Patent ID: 8379809

Claim:
A telephone system, comprising: a messaging system having a message memory for storing messages; and a communication terminal of a user connectable to a communication network, the communication terminal comprising: a first input device for receiving a voiced input; a second input device for receiving a user input command; a buffer memory; a processor connected to the buffer memory, the processor being configured to conduct communications through the communication network with another terminal connected to the communication network, said processor being connected to said first input device and said second input device and connectable to the message memory of the messaging system for retrieving messages from the message memory, wherein said processor is further configured to monitor the first input for a user voiced message and transmit the received user voiced message to the memory for storage as a message in the message memory in response to receipt of a create message signal, without waiting for the messaging system to be ready to record the message, at said second input device, the processor storing the user voiced message in the buffer memory before transmitting the user voice message to the message memory of the messaging system such that the user is permitted to immediately record the message before communications between the communication terminal and the messaging system is established, wherein at least one of the communication terminal and the another terminal accesses the message in the message memory of the messaging system, and wherein said messaging system comprises an answering machine incorporated in said communication terminal.