System and method for outbound calling from a distributed telecommunications platform

1. A distributed voicemail system comprising:

a central data and message store (CDMS) for determining whether a triggering event occurs and operable to provide an outbound trigger, wherein the outbound trigger is provided in response to the CDMS determining that a triggering event has occurred;

an application server in communication with the CDMS, the application server for receiving the outbound trigger, provide an outbound notification, generate a Voice eXtensible Markup Language (VXML) page having a telephone number therein, wherein the application server provides the outbound notification in response to receiving the outbound trigger, wherein the outbound notification includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the VXML page;

a media server in communication with the application server and in communication with a telephone network, the media server for receiving the outbound notification, open a VXML browser session, and use the XVML browser session and the VXML page to dial the telephone number, via the telephone network, of a communications device; and

wherein a user-communication is stored in the CDMS, wherein the application server generates a given VXML page having a pointer to the user-communication therein and provides the given VXML page to a VXML browser, wherein the VXML browser uses the pointer to retrieve at least a first portion of the user-communication, wherein the VXML browser provides at least a second portion of the user-communication, and wherein the VXML browser provides the second portion in response to receiving input from the communications device.

2. The distributed voicemail system of claim 1 , wherein the communications device is a telephone.

3. The distributed voicemail system of claim 1 , wherein the communications device is a facsimile machine.

4. The distributed voicemail system of claim 1 , wherein the input is a facsimile tone.

5. The distributed voicemail system of claim 1 , wherein the input is a password.

6. The distributed voicemail system of claim 1 , wherein the communications device is a pager.

7. The distributed voicemail system of claim 1 , wherein the media server includes a plurality of communication link-termination components, wherein the media server is adapted to select one communication link-termination component from the plurality of communication link-components in response to receiving the outbound notification, wherein the selected communication link-termination component communicates the dialed telephone number to the telephone network.

8. The distributed voicemail system of claim 7 , wherein the media server selects the communication link-termination component using a round-robin selection scheme.

9. The distributed voicemail system of claim 1 , wherein the distributed voicemail system includes a plurality of media servers, and wherein the application server is adapted to select a given media server from the plurality of media servers using information included in the outbound trigger.

10. The distributed voicemail system of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of media servers comprises multiple sets of media servers, each set of media servers being associated with a specific call-type, wherein the outbound trigger includes a call-type identifier, and wherein the application server determines a particular set of media servers using at least the call-type identifier.

11. The distributed voicemail system of claim 9 , wherein the media server selects the given media server from the set of specific media servers using a round-robin selection scheme.

12. A method for providing outbound calls from a voicemail service operating within a voicemail server, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an outbound notification request, the outbound notification request including a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for a Voice eXtensible Markup Language (VXML) page;

(b) selecting a trunk for an outbound telephone call;

(c) opening a VXML browser session;

(d) associating the VXML browser session with the selected trunk;

(e) retrieving the VXML page using the URL; and

(f) using the VXML page to dial out, over the selected trunk, to a communications device, wherein the step (f) includes rendering the VXML page, and wherein steps (a) through (f) are performed at a media server,

(g) determining whether an outbound event has occurred;

(h) responsive to determining that an outbound event has occurred, providing an outbound-trigger to an application server; and

responsive to receiving the trigger at the application server, further comprising the steps of:

(i) generating an outbound notification request; and

(j) providing the outbound notification request to the media server, wherein

steps (a) through (f) are performed at the media server; and

(k) selecting the media server from a plurality of media servers.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the selection of the media server is based at least in part based upon information carried in the outbound-trigger.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of media servers comprises multiple sets of media servers, each set of media servers being associated with a specific outbound call-type, and wherein step (k) further includes the steps of:

determining an outbound call-type using information carried in the outbound trigger;

selecting a particular set of media servers, wherein the particular set of media servers is associated with the outbound call-type; and

selecting a particular media server from the particular set of media servers.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the particular media server is selected based upon a round-robin selection scheme.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the trunk is selected from a plurality of trunks based upon a round-robin selection scheme.

17. The method of claim 12 , further including the steps of:

storing a user-communication;

generating a given VXML page having a pointer to the user-communication therein;

providing the given VXML page to the VXML browser;

retrieving at least a first portion of the user-communication using the pointer;

using the VXML browser to provides at least a second portion of the user-communication.

18. The method of claim 17 , further including the step of:

receiving, via the selected trunk, input from the communications device.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the communications device is a telephone.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the communications device is a facsimile machine.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the input is a facsimile tone.

22. The method of claim 18 , wherein the input is a password.

23. The method of claim 12 , wherein the communications device is a pager.

24. In a distributed telecommunications platform, a media server that is connected to a telephone network, the media server comprising:

a plurality of communication termination-link components, each communication termination-link component for coupling a trunk that extends to the telephone network;

a network interface for receiving and providing communications to components of the telecommunications platform;

a link-selector for selecting a given communication termination-link component from the plurality of communication termination-link components;

a browser module for providing a browser session, wherein a given browser session is associated with the given communication termination link; and

a processor in communication with the plurality of communication termination-link components, the network interface, the link-selector, and the browser module, wherein responsive to the processor receiving an outbound notification via the network interface, the processor implements the link- selector and the browser module;

wherein the outbound notification includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), and wherein the given browser session uses the URL to request a VXML page, and wherein the browser module is for receiving input from a communications device via the selected communications termination-link.