Patent ID: 6937713

Claim:
A method for providing call forwarding in an IP telephone network in response to the dialing of a unique identifier for a first telephone from a second telephone to make a call, the method comprising the steps of: routing the call to a call management device located in the IP telephone network; said call management device sending at least a first data message containing information pertaining to the call to a customer premises equipment responsible for said first telephone without extending the call to that customer premises equipment or to said first telephone; the customer premises equipment responding to said first data message by checking stored call forwarding profiles in the customer premises equipment to determine whether there is an active call forwarding profile for said first telephone, said call management device extending said call via said customer premises equipment to said first telephone if an active call forwarding profile is not found; said customer premises equipment sending at least a second data message that includes call forwarding information of said profile for said first telephone, which information includes conditions for call forwarding, to said call management device, if there is an active call forwarding profile for said first telephone; and said call management device receiving said at least second data message that includes said call forwarding information and routing the call to at least a third telephone based on the call forwarding information.