Patent ID: 7174009
Filing Date: 2007-02-06
Classification: H04M,H04Q

Abstract:
1. In a service control point (SCP) having logic normally dictating that a call destined to a called party should be routed to a service node for handling, a method comprising: making a determination that the service node has become unavailable; responsive to the determination that the service node has become unavailable, setting a flag indicating that the service node is unavailable; using the flag as a basis to determine that the service node is unavailable; after determining that the service node has become unavailable, (i) receiving into the SCP, a first signal from a switch indicating that the switch has received a request to set up a first call to the called party and (ii) in view of the determination that the service node has become unavailable, the SCP instructing the switch to treat the first call in a manner other than routing the call to the service node; making a determination that the service node has become available again; responsive to the determination that the service node has become available again, clearing the flag indicating that the service node is unavailable; and after determining that the service node has become available again, (i) receiving into the SCP, a second signal from the switch indicating that the switch has received a request to set up a second call to the called party and (ii) in view of the determination that the service node has become available again, the SCP instructing the switch to route the call to the service node.