Patent ID: 8005193

Claim:
A machine-implemented method comprising: answering a call from a calling party in a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) format at a premises of a called party; saving at least a portion of a message as an electronic audio file, wherein the message is received from the calling party via the call; preparing an electronic mail message in response to recognizing that the message has been received, wherein the electronic mail message includes an electronic mail address associated with the calling party; attaching the electronic audio file to the electronic mail message; addressing the electronic mail message to a plurality of recipients associated with a unified messaging mailbox of the called party; and initiating sending of the electronic mail message and the attached electronic audio file from the premises to an email server, wherein the email server appends the electronic mail message to a file in an order that the electronic mail message is received, the file including received electronic mail messages, and wherein the email server sends a copy of the file to an email client in response to the email server receiving a request from the email client to view the received electronic mail messages.