Method and system for administering multiple messages over a public switched telephone network

1. A method of deleting email messages sharing a common trait over a public switched telephone network independently of email system capabilities, comprising:

operating a unified messaging system that is operatively coupled to an email server, wherein the unified messaging system is operatively coupled to a telephone by the public switched telephone network, wherein the unified messaging system is configured to process voicemail and email messages;

playing a first message from the unified messaging system over the public switched telephone network on the telephone;

receiving a command from the telephone instructing the unified messaging system to delete all messages that have the common trait with the first message;

deleting the first message with the unified messaging system;

retrieving a second message from the email server that is different from the first message, wherein the second message includes an email that has the common trait with the first message;

determining with the unified messaging system that the second message has the common trait with the first message; and

deleting the second message from the email server in response to said determining;

retrieving a third message from the email server that is different from the first message, wherein the third message includes an email that has the common trait with the first message;

recognizing with the unified messaging system that the third message has the common trait with the first message; and

deleting the third message from the email server in response to said recognizing.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

determining fourth message from the email server does not have the common trait with the first message after said deleting the second message; and

playing the fourth message on the telephone after said determining the fourth message from the email server does not have the common trait with the first message.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first message includes a voicemail message.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first message includes an email message.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising converting text of the first message to speech prior to said playing the first message.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said receiving the command from the telephone includes receiving a touch-tone signal from the telephone.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the common trait includes a common message type.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the common trait includes a common subject.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the common trait includes at least one word common to the first message and the second message.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said deleting the second message includes deleting the second message without playing the second message on the telephone.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unified messaging system is further configured to process facsimile and pager messages.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a series of touch tones corresponding to a particular search term from the telephone;

generating an index of words that are contained in messages stored in the email server in accordance with a degree of similarity to the search term;

sending the index of words to the telephone; and

wherein said receiving the command from the telephone includes receiving a selection of at least one of the indexed words from the telephone.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending a voice menu list of command options to the telephone.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing new messages in the email server.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said deleting the first message includes deleting the first message from the email server.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

playing a fourth message on the telephone after said deleting the third message;

receiving a second command from the telephone instructing the unified messaging system to delete only the fourth message; and

deleting only the fourth message.

17. A method, comprising:

operating a unified messaging system configured to process email and voicemail messages, wherein the system is operatively coupled to a telephone by a public switched telephone network;

transmitting a first message with the unified messaging system over the public switched telephone network to the telephone;

receiving a command from the telephone instructing the unified messaging system to delete all messages that have a trait in common with the first message;

deleting the first message with the unified messaging system;

determining with the unified messaging system that an email message on the email server has the trait in common with the first message, wherein the email message has content that differs from the first message; and

deleting the email message from the email server in response to said determining without transmitting the email message to the telephone.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first message is an email message.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein said deleting the first message includes deleting the first message from the email server.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising converting text of the first message to speech prior to said transmitting the first message.

21. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

receiving a series of touch tones corresponding to a particular search term from the telephone;

generating an index of words that are contained in messages stored in the email server in accordance with a degree of similarity to the search term;

sending the index of words to the telephone; and

wherein said receiving the command from the telephone includes receiving a selection of at least one of the indexed words from the telephone.

22. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

determining with the unified messaging system that a second email message on the email server has the trait in common with the first message, wherein the second email message has content that differs from the first message; and

deleting the second email message from the email server without transmitting the email message to the telephone.

23. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

determining with the unified messaging system that a second email message on the email server does not have the common trait with the first message; and

transmitting the second email message from the email server to the telephone.

24. An apparatus, comprising:

an email server;

a unified messaging system operatively coupled to the email server, wherein the unified messaging system is operable to process voicemail and email messages, wherein the unified messaging system is operable to process communications with a telephone over a public switched telephone network;

the unified messaging system being operable to play a first message over the public switched telephone network on the telephone;

the unified messaging system being operable to receive a command from the telephone instructing the unified messaging system to delete all messages that have the common trait with the first message;

the unified messaging system being operable to delete the first message in response to the command; and

the unified messaging system being operable to delete an email message from the email server in response to determining that the email message has the common trait in common with the first message, wherein the email message and the first message were received at different times.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the first message includes a voicemail message.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the first message includes an email message.

27. The apparatus of claim 24 , further comprising:

the public switched telephone network; and

the telephone operatively coupled to the unified messaging system over the public switched telephone network.

28. The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the unified messaging system is configured to convert text to speech.

29. The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the common trait includes a combination of different trait types.

30. The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the unified messaging system is operable to delete a second email message from the email server in response to determining that the second email message has the common trait in common with the first message.

31. An apparatus, comprising:

an email server;

a unified messaging system operatively coupled to the email server, wherein the unified messaging system is operable to process voicemail and email messages wherein the unified messaging system is operable to process communications with a telephone over a public switched telephone network;

the unified messaging system being operable to play a first message over the public switched telephone network on the telephone;

the unified messaging system being operable to receive a command from the telephone instructing the unified messaging system to delete all messages that have the common trait with the first message;

the unified messaging system being able to delete the first message in response to the command;

the unified messaging system being operable to delete an email message from the email server in response to determining that the email message has the common trait in common with the first message; and

wherein the first message includes a facsimile message.