Virtual telephone extension

• US 7,218,721 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Issued: 05/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Inventors: Chan, Tony, Vincent, Jean, Catz, Jean-Francois
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui; Bing Q.
• Application Number:
  US10/326,572
• Time in Patent Office: 1,607 Days
• Field of Search: 379/220.01, 379/114.02, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/221.13
• US Class Current: 379/220.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/558 Databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6018 Subscriber or terminal logon/logoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42272 whereby the subscriber registers to the terminals for personalised service provision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4234 Remote access to features of PBX or home telephone systems-teleworking in a PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0006 where voice calls cross both networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0075 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

The present invention 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 the present invention, 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.

Claims

1. A communication routing system having a plurality of local and remote communication devices communicatively coupled through local and remote PSTNs, respectively, the system comprising:

a user-programmable database associating each of a plurality of user identifiers with a device identifier, each device identifier corresponding to one of the communication devices;

a call-routing switch arrangement coupled to one of the PSTNs through a portal communication device having a portal identifier and responsive to a received call designating a destination user identifier, the call routing switch arrangement adapted to use the user-programmable database to route the received call via the other of the PSTNs to a destination communication device.

2. The communication routing system of claim 1, wherein the call-routing switch arrangement is further adapted to optionally route non-local calls for delivery to the destination communication device through a broadband data network portion of the communication network.

3. The communication routing system of claim 1, wherein the call-routing switch is adapted to authenticate a destination user identifier through the destination communication device as a prerequisite to routing a received call for delivery when the user-programmable database associates more than one user identifier with a device identifier.

4. The communication routing system of claim 1, wherein the portal communication device is adapted to elicit a destination user identifier determined from a pre-defined directory, and designate the destination user identifier prior to passing a call through to the call-routing switch.

5. The communication routing system of claim 1, wherein the user-programmable database is coupled to the communication network and adapted, as a default, to associate a user identifier with a call-originating device identifier determined from the communication network through which a user identifier accesses the user-programmable database.

6. The communication routing system of claim 1, wherein the portal communication device has a portal identifier and each user identifier includes the portal identifier as a prefix.

7. The communication routing system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of communication devices is a voice mail application adapted to record messages for an associated user, an association between user identifier and a voice mail application identifier being stored in the user-programmable database.

8. The communication routing system of claim 1, wherein the programmable database further associates the user identifiers with an e-mail address and at least one of the plurality of communication devices is a voice mail application adapted to transcribe an audio message into an e-mail data message and forward the e-mail data message to the e-mail address associated with the user identifier.

9. A method of communication system routing a call between local and remote PSTNs, the method comprising:

assigning a device identifier to each of a plurality of local and remote communication devices coupled through the local and remote PSTNs, respectively, and assigning a user identifier to each of a plurality of communication network users;

accessing a user-programmable database associating each of the plurality of user identifiers with a device identifier;

receiving a call through one of the PSTNs;

via the user-programmable database and the call designating a user identifier, selecting a call destination; and

switching the call to a destination communication device designated by the device identifier associated with the designated user identifier via the other of the PSTNs.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

remotely-programming the database by a user to associate the user'"'"'s user identifier with the device identifier where the user designates to receive calls.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

authenticating a user identifier at the destination communication device as a condition precedent to switching the call to the destination communication device when a plurality of user identifiers are associated with the destination communication device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

associating to a user identifier as a modifiable default condition, the device identifier of the communication device through which the user identifier association is accessed in the database.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

authenticating a user identifier as a condition precedent to permitting the user identifier associations to be user-programmed in the database.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein some of the plurality of communication devices are voice mail devices adapted to receive, store and replay audio messages.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing a user-programmable database associating any of the voice mail devices with an e-mail memory arrangement, wherein a portion of the voice mail devices are adapted to transcribe audio messages to digital data for storage in an associated e-mail memory arrangement.

16. A communication routing system for routing a call between local and remote PSTNs, comprising:

means for assigning a device identifier to each of a plurality of local and remote communication devices coupled through the local and remote PSTNs, respectively, and assigning a user identifier to each of a plurality of communication network users;

means for accessing a user-programmable database associating each of the plurality of user identifiers with a device identifier;

means for receiving a call through one of the PSTNs;

means for selecting, via the user-programmable database and the call designating a user identifier, a call destination; and

means for switching the call to a destination communication device designated by the device identifier associated with the designated user identifier via the other of the PSTNs.