Virtual telephone extension

A communication routing system for routing calls from a remote communications network to a plurality of user-communication devices over a packet-based network, the system comprising:

• means for storing association data that can be implemented by a computer to associate, for each user, at least two independent user identifiers with at least one device identifier that identifies one of the user-communication devices, the independent user identifiers including, for each user, a location-based telephone number having an area code prefix assigned to the user's telephone user-communication device and a virtual telephone number having a different area code prefix for a geographical region designated by the user, and data associating the telephone numbers with a device identifier for a telephone user-communication device;
• and
• means for routing each call received from a remote communications network to a destination user-communication device over a packet-based network in response to user identifier data in the call and the stored association data.

A communication routing method for routing calls from a remote communications network to a plurality of user-communication devices over a packet-based network, the method comprising:

• storing association data that can be implemented by a computer to associate, for each user, at least two independent user identifiers with at least one device identifier that identifies one of the user-communication devices, the independent user identifiers including, for each user, a location-based telephone number having an area code prefix assigned to the user's telephone user-communication device and a virtual telephone number having a different area code prefix for a geographical region designated by the user, and data associating the telephone numbers with a device identifier for a telephone user-communication device;
• and
• routing each call received from a remote communications network to a destination user-communication device over a packet-based network in response to user identifier data in the call and the stored association data.