Virtual telephone extension
First Claim
1. A communication routing system for routing communications between different network paths for a plurality of user subscribers, the system comprising:
- an assignment circuit configured tofor each of a plurality of communications-enabled devices, each including communications circuitry, assign a respective device identifier;
receive user identifiers from the user subscribers, andfor each of the user subscribers and in response to respective user identifiers received on behalf of the user subscribers, assign at least one of the user identifiers with a device identifier associated with a communications-enabled device operated by the user subscriber, and reassign or further associate the at least one user identifier to a different communications-enabled device in response to at least one of several user conditions establishing an association between the user identifier and the different communications-enabled device; and
a router circuit configured and arranged to, for each communication initiated from an origination device to the at least one of the user identifiers, route the communication from the origination device to the different communications-enabled device by mapping, in response to the communication, the at least one of the user identifiers, via the reassignment or further association, to the different communications-enabled device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present disclosure is directed to a method and system for routing communications. A plurality of communications-enabled devices are coupled to a communications network. Each communications-enabled device has a device identifier. A user-programmable database associates each of a plurality of user identifiers with a device identifier. A router circuit is coupled to the communications network through a portal communication device having a portal identifier. A user designates a destination user identifier when making a communication. The router circuit 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 communications to communications-enabled devices at various destinations.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A communication routing system for routing communications between different network paths for a plurality of user subscribers, the system comprising:
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an assignment circuit configured to for each of a plurality of communications-enabled devices, each including communications circuitry, assign a respective device identifier; receive user identifiers from the user subscribers, and for each of the user subscribers and in response to respective user identifiers received on behalf of the user subscribers, assign at least one of the user identifiers with a device identifier associated with a communications-enabled device operated by the user subscriber, and reassign or further associate the at least one user identifier to a different communications-enabled device in response to at least one of several user conditions establishing an association between the user identifier and the different communications-enabled device; and a router circuit configured and arranged to, for each communication initiated from an origination device to the at least one of the user identifiers, route the communication from the origination device to the different communications-enabled device by mapping, in response to the communication, the at least one of the user identifiers, via the reassignment or further association, to the different communications-enabled device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for routing communications between different network paths for a plurality of user subscribers, the method comprising:
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in an assignment circuit, for each of a plurality of communications-enabled devices, each including communications circuitry, assigning a respective device identifier; receiving 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, assigning at least two user identifiers with a device identifier for a communications-enabled device operated by the user subscriber, and reassigning a user identifier assigned to a device identifier for a communications-enabled device to a different communications-enabled device in response to one of several user conditions establishing an association between the user identifier and the different communications-enabled device; and in a router circuit, for each communication received from an origination device and including a first one of the at least two user identifiers, and for each communication initiated from the origination device and including the other one of the at least two user identifiers associating the communication with a device identifier to which the user identifier in the communication is assigned by the assignment circuit, selecting the one of the communications-enabled devices to which the device identifier associated with the communication is assigned by the assignment circuit, and routing the communication from the origination device to the selected communications-enabled device using one of the network paths that is different than a network path via which the communication is received, wherein one or more of the user identifiers corresponds to web-based addresses. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification