Call forward managed rerouting

Claim 1

A method of managing forwarding of a call to a destination node, wherein said call to be forwarded is received at a called node from an originating node via a call path, said method comprising steps of: establishing criteria for selecting among possible links between nodes for forwarding calls directed to said called node; based upon said criteria, determining whether an intermediate node along said call path from said originating node to said called node is to be selected for initiating a forwarding path to said destination node; if said intermediate node is selected for initiating a forwarding path, transmitting a request to said intermediate node to initiate said forwarding path to said destination node; if said intermediate node is unselected, using said criteria to select between initiating said forwarding path from said originating node and initiating said forwarding path from said called node; and (a) transmitting a request to said originating node to initiate said forwarding path if said originating node is selected; and (b) initiating said forwarding path from said called node if said called node is selected.

Claim 2

A method of managing forwarding of a call to a destination node, wherein said call to be forwarded is received at a called node from an originating node via a call path, said method comprising steps of: establishing criteria for selecting among possible links between nodes for forwarding calls directed to said called node; based upon said criteria, determining whether an intermediate node along said call path from said originating node to said called node is to be selected for initiating a forwarding path to said destination node; if said intermediate node is selected for initiating a forwarding path, transmitting a request to said intermediate node to initiate said forwarding path to said destination node; if said intermediate node is unselected, using said criteria to select between initiating said forwarding path from said originating node and initiating said forwarding path from said called node; and (a) transmitting a request to said originating node to initiate said forwarding path if said originating node is selected; and (b) initiating said forwarding path from said called node if said called node is selected.

Claim 12

A method of managing call forwarding of calls among nodes that are grouped according to factors that include geographical proximity and routing attributes, said nodes including gateway nodes for linking node groups having different routing attributes, said method comprising steps of: transmitting call information along a call path from an originating node to a called node, including transmitting an identification of said originating node; receiving said call information at said called node; and determining whether a call relating to said call information is allowed to be forwarded to a destination node and, if said call is to be forwarded, following substeps comprising: (a) forming a forwarding path to said destination node from a gateway node along said call path if said gateway node has been designated as a node for forming said forwarding path; (b) forming a forwarding path to said destination node from said originating node if said destination node and said originating node are in a single node group; (c) forming a forwarding path to said destination node from said called node if said destination node and said called node are in a single node group; and (d) when substeps (a), (b) and (c) do not apply, using predetermined factors to select one of said originating node and said called node for forming a forwarding path to said destination node.

Claim 13

A method of managing call forwarding of calls among nodes that are grouped according to factors that include geographical proximity and routing attributes, said nodes including gateway nodes for linking node groups having different routing attributes, said method comprising steps of: transmitting call information along a call path from an originating node to a called node, including transmitting an identification of said originating node; receiving said call information at said called node; and determining whether a call relating to said call information is allowed to be forwarded to a destination node and, if said call is to be forwarded, following substeps comprising: (a) forming a forwarding path to said destination node from a gateway node along said call path if said gateway node has been designated as a node for forming said forwarding path; (b) forming a forwarding path to said destination node from said originating node if said destination node and said originating node are in a single node group; (c) forming a forwarding path to said destination node from said called node if said destination node and said called node are in a single node group; and (d) when substeps (a), (b) and (c) do not apply, using predetermined factors to select one of said originating node and said called node for forming a forwarding path to said destination node.

Claim 17

A system for managing forwarding of a call to a destination node comprising: storage means for storing criteria for selecting among possible links between remote nodes when a call from an originating node is to be forwarded from a called node to a destination node; select means, responsive to said storage means, for selecting among said originating node, said called node and an intermediate node along a call path of a call to be forwarded, wherein said selecting designates a node from which a forwarding path to said destination node is to be initiated; request and response means, operatively associated with said select means, for transmitting a request message to at least one of said originating and intermediate nodes to initiate said forwarding path, said request means being responsive to said select means when said select means designates one of said originating and intermediate nodes; and forwarding means, responsive to said select means, for initiating a forwarding path from said called node to said destination node when said select means designates said called node.

Claim 18

A system for managing forwarding of a call to a destination node comprising: storage means for storing criteria for selecting among possible links between remote nodes when a call from an originating node is to be forwarded from a called node to a destination node; select means, responsive to said storage means, for selecting among said originating node, said called node and an intermediate node along a call path of a call to be forwarded, wherein said selecting designates a node from which a forwarding path to said destination node is to be initiated; request and response means, operatively associated with said select means, for transmitting a request message to at least one of said originating and intermediate nodes to initiate said forwarding path, said request means being responsive to said select means when said select means designates one of said originating and intermediate nodes; and forwarding means, responsive to said select means, for initiating a forwarding path from said called node to said destination node when said select means designates said called node.