Virtual telephone extension

摘要

The present disclosure is directed to a method and system for routing communications. A plurality of communication devices are coupled to a communications network. Each communication device has a device identifier. A user-programmable database associates each of a plurality of user identifiers with a device identifier. A call-routing switch arrangement is coupled to the communication network through a portal communication device having a portal identifier. A user designates a destination user identifier when making a communication. The call-routing switches the call, directing the call to a destination device identifier responsive to the user-programmable database association between the destination user identifier and a device identifier. According to certain aspects, communications are directed to users and are routed to associated equipment, a user identifier serving as a virtual extension number. Users remotely program the database to direct their calls to communication devices at various geographic, voice mail and e-mail destinations.

主权项

1. A packet-based communication routing system for routing a call between different PSTNs (public switched telephone networks) for a plurality of user subscribers, the system comprising: a dynamic assignment circuit configured to assign a device identifier to each of a plurality of destination communication devices, receive user identifiers from the user subscribers, and for each of the user subscribers and in response to respective user identifiers received from the user subscribers, assign at least two of the user identifiers with a device identifier for a destination communication device operated by the user subscriber; and a call router circuit configured and arranged to, for each call initiated from an origination device to a first one of the at least two user identifiers, and for each call initiated from the origination device to the other one of the at least two user identifiers, associate the call with the device identifier to which the user identifier included in the call is assigned by the dynamic assignment circuit, select the one of the destination communication devices to which the device identifier associated with the call is assigned by the assignment circuit, and route the call from the origination device to the selected destination communication device through a packet-based network and one of the PSTNs that is different than a PSTN via which the call is initiated, wherein the call is routed through the packet-based network using a protocol in which digitized voice is carried over the Internet and one or more of the user identifiers corresponds to web-based addresses, and wherein the dynamic assignment circuit is configured to reassign a user identifier assigned to a device identifier for a user's destination communication device, to a different device identifier for another of the user's destination communication devices, in response to a user logging into a call routing database with the user identifier from the other one of the user's destination communication devices.