Common routing

An apparatus to route a call from a customer to a destination, the apparatus comprising:

• an intercepting module to intercept:
• i) a call setup message from a customer switch to a switch intended to signal the switch to perform a call routing function or request a call routing function be performed, the call routing function determines a route for the switch to use to carry the call to the destination, the route so determined is a switch-determined route, and ii) a call release message sent from the switch to the customer switch intended to signal the customer switch of network congestion associated with the switch-determined route;
• a querying module communicatively coupled to the intercepting module to query a routing engine with the destination of the call for a specific route over which to carry the call to the destination, the specific route is queried from a set of routes that is different from another set of routes from which the call routing function determines the switch-determined route;
• a modifying module communicatively coupled to the querying module to modify the call setup message to include the specific route, the call setup message so modified is a modified call setup message;
• a responding module communicatively coupled to the querying module to respond to the call release message with a re-route call message that includes the specific route;
• a directing module communicatively coupled to the modifying module and the responding module to direct the switch with either the modified call setup message or re-route call message to use the specific route to carry the call from the customer to the destination;
• wherein the intercepting module and the directing module are configured to operate without needing a service transfer point 1) to intercept the call setup message and the call release message and 2) to direct the switch with either the modified call setup message or re-route call message.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer readable program thereon, wherein the computer readable program when executed on an application server causes the application server to perform the steps of:

• intercept a call setup message sent from a customer switch to a switch intended to signal the switch to perform a call routing function or request a call routing function be performed, the call routing function determines a route for the switch to use to carry the call to the destination, the route so determined is a switch-determined route;
• intercept a call release message sent from the switch to the customer switch intended to signal the customer switch of network congestion associated with the switch-determined route;
• in response to either the call setup message or the call release message being intercepted, query a routing engine with the destination of the call for a specific route over which to carry the call to the destination, the specific route is queried from a set of routes that is different from another set of routes from which the call routing function determines the switch-determined route;
• modify the call setup message to include the specific route, the call setup message so modified is a modified call setup message;
• respond to the call release message with a re-route call message that includes the specific route;
• and
• direct the switch with either the modified call setup message or re-route call message to use the specific route to carry the call from the customer to the destination;
• the application server performing the steps without needing a service transfer point 1) to intercept the call setup message and the call release message and 2) to direct the switch with either the modified call setup message or re-route call message.