Patent ID: 7245713

Claim:
A method of monitoring calls routed to a voice mail system, comprising: receiving a call from a calling party directed to a directory number of a subscriber; determining whether the call from the calling party is answered; if the call from the calling party is not answered, then determining whether the call should be forwarded to the voice mail system; if the call should be forwarded to the voice mail system, querying a first network element for call monitoring services, wherein the first network element is a Service Control Point (SCP) of an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN); at the SCP, providing call monitoring instructions to a second network element, wherein the second network element is a Services Node (SN) of the AIN and wherein the call monitoring instructions include the directory number of the subscriber, an access number associated with the voice mail system, and a directory number associated with the calling party; at the SN, setting up a communication between the calling party and the voice mail system; at the SN, calling the subscriber via the directory number of the subscriber; at the SN, providing an announcement to the subscriber providing the subscriber a recorded instruction for interrupting the three-way communication in order to accept the call from the calling party; and if the call from the SN is answered, setting up a three-way communication between the calling party, the voice mail system, and the subscriber wherein setting up the three-way call is initiated only by the call from the SN being answered.