Patent ID: 7711102

Claim:
A sequential number ringing system connecting a calling party to a first alternative number associated with a main number, comprising: a Service Control Point (SCP) with a sequential ring application (SRA) resident thereon; and a plurality of call lists, each of the plurality of call lists containing a plurality of alternative numbers; a first call list of the plurality of call lists associated with the main number and, the first call list containing the first alternative number; and a Service Switching Point (SSP) provisioned with a trigger list associating the main number with a T_Busy trigger and with a T_No_Answer trigger; wherein the SSP is further operative to fire the T_Busy trigger in response to a determination that a call to the main number cannot be connected because the main number is busy; wherein the SSP is further operative to fire the T_No_Answer trigger in response to a determination that a call to the main number cannot be connected because the main number is not answered within a predefined ring number; wherein the SRA is operative to select the first call list from amongst the plurality of call lists based on an identity of the calling party and cause the SSP to connect the calling party to the first alternative number, in response to a determination that the T_Busy trigger has been fired; and wherein the SRA is operative to select the first call list from amongst the plurality of call lists based on an identity of the calling party and cause the SSP to connect the calling party to the first alternative number, in response to a determination that the T_No_Answer trigger has been fired.