Patent ID: 8509253

Claim:
A communication system, comprising a gateway apparatus, a plurality of terminal devices and a service providing server for providing services directly to said terminal devices through an access network by means of a media plane terminated directly in a terminal device from the service providing server wherein: a) said service providing server comprises a service memory for storing one or more services to be provided to said terminal devices, and at least one control protocol device of a first type providing first type control data in association with said one or more services to said gateway device; b) wherein said terminal devices each comprise a service processor for processing the service provided by said service providing server through said access network and a control protocol device of a second type, different to said first type and providing second type control data in association with the execution of the service by said service processor to said gateway device; and wherein c) said gateway apparatus comprises one or more service-specific mapping devices for terminating in the gateway apparatus a control plane separated from the media plane by exchanging first type control data with said service providing server and second type control data with said terminal devices, wherein: said service-specific mapping devices provide to said service providing server first type control data on the basis of second type control data received from said terminal devices and receive first type control data from said first type control protocol device of the service providing server; and said service-specific mapping devices provide to said terminal devices second type control data on the basis of said first type control data received from said service providing server and receive said second type control data from said second type control protocol device of said terminal devices; and wherein said second type control data constitute a second type service request and said service specific mapping device is adapted to send as first type control data a first type enquiry request enquiring the service providing server whether said access network has enough resources to provide said service to the terminal device; wherein: said service providing server is adapted to send as first type control data an acknowledgement message indicating that there are enough resources for the service provision if the service providing server establishes that there are enough resources, and is adapted to send as first type control data a negative acknowledgement message indicating that there are not enough resources for the service provision if the service providing server establishes that there not enough resources wherein said first type of said control data is Session Initiation Protocol and said second type of said control data is one of HTTP and Universal Plug and Play.