Importance

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Abstract

A customer-maintained routing system for providing routing to a network provider for incoming calls from clients to the customer comprises a processor having a data link adapted for connection to a customer access point provided by the network provider, a router adapted to execute on the processor and to provide routing to the network via the customer access point, and a metadata-based information system maintained in RAM accessible to the processor and containing condensed client characteristics. Upon receiving a request from the network including a call identifier, the router accesses the database using the identifier as a key, retrieves client characteristics from the information system, and provides a destination for the call to the network based on the retrieved client characteristics. In some embodiments the processor is linked to plural customer sites by a wide area data network. Some of the linked sites may be customer premises call centers where calls are directed, and at least one may be a central customer database facility wherein client and/or characteristics are maintained and updated, and periodic updates are provided to distributed databases at customer access points and customer call centers.

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First Claim