Patent ID: 6882714

Claim:
In a Home Network telephone system, a method for maintaining a universal call-log, the method comprising: establishing a gateway; transceiving calls on at least one external telephone line as follows: communicating call information on the external telephone line in a first format; converting between the first format and a digital Home Network format; bridging calls to a plurality of Home Network endpoints as follows: establishing traffic channels to communicate information to the endpoints in the Home Network format; and establishing a control channel for managing the universal call-log; and, logging the bridged calls, forming a universal call-log that cross-references entries selected from the group including the call time, the call duration, the type of call, the external telephone line involved, the external telephone number from which an incoming call is received, the external telephone line telephone number to which an outgoing call is addressed, the endpoint to which an incoming call is addressed, and the endpoint initiating an outgoing call; wherein bridging incoming calls received on an external telephone line addressed to an endpoint includes: ringing a first endpoint and a second endpoint; answering the call at the first endpoint, but not the second endpoint; and, wherein forming a call-log further includes making an “answered call” entry for the first endpoint and “missed call” entry for the second endpoint.