Patent ID: 8711842

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, with an internet protocol (IP) telephony device, a signal processing capability description that specifies one or more signal processing capabilities for a first IP telephone digital signal processing (DSP) resource connected to the IP telephony device via a network communication link; storing the signal processing capability description to the IP telephony device; receiving, with the IP telephony device, communication session parameters in a signaling protocol message for the communication session, wherein the communication session parameters specify a signal processing requirement for voice data associated with the communication session; receiving, with the IP telephony device, a bitstream for the communication session that comprises the voice data associated with the communication session; generating a signal processing task comprising signal processing task parameters that describes the signal processing requirement and identifies the bitstream; determining, from the signal processing capability description, the first IP telephone DSP resource is capable of performing the signal processing requirement; based at least on the determination that the first IP telephone DSP resource is capable of performing the signal processing requirement, sending the signal processing task to the first IP telephone DSP resource; directing the bitstream from the IP telephony device to the first IP telephone DSP resource for processing in accordance with the signal processing task parameters; receiving, with the IP telephony device, a first processed bitstream generated by the first IP telephone DSP resource in accordance with the signal processing task parameters, wherein the first processed bitstream comprises the voice data processed in accordance with the signal processing task parameters; sending the first processed bitstream to a destination device for the communication session; receiving, with the IP telephony device from the first IP telephone DSP resource, a resource request message that includes task parameters that characterize a second signal processing task for a second bitstream; and sending, from the IP telephony device to the first IP telephone DSP resource, a resource response message that includes a network address of a second IP telephone DSP resource and causes the first IP telephone DSP resource to direct the second bitstream to the second IP telephone DSP resource for processing in accordance with the second signal processing task.