Method and system for directly interconnecting a TDM PBX to a voice mail system

A system for routing a message to a voice mail box on a communication platform comprising:

• a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) including an extension that assigns mail box addresses to a redirecting number field in an ISDN message set-up string of a call, the PBX connected to the communication platform with an ISDN connection, wherein the connection from the PBX to the communication platform is a dedicated ISDN connection and/or a switched ISDN connection;
• a communication platform mail box server;
• a subscriber database on the communication platform comprising a mail box address associated with the communication platform mail box server;
• a gateway on the communication platform for obtaining data from the message set-up string;
• and
• wherein the PBX is configured for assigning a value to the ISDN call message set-up string selected from the list consisting of:
• i) a calling party number;
• ii) a calling party subaddress;
• iii) a called party number;
• iv) a called party subaddress;
• v) no user responding, and vi) user busy.

A tangible computer readable medium comprising embedded instructions for execution on a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) in conjunction with an application program that forwards a call to a voice mail box on a communication platform, comprising:

• (a) a first interface that receives an input from an originating caller and determines whether to forward a call to the communication platform;
• (b) a second interface that receives an input for assigning a redirecting number to an ISDN message set-up string, the ISDN message set-up string associated with the call;
• wherein the input received by the second interface further comprises a mail box identifier associated with the PBX on the communication platform, and wherein the mail box identifier is not the PBX extension number;
• and
• (c) a third interface that receives an input for forwarding the call to the communication platform over an ISDN connection linking the PBX and the communications platform;
• and
• (d) receive an input for assigning a value to the ISDN message set-up string, the value selected from the list consisting of:
• i) a calling party number;
• ii) a calling party subaddress;
• iii) a called party number;
• iv) a called party subaddress;
• v) no user responding, and vi) user busy;
• and
• wherein the voice mail box associated with the PBX is linked by a dedicated ISDN connection to the communication platform and/or by a switched ISDN connection to the communication platform.