Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems are provided for negotiating the usage of a binary object representation of SIP messages. More specifically, the negotiation for the binary SIP transmission can be done by exchanging text-based SIP messages or other similar messages over standard SIP connection channels. If the negotiation is successful, then binary SIP messaging may be employed to enhance the ease and efficiency with which a SIP message is generated, transmitted over a communication network, and parsed/processed by a SIP network element.

Abstract: A method for the registration of a communication terminal is provided. In some embodiments of the present invention, a communication terminal is registered with a base station by searching and executing a virtual appliance that contains base station software with which the communication terminal pre-subscribed. In some embodiments of the present invention, a communication terminal is registered as an endpoint device for a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI) when the communication terminal registers with the base station.

Abstract: It would be beneficial to allow one or more of information, applications, desktops, and in general any information to be shared between a computer and a communications device. For example, it would be useful to be able to move a presentation from a computer to a mobile communications device. Some solutions attempt to address this by requiring a user to load the information on a laptop, USB key, burn it to an optical disk or the like, and then “open” the information on another device located at the remote destination. In one embodiment, through the use of one or more of virtualization and content translation, any information and/or applications can be exchanged between a computer and a communications device. More specifically, one embodiment utilizes metadata in conjunction with a virtualization environment to allow the exchange of information and/or applications between a personal computer and a communications device, or vice versa.

Abstract: A communication manager establishes a call between two or more participants on two or more communication devices. The call can be an audio or video call. A call request is sent from one of the communication devices to conference an additional communication device to the call. For example, a participant in the call decides to conference an additional person to further discuss an idea. An information manager gets a roster of the participants. In addition to the call request, the roster of the participants is sent to the additional communication device. The additional communication device receives the call request and the roster. The roster is displayed to the user of the additional communication device. The user can then indicate to answer the call request. If answered, the additional communication device sends an indication that the call was answered and the additional communication device is conferenced into the call.

Abstract: A method for sharing content with participants in a conference including establishing a network conference session, identifying restricted content to be shared, and identifying global content which is a subset of the restricted content. The method further includes the steps of identifying a global participant group for the network conference session wherein members of the global participant group attend the network conference session using one or more communication devices, identifying a restricted participant group for the network conference session wherein members of the restricted participant group attend the network conference session using one or more communication devices, transmitting the restricted content to the restricted participant group, and transmitting the global content to the global participant group.

Abstract: Provided are methods, devices, and systems for maintaining a SIP survivable network. The present invention is adapted to allow SIP endpoints or User Agents to discover and select the controller or controllers that the SIP endpoint will register with. Selection of the controller or controllers may be based upon the relative attributes of the controllers and the needs of the SIP endpoint.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to load balancing call signaling channels at the times that they are established, the use of variable frequency keep alive mechanisms depending on the state of the call signaling channel, and the establishment of a call signaling channel when resources are available or otherwise based on need.

Abstract: A method for the registration of a communication terminal is provided. In some embodiments of the present invention, a communication terminal is registered with a base station by searching and executing a virtual appliance that contains base station software with which the communication terminal pre-subscribed. In some embodiments of the present invention, a communication terminal is registered as an endpoint device for a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI) when the communication terminal registers with the base station.

Abstract: Provided are methods, devices, and systems for maintaining a SIP survivable User Agent. The present invention is adapted to allow the User Agent to detect the status of the network, thus providing the User Agent to perform failover/failback operations. The User Agent may be adapted to determine the status of the network based on its own monitoring mechanisms and/or based on messages received from other network components.

Abstract: Provided are methods, devices, and systems for maintaining a SIP survivable network. The present invention may utilize messages, such as SIP NOTIFY messages, to trigger various network components to failover and failback based on the determined status of the SIP network.

Abstract: A method is provided in which a first telecommunications terminal receives an indication of a characteristic of a first system software that is executing on a second telecommunications terminal. The first terminal identifies a second system software that possesses the characteristic. Then, the first terminal launches an instance of the second system software.

Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems are provided for preserving connections, especially in a SIP environment. More specifically, the connection preservation techniques presented in this document enhance the RFC 4028-based session refresh approach in order to provide media connection preservation for calls that experience end-to-end signaling loss or refresh failures. Specifically, participants on a call can continue to exchange media despite the loss of control at the SIP signaling plane.

Abstract: A call processing system includes a call processing server. The call processing server processes calls for an internal network that employs SIP features and functions. The call processing server can receive calls from or send calls to one or more external communication endpoints that are not part of the internal network. However, the call processing server can associate a floating user agent with the communication from the external communication endpoint and lock the floating user agent to a gateway. After locking onto a gateway and initiating the call, the floating user agent can then publish call event status and receive SIP primitives similar to other SIP-enabled devices.

Abstract: A method is presented for the automatic selection of the active software environment of a telecommunications terminal. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the active software environment of a telecommunications terminal is selected on the basis of a characteristic of an incoming invitation to participate in a telecommunications session. In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the content of files residing in storage used by a system software instance is processed. When an incoming call is received, the present invention selects an active software environment on the basis of whether the caller is identified in any of the processed files.

Abstract: A method is provided for the use of a signaling protocol stack by telephony applications which run on different system software images. When a telecommunications session is conducted by a first telephony application, the first telephony application typically controls the state of the telecommunications session through a signaling protocol stack executing on the same system software image as the first telephony application. When control over the telecommunications session is passed from the first telephony application to a second telephony application, the second telephony applications begins controlling the state of the telecommunications session through the same signaling protocol stack by using remote procedure calls.

Abstract: A method for synchronizing telephony applications running on different system software images is provided. When a telecommunications session is conducted by a first telephony application, the first telephony application controls the state of the telecommunications session through a signaling protocol stack executing on the same system software image as the first telephony application (or on a virtualization layer). The present invention allows the sharing of the signaling protocol stack by multiple telephony applications running on different system software images.

Abstract: Mechanisms are provided to facilitate communications across language boundaries. In particular, translation solutions are described which automatically determine communication preferences of various participants in a communication session and further translate user inputs received during the communication session so as to confirm with communication preferences of the participants that receive the user input.

Abstract: A communication device can be equipped with global positioning system (GPS) equipment and one or more accelerometers and/or gyroscopes that can be used to determine one or more of the direction or velocity at which the communication device is “cast” by coupling the location information of the communication device, such as using GPS coordinates, cell tower triangulation, or the like, with the “cast direction” of the communication device—thereby creating a cast vector. The strength of the cast may be analyzed to assist with determining how far the cast vector should be projected. The communication device can then determine which, if any, other communications device, entities, and/or objects are within the cast vector. The direction and strength of the cast can be used to assist in creating either a two or three-dimensional sensible area, that originates with the location of the calling party, and extends therefrom a certain distance.

Abstract: The system gets a request to add a communication node to an existing peer-to-peer communication session between two communication nodes. The communication node is added to the existing peer-to-peer communication session. The communication nodes in the existing peer-to-peer communication have not previously defined a mixing node. The communication nodes in the existing peer-to-peer communication session exchange a mixing score. A mixing node is determined based on the exchanged mixing score. Additional systems are defined which determine a mixing node when two peer-to-peer communication sessions are joined into a combined peer-to-peer communication session.

Abstract: A message manager is capable of analyzing a number of inputs to dynamically adjust rules used to delete messages as well as determine what kinds of messages are likely candidates to be deleted due to their being stale. If a message is determined to be a likely candidate for deletion, the message manager may query the user if they want to delete all messages with similar characteristics, e.g., sender, title, dates sent, time sent, recipients, content, context, and the like. If the user selects “yes” then the message manager may automatically update its deletion rules and further delete all messages in accordance with the user's selection.