US Patent 7251314 Voice message transfer between a sender and a receiver

A method and system forwards voice messages from a sender to a receiver through a network. A voice-mail device records a phone number of a receiver and a voice message of a sender within a digital file. The voice message and phone number are encapsulated within an e-mail, which is forwarded through a network to another voice-mail device that acts as a gateway. The e-mail is opened to obtain the phone number of the receiver and the voice message, and the phone number of the receiver is dialed to deliver the voice message to the receiver via a telephone network.