Patent ID: 8755373

Claim:
An apparatus for automatically routing calls in a voice-over-packet (VOP) environment at a customer's premises without using a private branch exchange (PBX), the apparatus comprising: a monitoring component located at the customer's premises configured to monitor packets of an incoming packet-based data stream to identify VOP data, wherein the incoming packet-based data stream includes a plurality of data types, wherein the VOP data is identified from within the incoming packet-based data stream based at least in part on a frequency of the VOP data, and wherein the VOP data is associated with one or more voice communications, wherein the customer's premises comprises a plurality of target recipients; a packet-identification component located at the customer's premises configured to identify packets that compose a voice communications stream, wherein the packets are associated with a packet-based protocol that includes a version of one or more of asynchronous transfer mode, session initiated protocol, media gateway control protocol, Megaco, and H.323; a device-determination component located at the customer's premises configured to determine a first target recipient of the plurality of target recipients at the customer's premises who should be the object of the voice communications stream; and a routing component at the customer's premises that routes packets that compose the voice communications stream to the first target recipient.