Patent ID: 7593513

Claim:
A voice mail system comprising: a remote answering device that is to receive an incoming call; an Internet accessible user voice mail system; a communications bridge established between the remote answering device, the incoming call and the Internet accessible user voice mail system, wherein the Internet accessible user voice mail system records a message after the communications bridge is established and the remote answering device plays the message to a user as the message is being recorded at the Internet accessible user voice mail system; and a synchronizing device that synchronizes a system message count, indicating a number of messages in the Internet accessible user voice mail system, with a device message count at the remote answering device when a new message is received at the internet accessible user voice mail system before the new message is retrieved by the user through the remote answering device; a paging transmitter, coupled to the Internet accessible user voice mail system, for transmitting a paging signal indicating the system message count; and a paging receiver coupled to the remote answering device, wherein the paging receiver receives the paging signal indicating the system message count to synchronize and update the device message count with the system message count.