Message-based communications

• US 20070171907A1
• Filed: 05/13/2005
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Mansutti, David, Mathieu, Marie-Noelle, Menez, Bruno
• Granted Patent: US 7,885,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of communicating information between an intermediate element and a source element in a message-based communications system in which a request message is sent from the source element to a destination element and in response to which a corresponding response message is sent from the destination element to the source element, the request and response messages being sent via an intermediate element arranged to forward the messages to the appropriate element, comprising, at the intermediate element: prior to forwarding a received request message: determining the presence, in the received request message, of an indication of the information to be communicated and where present, adding a temporary identifier associated with the intermediate element to the message in such a way that the temporary identifier is included in the corresponding response message; and prior to forwarding a received response message: determining the presence of a temporary identifier associated with the intermediate element and, where present, replacing the temporary identifier with the information to be communicated to the source element.

Claims

1. A method of communicating information between an intermediate element and a source element in a message-based communications system in which a request message is sent from the source element to a destination element and in response to which a corresponding response message is sent from the destination element to the source element, the request and response messages being sent via an intermediate element arranged to forward the messages to the appropriate element, comprising, at the intermediate element:

prior to forwarding a received request message;

determining the presence, in the received request message, of an indication of the information to be communicated and where present, adding a temporary identifier associated with the intermediate element to the message in such a way that the temporary identifier is included in the corresponding response message; and

prior to forwarding a received response message;

determining the presence of a temporary identifier associated with the intermediate element and, where present, replacing the temporary identifier with the information to be communicated to the source element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of adding the temporary identifier further comprises adding an identifier which unambiguously identifiers the intermediate element.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of adding the temporary identifier further comprises adding additional information for identifying the type of information to be communicated to the source element.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message-based communication system is a session initiation protocol (SIP) based system, wherein the intermediate element is a SIP proxy server, wherein the request message is a SIP request message, wherein the response message is a SIP response message, and wherein the step of determining the presence in the received request message further comprises determining the presence of a SIP compression parameter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the request message includes the URI of the SIP proxy server, and wherein the step of adding the temporary identifier further comprises adding the temporary identifier to the URI of the SIP proxy.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of determining the presence of the temporary identifier in a response message further comprises determining the presence of the temporary identifier in the URI of the SIP proxy within the response message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of replacing the temporary identifier further comprises replacing the temporary identifier with a SIP compression parameter.

8. The method of claims claim 4, further comprising sending future request messages from the source element to the SIP proxy using compression where the SIP proxy has previously indicated to the source element that the proxy supports SIP compression.

9. An intermediate element adapted for operating in accordance with claim 1.

10. A SIP proxy adapted for operating in accordance with claim 1.

11. Apparatus for forwarding messages in a message-based communications system in which a request message is sent from a source element to a destination element and in response to which a response message is sent from the source element to the destination element, the system being arranged such that messages are sent via the apparatus for forwarding to their appropriate destination, comprising:

means for, prior to forwarding a received request message, determining in the received request message the presence of an indication of the information to be communicated, said means being arranged for, where the presence of the indication is determined, adding a temporary identifier associated with the intermediate element to the message in such a way that the temporary identifier is included in the corresponding response message; and

means for, prior to forwarding a received response message, determining in the received response message the presence of a temporary identifier associated with the intermediate element, said means being arranged for, where the presence of the temporary identifier is determined, replacing the temporary identifier with the information to be communicated to the source element.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for adding the temporary identifier is adapted for adding an identifier which unambiguously identifies the intermediate element.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for adding the temporary identifier is adapted for adding additional information for identifying the type of information to be communicated to the source element.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the message-based communication system is a session initiation protocol (SIP) based system, wherein the intermediate element is a SIP proxy server, wherein the request message is a SIP request message, wherein the response message is a SIP response message, and wherein the means for determining the presence in the received request message is adapted for determining the presence of a SIP compression parameter.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the request message includes the URI of the SIP proxy, and wherein the means for of adding the temporary identifier is adapted for adding the temporary identifier to the URI of the SIP proxy.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for determining the presence of the temporary identifier in a response message is adapted for determining the presence of the temporary identifier in the URI of the SIP proxy within the response message.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for replacing the temporary identifier is adapted for replacing the temporary identifier with a SIP compression parameter.