Patent ID: 7969969

Claim:
A signalling gateway ( 10 ) for transmitting messages between a first network ( 12 ) and a second network ( 13 ), where the first network ( 12 ) comprises an SS7 network and the second network comprises an IP network, the second network ( 13 ) comprising a plurality of application servers ( 17 , 18 , 19 ), the signalling gateway being operable to store SS7 characteristic information corresponding to the applications servers, the signalling gateway being operable to receive a message via the first network, the message comprising a global title value associate with a virtual application server and origin information identifying a calling entity, said virtual application server implemented by a plurality of physical application servers, read the global title value and select one of the physical application servers implementing the virtual application server, transmit the message to the selected physical application server, the message comprising the global title value and origin information, receive a response from the selected physical application server, the response comprising a destination identifier corresponding to the origin information and an origin identifier corresponding to the global title value, substitute the SS7 characteristic information in the response for the origin identifier in place of the global title value, and forward the response via the first network to the calling entity.