Rockstar Bidco, LP

Apple Inc.

Nortel Networks Corporation

Avaya Inc.

David John Tubb

Julian Mitchell

Mark Watson

William D Gentry

Raheel Yuhanna

Iain William Barker

Peter Karel Jarvis

In order to carry out actions such as setting up a call from an entity in the address realm of one middlebox to an entity in the address realm of another middlebox, then a middlebox control node such as a call server is used. Previously, the middlebox control node has needed to have pre-configured information about all the middleboxes and which address realms they are associated with. The present invention provides one or more middlebox-identity-providing nodes which are separate from the middlebox control node, and which are more directly connected to the end users of the service than the middlebox control node. This provides greater flexibility in network design and removes the need for middlebox information to be pre-configured at the middlebox control node. Instead, this information is sent to the middlebox control node, as part of signalling messages, from middlebox-identity-providing nodes.

Middlebox control

Mid-call services may be added to a communication session such as a telephone call (call session) by a wireless device on a mobile telephone network by causing the wireless device associated with the communication session to invoke a second call session directed to a vertical service code. The second call session is established on the wireless communication network and terminated on the PSTN to an application server associated with the vertical service code. The application server on the PSTN instantiates the service and matches the service associated with the vertical service code on the second call session with the first call session. The application server then applies the mid-call service associated with the vertical service code to the first call session to thus enable mid-call services to be applied to the first call session by the wireless device.

Enabling mid-call services to be added to a communication session by a wireless device

Stimulus signalling protocols and message protocols are methods for transferring information over a communications network. Stimulus signalling protocols (e.g. P-Phone) are typically used for connecting simple terminals to a more powerful host whereas message protocols (e.g. H.323 standard) are typically used to connect between such hosts. Equipment has typically been developed and manufactured for use with either but not both systems and this has led to the need for protocol conversion devices which are complex and time consuming to develop and maintain. Voice data is sent via an H.323 channel over a data network and associated P-Phone signalling data is sent via a T.120 channel as part of the H.323 call. This enables stimulus signalling protocol equipment (e.g. business telephony handsets) to be used in message protocol systems without the need for protocol conversion.

Integration of stimulus signalling protocol communication systems and message protocol communication systems

Growing community of inventors

Maidenhead, United Kingdom

David John Tubb