Patent ID: 8526590

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, at a controller communicatively coupled to a destination device, a query message including inbound call data associated with a call to the destination device; determining, based on the inbound call data, whether the call to the destination device is from a redirecting number; comparing, at the controller, the redirecting number to an authorized set of numbers; determining a usage status of the destination device; when the authorized set of numbers includes the redirecting number, formulating a response message to the query message, wherein the response message identifies a distinctive tone of a plurality of distinctive tones to use at the destination device, the distinctive tone indicative of the redirecting number; and sending the response message as a reply to the query message; wherein the distinctive tone includes a distinctive ring tone associated with the redirecting number when the usage status is that the destination device is not in use, wherein the distinctive ring tone includes a first distinctive ring tone when the redirecting number is a wireless telephone number associated with a user of the destination device, and wherein the distinctive ring tone includes a second distinctive ring tone when the redirecting number is a work telephone number associated with the user of the destination device; and wherein the distinctive tone includes a distinctive call waiting tone associated with the redirecting number when the usage status is that the destination device is in use, wherein the distinctive call waiting tone includes a first distinctive call waiting tone when the redirecting number is the wireless telephone number, and wherein the distinctive call waiting tone includes a second distinctive call waiting tone when the redirecting number is the work telephone number.