Apparatus and method for controlling and managing individual directed sessions in a communications system

In a communications system having a plurality of endpoints each comprising a logical entity and its physical counterpart and each including a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) User Agent Client (UAC) and a SIP User Agent Server (UAS), a method for controlling and managing individual directed sessions between at least two of the endpoints, comprising the steps of:

• intercepting a first message from the UAC of an initiating endpoint requesting an individual directed session between said initiating endpoint and at least one other endpoint;
• communicating said requested individual directed session to a service entity for determining the state of said session as a function of communication system resources and capabilities of the endpoints to be included in said requested session, and if said requested individual directed session is accepted determining a set of corresponding session parameters;
• communicating the state of said requested individual session to said initiating endpoint's UAS, and if said requested session is accepted also communicating to said initiating endpoint the set of corresponding session parameters;
• and
• for said accepted individual directed session, communicating the state of said session to the UAC of said at least one other endpoint and the corresponding set of session parameters.

A device for use in a communications network having a plurality of endpoints, comprising:

• a receiver for receiving information over the network;
• a transmitter for transmitting information over the network;
• and
• a processor communicatively coupled to said receiver and transmitter for performing the functions of:
• intercepting a first message, said first message being sent from an initiating endpoint via application layer routing requesting an individual directed session between said initiating endpoint and at least one other endpoint;
• communicating said requested individual directed session to a service entity for determining the state of said session as a function of communication system resources and capabilities of the endpoints to be included in said requested session, and if said requested individual directed session is accepted determining a set of corresponding session parameters;
• communicating the state of said requested individual session to said initiating endpoint via application layer routing, and if said requested session is accepted also communicating to said initiating endpoint the set of corresponding session parameters;
• and
• for said accepted individual directed session, communicating the state of said session and the corresponding set of session parameters to said at least one other endpoint via application layer routing.