Apparatus, methods, and machine-readable articles of manufacture improve reliability and scalability of a messaging system. In some embodiments, the system's configuration data and subscriber information are stored in a central repository of a core node, and replicated to one or more non-core nodes. Data replication may be performed in real-time or near real-time, periodically, sporadically, or otherwise. Nodes may rely on the replicated data to provide the system's subscribers and outside callers with services that do not involve updating of configuration or subscriber data. In this way, the non-core nodes may continue to process calls when the core node is unavailable. For example, the non-core nodes can route calls to the appropriate subscribers without relying on the core. As another example, the non-core nodes can take messages from callers when the core node is unavailable. The messages may be queued for posting and delivery when the core node becomes available.

An intermediate server communicatively coupled to a mobile phone associated with a first phone number corresponding to a first contact type and a second phone number corresponding to a second contact type, receives a request to receive an incoming call associated with a caller phone number. The request corresponds to the first or second phone number. The intermediate server identifies a contact type associated with the request and a contact type associated with the caller based on the caller phone number. The intermediate server further determines whether the caller is misclassified by comparing the contact type associated with the request and the contact type associated with the caller. In addition, the intermediate server sends a notification indicating that the caller is misclassified to the mobile phone in response to determining the contact type associated with the request and the contact type associated with the caller do not match.

A mobile phone establishes and maintains a data connection with an intermediate server. The intermediate server receives an incoming call from a caller. In response, the intermediate server identifies a contact group associated with the caller, and generates a notification message identifying the caller and including the identified contact group. The notification message is sent by the intermediate server to the mobile phone via the data channel, and concurrently, the intermediate server routes the incoming call to the mobile phone over a voice channel different from the data channel. The mobile phone modifies an existing contact record or generates a new contact record associated with the caller to include the contact group identified by the notification message. The mobile phone, in response to receiving the incoming call, accesses the modified contact record or generated contact record, and displays a notification identifying the caller and the identified contact group.

Embodiments described herein generally relate to a method and system of integrating a user's voice mail onto a single voice messaging service, e.g., a Unified Messaging (UM) service, such that a client may access this single source for voice mail retrieval, even where such voice mails are from a variety of sources, e.g., work, mobile phone, etc. A user, or the user's mobile operator, need only agree to accept the service, and the registration and configuration requirements for providing the service and forwarding calls to the service are automatically configured. The user's existing speed dial key or other setting for retrieving voice mail may also be automatically configured to the access number(s) for the service. Configurations may monitor the status of the service and update access and/or forwarding numbers. Voice mail forwarding and settings may also be automatically reverted back to the user's original service.

Calls placed to a call recipient bypass the terminating messaging system, creating an enhanced message in the call originator's messaging system and delivering the enhanced message using alternate routing information. A caller creates enhanced messages for a call recipient even when the call recipient's messaging system does not support such functionality. The caller also embeds stored content and/or use links in the enhanced messages to allow the message to be modified and/or deleted before it is accessed by the call recipient.

A method and apparatus for a computer and telecommunication network which can receive, send and manage information from or to a subscriber of the network, based on the subscriber's configuration. The network is made up of at least one cluster containing voice servers which allow for telephony, speech recognition, text-to-speech and conferencing functions, and is accessible by the subscriber through standard telephone connections or through internet connections. The network also utilizes a database and file server allowing the subscriber to maintain and manage certain contact lists and administrative information. A web server is also connected to the cluster thereby allowing access to all functions through internet connections.

A method and apparatus of processing communications with end users are disclosed. One example method may include detecting a message or post on a website over the Internet that matches a monitoring company's keywords or rules and processing the message by parsing the message and performing a natural language interpretation of the message and processing the parsed message to determine the user's topic of interest. In response, the method may further provide generating a response to the message based on the user's requested objective and sending the response to the user acknowledging the user's topic of interest. Live agents may be notified to check the status of a message and continually override automated message responses to ensure the integrity of the responses.

A method and system are provided for forwarding telephone calls, facsimile transmissions and electronic messages to a single forwarding telephone number. The telephone calls, fax transmissions and electronic messages are first forwarded to a central forwarding repository by the forwarding party where the fax transmissions, and messages are converted to audio formats. Forwarded telephone calls and audio formatted versions of the fax transmissions and electronic messages are then forwarded directly to a designated forwarding number. If the forwarding party answers at the forwarding number, she will receive forwarded calls, and the audio formatted versions of fax transmissions and electronic messages will be played to her over her telephone. If the forwarding party does not answer the forwarded call, she subsequently may retrieve saved telephone calls, saved telephone messages and saved audio versions of fax transmissions and electronic messages from the central forwarding repository.

A computer-implemented method for managing incoming calls comprises receiving, at an intermediate server communicatively coupled to a mobile phone associated with a first phone number corresponding to a first contact group and a second phone number corresponding to a second contact group, a request to receive an incoming call associated with a caller phone number. The intermediate server identifies a contact group associated with the request. The identified contact group comprises the first contact group in response to the received request corresponding to the first phone number, and the identified contact group comprises the second contact group in response to the received request corresponding to the second phone number. The intermediate server selects a notification based on the identified contact group. The intermediate server modifies the request to receive an incoming call to include the selected notification and routes the modified request to the mobile phone.

In one example, a communications platform provides data communications services over a communication network and involving different communications systems respectively associated with respectively different formats to a plurality of communication user-operable devices each of which has a user interface for communicating information. The data communications services are used with a browser and facilitate: establishing an electronic meeting between multiple individuals, the electronic meeting providing access to a plurality of different types of content, or of different format types; and generating, in response to the electronic meeting being established, a status message that is associated with the electronic meeting, that provides an update message to at least a subset of the plurality of communications systems, and that provides information regarding possible availability of an individual for participating in the electronic meeting.