Patent ID: 7486671

Claim:
A method comprising: transmitting data in messages between a first system entity and at least one third system entity through a second system entity by using a transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) or a user datagram protocol/internet protocol (UDP/IP) transport protocol, wherein each message comprises a port number parameter indicating a transmission control protocol or user datagram protocol port number, respectively, and using a modified port number parameter further indicating an identity of the at least one third system entity, to which and from which a message is transmitted, in the transmission of such as message between the first system entity and the second system entity, wherein the use of a modified port number parameter comprises including, in the first system entity, the identity of the at least one third system entity to which a message is transmitted in the port number parameter of the message; transmitting the message to the second system entity; and removing, in the second system entity, the identity of the at least one third system entity from the port number parameter of the message before transmitting the message to the at least one third system entity.