Patent ID: 7386604

Claim:
An in-path signaling method for use in a communication network for establishing a communication path between a first terminal device and a second terminal device via a plurality of in-path network infrastructure elements of the network, the method comprising the steps of: a) a service element of the network located off the communication path triggering a network infrastructure element in the communication path between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, said network infrastructure element being the closest network infrastructure element to the second terminal device in the communication path by sending a signaling message to the second terminal device; and the closest in-path infrastructure element to the second terminal device intercepting the signaling message, the closest in-path infrastructure element having knowledge of all terminal devices for which it is the closest infrastructure element in the communication network; b) the triggered in-path network infrastructure element generating an in-path signaling resource message and sending it to a next infrastructure element along the communication path; and c) step b) being repeated between said next and any further infrastructure element until a last such infrastructure element on the communications path receives an in-path signaling resource message from a last but one such infrastructure element, the last such infrastructure element having knowledge of all terminal devices for which it is the closest infrastructure element in the communication network; whereby in-path signaling is performed by the in-path network infrastructure element closest to the second terminal device and not by the second terminal device.