Abstract: A voicemail system enabling various components of the voicemail system to be distributed geographically yet operate as a seamlessly integrated system is disclosed. A signal gateway interfaces with a telephone network. In addition, one or more media servers interface with the signal gateway as well as the telephone network. The signal gateway is configured to block calls to malfunctioning media servers. The signal gateway monitors the media servers, and responsive to determining that a media server has malfunctioned, the signal gateway initiates auto-blocking such that the telephone network does not route calls to the malfunctioning media server. In addition, the signal gateway is configured to auto-detect a media server responsive to the media server being initialized. The voicemail system can include a variety of other elements, such as one or more system management units and one or more central data and message store systems.

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.

Abstract: A Voice Extensible Markup Language (VXML) based voicemail system that has a distributed architecture is disclosed. The VXML voicemail system includes a media server and an application server. The media server is in communication with a telephone network. The media server receives a telephone call through the telephone network and invokes a voicemail service of the voicemail system by sending a request to an application server. The application server is adapted to generate a Voice Extensible Markup Language (VXML) page in response to receiving the request and provide the media server with the VXML page to the media server, wherein the media server renders at least a portion of the VXML page. Methods for implementing VXML based voicemail systems are also disclosed.

Abstract: A voicemail system enabling various components of the voicemail system to be distributed geographically yet operate as a seamlessly integrated system is disclosed. A signal gateway interfaces with a telephone network. In addition, one or more media servers interface with the signal gateway as well as the telephone network. The signal gateway is configured to block calls to malfunctioning media servers. The signal gateway monitors the media servers, and responsive to determining that a media server has malfunctioned, the signal gateway initiates auto-blocking such that the telephone network does not route calls to the malfunctioning media server. In addition, the signal gateway is configured to auto-detect a media server responsive to the media server being initialized. The voicemail system can include a variety of other elements, such as one or more system management units and one or more central data and message store systems.

Abstract: A voice mail system that allows for the delivery of voice messages by chunks, thereby optimizing the delivery of the information. When a subscriber attempts to listen to his or her voice mail message, the header information for the first voice mail message is down loaded and played back to the subscriber. While the subscriber listens to the header information, the next two blocks of data of the voice message are downloaded. Upon the completion of the playback of the header information, the first two blocks of the voice mail message are available for playback and the first block is immediately available for playback. As the subscriber listens to the voice mail message subsequent blocks of the first voice mail message, and optionally header information and blocks of subsequent voice mail messages are simultaneously down loaded.

Abstract: An enhanced Voice extensible Markup Language (VXML) based voicemail system that has a distributed architecture and methods for implementing enhanced VXML based voicemail systems are disclosed. The voicemail system includes a media server, which is in communication with a telephone network. The media server is adapted to invoke a voicemail service of the distributed voicemail system and adapted to render at least a first portion of a Voice extensible Markup Language (VXML) page. An application server, which is in communication with the media server, is adapted to generate a VXML page and provide the VXML page to the media server. The XVML page has a tag embedded therein, and the media server processes the tag. A voicemail-account monitorer, which monitors at least a portion of the voicemail system, is invoked by the media server processing the tag.