Patent ID: 6959077

Claim:
A system for routing communications directed to a directory number corresponding to a first subscriber line, wherein a redirection service is operative with respect to the communications directed to the directory number to automatically direct the communications away from the directory number, without intervention by a calling party, to at least one other directory number corresponding to a second subscriber line whenever the directory number to which the communications are directed is temporarily inoperative due to a temporary service disruption, the system comprising: a switch configured to receive each of the communications in a communication network, wherein each of the communications are directed to the temporarily inoperative directory number having the redirection service, and wherein for each communication the switch is configured to detect whether the temporarily inoperative directory number associated with a current one of the communications is inoperative and is further configured to complete the current communication to the temporarily inoperative directory number corresponding to the first subscriber line when the temporarily inoperative directory number is operative for the current communication and to redirect the current communication to the at least one other directory number corresponding to the second subscriber line when instructed to do so; and a controller, in communication with the switch, wherein the switch is configured to provide an indication that the temporarily inoperative directory number is inoperative to the controller upon detecting that the temporarily inoperative directory number is inoperative for the current communication, and wherein the controller includes a database of subscriber information maintained by the network, and wherein the controller is configured to search the database of subscriber information for a matching entry to the temporarily inoperative directory number in response to receiving the indication, and wherein the controller is configured to instruct the switch to redirect the current communication away from the temporarily inoperative directory number to the at least one other directory number upon finding the matching entry, and wherein the controller is configured to retain the temporarily inoperative directory number in the database for routing a subsequent one of the communications thereto after the temporary service disruption has been resolved.