Patent ID: 8514849

Claim:
A communication and data services network predominately using a packetized transmission protocol, the communication and data network comprising: a user terminal, including at least one of a telephone or personal computer, configured to request a communication data service; at least one gatekeeper electrically attached to the network; a plurality of entry gateways, wherein each gateway performs digital signal processing on received signals to generate encoded packets and is electrically attached to at least one gatekeeper via a control path. wherein the at least one gatekeeper and the plurality of entry gateways are configured to initiate a network layer between attached components of the dispersed network, wherein the network layer initiates a control path for the attached components and a data path for select components designated in the requested communication data service; wherein the at least one gatekeeper and the plurality of entry gateways conform to Internet Media Control Protocol (IMCP), the messages being configured to traverse both the control path and the data path, wherein the messages conforming to IMCP are text-based and parseable without special compilers or field allocations; wherein the at least one gatekeeper and the plurality of entry gateways are configured to allow an application requesting a communication data service to extensibly add a generic field within a call detail record for the request of a communication data service, wherein the call detail record comprises network level call details, and to populate the generic field within a call detail record for the request of a communication data service the generic field being populated with information specific to the requested service, and wherein the generic field can be populated by a plurality of applications to add information specific to services offered by each of the plurality of applications; and a service layer configured to supply the requested communication data service.