Patent ID: 6862342

Claim:
A method of providing an electronic mail notification and delivery service for a subscriber, the method comprising the steps of: storing in a network database the subscriber's electronic mail handling instructions, wherein the handling instructions are customizable by the subscriber and comprise at least one of the subscriber's electronic mail address, the subscriber's designated telephone for receiving electronic mail, the subscriber's electronic mail truncation instructions, a list of the subscriber's e-mail addresses for messages from those senders that the subscriber would like to receive, a plurality of keywords in a sender's electronic mail address that will activate the service, a plurality of keywords in a received electronic mail message's subject or body that will activate the service, and a priority level that will activate the service; receiving an electronic mail message from a sender via a network element, the message specifying the subscriber as an intended recipient of the electronic mail message; comparing information in the electronic mail message to the handling instructions stored in the network database for the subscriber; converting textual content in the electronic mail message to an audio message; truncating the audio message according to the truncation instructions, wherein the truncation instructions comprise which messages are to be truncated and the truncation length; and transmitting the audio message to the designated telephone.