Patent ID: 7369649

Claim:
A caller-initiated voicemail messaging system for annotating a first user's voicemail message, comprising: a first communications device, operable by said first user, for creating a markup file, said markup file including at least one message structure descriptor for the voicemail message; a message server configured for storing said markup file and a voice signal corresponding to said first user's voicemail message, wherein the message server is configured for transmitting said markup file to a second user; means operable by said first user for editing said markup file after said markup file has been stored at the message server; means for automatically notifying said second user that said voice signal and said markup file have been stored at the message server; and a second communications device, operable by the second, for retrieving a selected portion of said voice signal and for receiving said stored markup file from the message server, wherein the second communications device includes means for skimming said voice signal such that the second user only hears portions of the voice signal that have been annotated via the message structure descriptor without hearing portions of the voice signal other than the annotated portions.