Importance

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Abstract

Method and apparatus for providing a universal addressing plan for a network of voice store-and-forward messaging system sites wherein a telephone numbering plan for a telephone network can be mirrored among the sites in the network, notwithstanding whether the sites utilize the public switched network or on a private network. An embodiment of the invention is apparatus for use in a network of sites in transmitting a message from a message sender at a message sender site to a message recipient at a message recipient site which is collocated or remote from the message sender site, which apparatus includes: (a) a site database to store whether a site is collocated or remote with respect to other sites in the network; (b) an address database to store groups of network addresses associated with the site; (c) a user database to store a network address and a local mailbox number for users; (d) an apparatus for determining the message sender's identification and for receiving a network address for the message recipient; and (e) a translation processor for accessing one or more databases using: (i) the message sender identification to retrieve a message sender site identifier and (ii) the message site identifier and the message recipient network address to retrieve a message recipient site identifier.

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First Claim