System and method for distributing auto-attendant across user endpoints

摘要

Embodiments of the present invention generally provide techniques and apparatus that may be used to distribute services in a telephone system. Utilizing these techniques, functions conventionally centralized and requiring a separate server may be distributed to end units, for example, as instances of such applications running on network telephones. Examples of such functions include, but are not limited to, auto attendant functions, distributed voice mail functions, and operator functions.

主权项

1. A method for distributing auto-attendant functionality in a networked phone system including a plurality of end units, comprising:
receiving, by a call distributer application executing on a node in the networked phone system, a call specifying a target in the networked phone system; identifying, by the call distributer application, a routing table entry specifying a first end unit of the plurality of end units as being associated with the target, wherein each of the plurality of end units comprises a networked telephone executing an instance of a distributed auto-attendant call system; and routing the call to the first end unit, wherein the instance of the distributed auto-attendant call system executing on the first end unit is configured to: (1) issue an external indication of the call via the first end unit upon determining that the target is a user number, and (2) handle the call without issuing an external indication of the call upon determining that the target is not a user number.