Patent ID: 7856088

Claim:
A method for managing phone messages in a phone system containing heterogeneous mailboxes, comprising: storing in response to an incoming call a first phone message only in a first mailbox local to a telephone device, the first phone message being not previously stored in any mailbox remote from the telephone device, the first mailbox configured to store messages after a first telephone number associated with the telephone device is dialed, the first mailbox being accessible to a user through a first user interface , wherein the first mailbox is integrated with base unit of the telephone device; creating a first message record of the first phone message in a data structure; receiving at the telephone device a message indicating receipt of a second phone message in a second mailbox remote to the telephone device and configured to store messages after a second telephone number different from the first telephone number and associated with the telephone device is dialed, the second mailbox being accessible to the user through a second user interface substantially different from the first user interface; and creating a second message record of the second phone message in the data structure, wherein the first and second message records are maintained in the data structure in a sorted list.