Patent ID: 7054416

Claim:
A multi-media communication management system for providing voice mail service to each of a plurality of subscribers wherein each of the plurality of subscribers is uniquely associated with a portable subscriber device, the multi-media communication management system comprising: a plurality of subscriber desk top telephone stations, at least one of which includes a docking bay for coupling to one of the plurality of portable subscriber devices; a control unit comprising: a network communication circuit coupling the control unit to a communication network for communication with each of said plurality of subscriber desk top telephone stations; a voice server for: storing an audio message for a subscriber as a digital file associated with identification of the portable subscriber device that is associated with the subscriber, and a session control circuit for: establishing a communication session with a selected subscriber desk top telephone station through the network communication circuit; obtaining, from the selected subscriber desk top telephone station, identification of the one of a plurality of portable subscriber devices coupled to the docking bay of the selected subscriber desk top telephone station; obtaining, from the selected subscriber desk top telephone station, an indication that a subscriber has activated a control to obtain an audio message; and providing the contents of a digital file associated with the identification of the portable subscriber device to the selected subscriber desk top telephone station for audible playing of content of the digital file by the subscriber desk top telephone station.