Patent ID: 6859527

Claim:
A communications arrangement comprising: a communications infrastructure including a data network and access network means providing connection to the data network through data-network access points; a plurality of end systems connected to the access network means, and a service system connected to the data network for facilitating communication between the end systems over the data network via the access network means and data-network access points; the plurality of end systems including: a first end system comprising an image sending device, and a first connectivity entity connected to the image sending device and said access network means for establishing, in cooperation with a corresponding entity in a selected receiving end system, a connection passing through the data network for the image sending device to send an image to the selected receiving end system, the first connectivity entity including request means for sending a request to the service system to facilitate the establishment of communication between the first end system and the selected end system; and a second end system comprising an image receiving device and a second connectivity entity connected to the image receiving device and said access network means for establishing, in cooperation with a corresponding entity in a sending end system, a connection passing through the communications infrastructure for the image receiving device to receive an image from the sending end system, the second connectivity entity including response means for responding to a wakeup indicator received from the service system by connecting to the data network and communicating with the service system; the service system including first means responsive to a said request from the first end system indicating that it wishes to communicate with the second end system, to send a wakeup indicator to the second end system, and second means responsive to being contacted by the second end system as a result of receiving said wakeup indicator, for enabling the first and second end systems to communicate directly with each other across the data network.