Patent ID: 8705550

Claim:
A data communication device for coupling to a terminal equipment, the data communication device comprising: at least one service entity for generating at least one service message, wherein said at least one service message comprises a first parameter comprising: a first type field for identifying a type of the first parameter; a first value field for specifying a value associated with the type identified in the first type field; and a first length field for specifying a length of the first value field; wherein the first value field comprises a second parameter comprising at least a second value field for specifying a value associated with a type of the second parameter; a multiplex module for generating a multiplex message, said multiplex message comprising: said at least one service message; a client ID field for identifying at least one control point associated with said at least one service message; and a service type field for identifying said at least one service entity associated with said at least one service message; a control service module to assign a client ID value for the client ID field to a control point on the coupled terminal equipment when unused client ID values are available, to release the assigned client ID value when the control point on the coupled terminal equipment no longer needs to communicate with the at least one service entity, and to obtain a service message version of the coupled terminal equipment.