Patent ID: 8050388

Claim:
A method for providing a subscriber with information regarding one or more eligible messages, comprising: receiving, at a presence server, at least one of an address and telephone number associated with a communication device of a party to be contacted by a subscriber that has subscribed to the presence server; providing, from the presence server, the at least one of an address and telephone number to a messaging system; receiving, at the presence server, a response from the messaging system; and when the response indicates that at least one eligible message exists from the party to be contacted, notifying the subscriber of the at least one eligible message before the contact is made with the party to be contacted's communication device, transmitting, to the messaging system, a request for a current contact folder whose contents includes a set of messaging identified as eligible by the messaging system, and receiving, from the messaging system, the current contact folder contents; and when the response indicates that no eligible message exists from the party to be contacted's communication device, permitting the contact to be made with the party to be contacted's communication device.