Programmable answering machine with multiple voice boxes and caller ID

Claim 1

A telephone answering machine, comprising: (a) an input connected to receive information over a telephone line, the information comprising caller identification data and a caller message; (b) a plurality of individualized storage devices, wherein the caller identification data is used to select one of the individualized storage devices to store the caller message; (c) an autonomous storage device for storing the caller message if the caller identification data has not been associated with one of the individualized storage devices; (d) an identification data base for storing recorded identification data, the data base for comparing the caller identification data to the recorded identification data in order to automatically select one of the individualized storage devices for storing the caller message; and (e) an outgoing message for directing a caller to select the individualized storage device to store the caller message, wherein: the caller selects the individualized storage device by pressing a corresponding key on a numeric keypad of a telephone the caller is calling from; and the caller identification data is automatically stored in the identification data base and associated with the individualized storage device that the caller selected.