Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method, during a first communication on a first communication system, of establishing a second communication on a second communication system, comprising inviting a predetermined user to the first communication, the invitation of the predetermined user causing the establishment of the second communication.

Abstract: A system accesses, from a first computer program written in a first computer language, functionality available through a second computer program written in a second computer language. The system has an interface intermediate the first and second programs for enabling access between the first program and the second program. The interface includes (a) a first handler in the second computer language for receiving messages from the functionality and (b) a second handler for retrieving messages, via the interface, that the first handler receives. The second handler is part of the first program.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method in a text-based message-based communication system of sending messages from a first network element to a destination network element for processing thereby. The method comprises at the first element obtaining a message to be sent to the destination element, and determining whether the destination element is able to process a message in a predetermined non-text-based message format. Where it is so determined the method further comprises converting the received message into the predetermined non-text-based message format, and sending the converted message to the destination element.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a SIP network element, for processing messages received from other SIP elements in a network of SIP elements, wherein the element is adapted for receiving a predetermined type of SIP request, the request comprising a plurality of headers and data associated with each of the headers, the element further comprising: a message search function adapted for extracting data from a predetermined selection of said headers, processing logic for processing the extracted data; means for creating a predetermined type of response message associated with the received request, the response message comprising data extracted from the received message; and means for sending the created message to a destination identified in the created response message.

Abstract: A method is provided to enable a participant of a communication event established using a first communication service to initiate a communication with at least one other participant of the communication event using a second communication service. The method includes receiving, from the participant of the communication event, a communication, the communication being received via the second communication service, determining at least one other current participant of the communication event, and initiating at least one other communication with at least the other current participant.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a communication system and method and, more particularly, to a fault tolerant network element for providing fault tolerant call connections in the event of a failure of, for example, a Gatekeeper or other part of a network. Calls set up across a network consume large amounts of resources both throughout the network and at the devices which form the end points of the network. Therefore, even though a call connection may be supported, in the event of the failure of a network element, it is often the case that there is an ungraceful failure or use of resources throughout the network.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of storing context information in an outgoing message sent from a node using a protocol stack having at least one layer, comprising: selectively indicating to a layer of the protocol stack that context information should be obtained for that layer; obtaining context information in accordance with the indication; and adding the obtained context information to the outgoing message such that a response to the message contains the context information.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of establishing a communication path between a plurality of software elements in a distributed computing system, the elements being operable for communicating using a first communication mode, and wherein at least some of the software elements are also operable for communicating using a second communication mode. The method may comprise a first software element discovering a second software element, entering an initiation phase between the first and the second software element using the first communication mode and determining, during the initiation phase, whether the first and second software element may communicate using more than one communication mode, and where it is so determined, determining a preferred communication mode based on a predetermined communication characteristic. A communication may then be established using the determined preferred communication mode.

Abstract: The present invention relates to logic systems which use a message-based API, and in particular to telecommunication systems. The present invention aims to overcome drawbacks in the way in which data is sent between, for example, a gatekeeper unit and a service application running on a service platform. By providing a formatter or formatter units on the gatekeeper units, incoming messages may be pre-processed thereby reducing the bandwidth requirements for data transfer. Each formatter unit may be specific to a service application, and ensures that data arrives at the service platform in the appropriate format.

Abstract: According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a system for establishing a connection between a first and a second communication device. The first communication device supports separate voice and data channels and is arranged for sending a pair of a first and second establishment requests, the first request being sent via the data channel and the second request being sent via the voice channel. The system comprises a proxy for receiving the first request via the data channel, and a gateway for receiving the second request via the voice channel. The gateway is arranged to forward the received request to the proxy and the proxy is arranged to forward the earliest received request of the pair of requests to one of a plurality of call control servers for processing.

Abstract: A system accesses, from a first computer program written in a first computer language, functionality available through a second computer program written in a second computer language. The system has an interface intermediate the first and second programs for enabling access between the first program and the second program. The interface includes (a) a first handler in the second computer language for receiving messages from the functionality and (b) a second handler for retrieving messages, via the interface, that the first handler receives. The second handler is part of the first program.

Abstract: An adaptor module for use with a service manager adapted to functionally lie between a service application operable to provide a service and a network layer of a telecommunication network service entity, the adaptor module being operable to;

Abstract: The present invention relates to a communication system and method and, more particularly, to a fault tolerant network element for providing fault tolerant call connections in the event of a failure of, for example, a Gatekeeper or other part of a network. Calls set up across a network consume large amounts of resources both throughout the network and at the devices which form the end points of the network. Therefore, even though a call connection may be supported, in the event of the failure of a network element, it is often the case that there is an ungraceful failure or use of resources throughout the network.

Abstract: The present invention relates to logic systems which use a message-based API, and in particular to telecommunication systems. The present invention aims to overcome drawbacks in the way in which data is sent between, for example, a gatekeeper unit and a service application running on a service platform. By providing a formatter or formatter units on the gatekeeper units, incoming messages may be pre-processed thereby reducing the bandwidth requirements for data transfer. Each formatter unit may be specific to a service application, and ensures that data arrives at the service platform in the appropriate format.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for processing messages incoming on a gatekeeper system of an Internet Protocol network, characterized in that the method includes a plurality of sub-processes each able to process a series of such messages and the method includes the step of dispatching the messages incoming on the gatekeeper system onto those different sub-processes, the dispatching step including identifying whether a message belongs to a same call as a previous message, and, in that case, sending this message to the same sub-process as said previous message.