METHOD FOR MONITORING INCOMING CALLS TO A USER'S PREMISES ON A POTS TELEPHONE LINE

With a personal call manager, when a caller calls a primary telephone number for the owner of the personal call manager, the personal call manager selectively routes the incoming call to any combination of local extensions on the owner's premises, and to remote extensions such as a telephone instrument on another premises, a pager, a cellular telephone, a central office voice mail box, and a cellular telephone voice mail box. The personal call manager retains control over an incoming call throughout the duration of the call. Consequently, the owner can route the incoming call to multiple locations, or transfer the call to a telephone answering service at any time after taking the incoming call. The personal call manager permits a user to monitor, either locally or remotely, a message being left with a telephone answering service, e.g., a telephone answering device on the user's premises, a central office voice mail box, or another answering service, and can take the call at any time prior to the caller hanging up.