Patent ID: 8687788

Claim:
A server for selecting a call leg comprising: an interface for connecting to a telephony network; a processor connected to the interface via a bus; the processor configured to receive an incoming telephone call via the interface; the incoming call destined for a telephone number; a memory unit connected to the processor via the bus; the memory unit configured to maintain an electronic list of a plurality of telephones each associated with the telephone number; each of the telephones connectable to the telephony network; the processor further configured to send a query via the interface to each of the plurality of telephones for identifying which of the telephones is designated to receive the incoming call, and to receive a response to the query from each of the plurality of telephones via the interface, prior to receiving the incoming call; each response indicating whether a corresponding one of the plurality of telephones is designated to receive the incoming call, wherein a subset of more than one responses among the plurality of the responses indicate that the corresponding telephones are designated to receive the incoming call; and, the processor further configured, upon receipt of the incoming call, to hold the incoming call, to determine a designated one of the telephones by prioritizing the responses among the subset, and to route the incoming call to a designated one of the telephones.