Method and apparatus for processing routing requests

Abstract

The invention provides a method and apparatus for communication and provision of routing address information. The prior owner of a called telephone number is referred to herein as a “prior subscriber”. When a number is released by a prior subscriber, it is placed into a database referred to as the “spare pool” which includes available (unsubscribed) telephone numbers. When a caller dials a number that is in the spare pool, the invention intercepts the call and takes any number of possible actions. In one embodiment, the invention automatically forwards the caller to a new number based on a database that stores the new number of the prior subscriber or routes the caller to a message that gives the caller the option (either via a charge or after listening to an advertisement) of being connected to, or being given, the current number of the prior subscriber.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.