Patent ID: 8050253

Claim:
A method for decentralized processing of signaling messages in a multi-application processing environment, the method comprising: (a) receiving a signaling message at a signaling message routing node; (b) determining, based on a parameter in the signaling message, eligibility for screening by a screening module; (c) in response to determining that the message is eligible for screening by the screening module, forwarding the signaling message to the screening module; (d) at the screening module, determining from a screening policy, a first application of a plurality of applications to perform message processing on the signaling message; (e) modifying the signaling message to include application routing information to allow each of the applications to complete signaling message routing, wherein completing signaling message routing includes inserting sufficient routing information in the signaling message for each of the applications determined to perform message processing on the signaling message to forward the signaling message without requiring the signaling message to return to the screening module; (f) forwarding the signaling message to the first application; and (g) at the first application, routing the message to a second application of the applications using the application routing information inserted in the signaling message without requiring that the signaling message be returned to the screening module.