Enhanced filtering for an ip multimedia subsystem

Abstract

The present invention provides a call/session control function in an Internet Protocol multimedia subsystem capable of providing enhanced filtering to select multimedia services to invoke upon processing a signaling message. In addition to analyzing internal information contained within the signaling message, external information can be used to identify multimedia services to invoke and when those multimedia services should be invoked. Upon receiving a signaling message, filtering criteria to apply for the signaling message is accessed. The filtering criteria define rules for invoking multimedia services. These rules will take into consideration external information, which is not found within the signaling message. The external information may relate to the date, time, presence information, location information, user information, group information, or network information. The external information may change dynamically, wherein different multimedia services may be invoked with the same signaling message if the external information changes.