Patent ID: 8036357

Claim:
A method of registering an external source in a voice mail system that includes a plurality of extensions, said method comprising: receiving a call from a user via an external source, detecting an identity of said external source, determining whether said external source is registered with said voice mail system based on said identity, if said external source is not registered with said voice mail system, prompting said user to identify a particular extension, responsive to receiving said particular extension identified by said user, retrieving a stored password associated with said particular extension and prompting said user to provide the associated password, if said provided password is correct, prompting said user to determine if said external source should be registered with respect to said particular extension, if said user indicates that said external source should be registered, registering said external source with respect to said particular extension by entering said identity of said external source into a profile associated with said particular extension, said profile comprising a caller's name, receiving a subsequent call from the user via the external source, wherein the subsequent call is intended for other user, and storing a message from the user for the other user, wherein the storing comprises associating the caller's name with the message.