Patent ID: 8499035

Claim:
A method for collecting and distributing session initiation protocol (SIP) event watcher entity subscription information in a communications network, the method comprising: receiving, at one or more notifier servers from a plurality of watcher entities, subscription requests for SIP event information associated with a plurality of watched entities; receiving, at a watcher information (WINFO) server from the notifier servers, SIP event subscription information that includes, for each watcher entity, an association between the watcher entity to each of the watched entities in which a subscription for SIP event information was requested by the watcher entity; storing the SIP event subscription information in the WINFO server; receiving, at the WINFO server from one of the watched entities, a request for watcher entity subscription information associated with the requesting watched entity, wherein the watcher entity subscription information identifies one or more watcher entities that are subscribed to receive the SIP event information associated with the requesting watcher entity; accessing, at the WINFO server, the SIP event subscription information to locate the watcher entity subscription information associated with the requesting watched entity; and providing, to the requesting watched entity, the watcher entity subscription information associated with the requesting watched entity.