System and method for providing call-handling services on a data network telephone system

A voice communication device comprising:

• an interface to a data network,
• a plurality of telephony functions operable to communicate a voice signal as voice-over-data packets on a voice-over-data channel, the voice-over-data channel being one of a plurality of data communications channels supported by the data network, the telephony functions operable to convert voice-over-data packets communicated on the voice-over-data channel to voice signals;
• a PID interface link to a portable information device to transfer data between the portable information device and the voice communication device;
• and
• a call handling application operable to accept priority information from the portable information device, the call handling application accessing the priority information in response to the data network telephone receiving a call request across the data network.

A method for providing call handling services at a data network telephone in a data network telephone system, comprising the steps of:

• accepting priority information from a portable information device;
• modifying a call handling database to include the priority information;
• receiving a call request including a caller identifier;
• determining whether the caller identifier is listed in the call handling database, and if so, determining whether a caller priority level is greater than a threshold priority level;
• and
• performing a high-priority call handling operation in response to determining that the caller priority level is greater than the threshold priority level.

A system for providing call handling services comprising:

• a data network to provide data connectivity for a plurality of data communications channels using data transport protocols;
• a data network telephone connected to the data network, the data network telephone operable to communicate a voice signal as voice-over-data packets on a voice-over-data channel, the voice-over-data channel being one of the plurality of data communications channels on the data network, the data network telephones each operable to convert voice-over-data packets communicated on the voice-over-data channel to voice signals;
• and
• a personal computer comprising a data network telephone interface, the personal computer operable to transmit priority information to the data network telephone via the data network telephone interface;
• wherein the priority information is received at the data network telephone and wherein the data network telephone accesses the priority information in response to the data network telephone receiving a call request across the data network.