a worker thread comprises communicating with the common message store.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein communicating with the common message store comprises communicating via a message library.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising: 
 caching information in the message library.    
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the message library comprises an upper library and a lower library.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein receiving the subsequent request for information comprises caching user account information in the upper library.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising an upper library and a lower library, wherein the lower library includes an interface in communication with a storage device under the management and control of a message store and wherein receiving the subsequent request for information comprises caching user account information in an upper library which includes an interface that encapsulates device-specific logic and wherein the  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein receiving the subsequent request for information comprises caching message information in the upper library.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the upper library isolates the voice extensible mark-up language browser from the streaming protocol.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the subsequent request for information comprises receiving both message information and user account information.