System and method for adaptive contextual communications

1. A Call Gateway (CG), comprising a controller element that retrieves a communication context from a call setup request directed to a called party's Terminal Device (TD) by a calling party's TD, and informs a first mapping generator of said communication context to determine a content mapping scheme for content exchanged between the calling party's and called party's TDs wherein the first mapping generator:

contacts a second mapping generator to determine one or more operating parameters of the called party's TD;

determines the content mapping scheme according to the one or more operating parameters of the called party's TD and the communication context requested by the calling party's TD;

informs a media gateway of the content mapping scheme for adapting content exchanged between the called party's and calling party's TDs; and

instructs the controller element to establish a communication session between said called party's and calling party's TDs.

2. The CG of claim 1 , wherein the communication context comprises at least one among routing a call between the calling party's and called party's TDs with one or more media streams or services established therebetween, handing off between networks a portion of a communication session established between the calling party's and called party's TDs, and monitoring the one or more media streams and services in the call, and wherein a Call Detail Record (CDR) is generated from information supplied by the controller element, the first mapping generator and the media gateway, and wherein the CDR comprises at least one among information associated with the call setup request, a media type used for content exchanged between the TDs, a service used to deliver the media type, a duration of communication between the TDs, a type of media transcoding used by the media gateway, and information exchanged between the first and second mapping generators.

3. The CG of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the CG, the first and second mapping generators, and the media gateway conforms to an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architecture, and wherein at least a portion of signaling information exchanged between the CG, the first and second mapping generators, and the media gateway conforms to a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

4. The CG of claim 1 , wherein a select one of the CGs of the calling and called TDs detects a need to handoff a portion of the communication session to a new network in response to one of said TDs roaming into said new network, wherein said detecting CG instructs the CG of the remaining TD of the handoff to the new network, wherein the CG of the remaining TD instructs its mapping generator to determine a new content mapping scheme according to an exchange with a mapping generator of the new network, and wherein the mapping generator of the remaining TD informs its media gateway of the new mapping scheme.

5. The CG of claim 1 , wherein the controller element:

detects a desire by the calling party or the called party to transition to a new TD, and

instructs a mapping generator associated with the new TD to determine a new mapping scheme for content exchanged between the new TD and the remaining TD.

6. The CG of claim 5 , wherein the controller element:

receives a new call setup request from the new TD,

retrieves a new communication context from the new call setup request, and

informs the mapping generator associated with the new TD of the new communication context.

7. The CG of claim 6 , wherein the mapping generator associated with the new TD:

contacts the remaining mapping generator to determine one or more operating parameters of the remaining TD, and

determines a new content mapping scheme according to the one or more operating parameters of the remaining TD and the new communication context.

8. The CG of claim 7 , wherein the mapping generator associated with the new TD:

informs a media gateway associated therewith of the new mapping scheme for adapting content exchanged between the new TD and the remaining TD, and

instructs the controller element to transition the communication session to the new TD and the remaining TD.

9. A mapping generator, comprising a controller element that determines a content mapping scheme for content exchanged between a calling party's and called party's Terminal Devices (TDs) according to a communication context associated with a call setup request initiated by the calling party's TD and one or more operating parameters of the called party's TD, wherein the controller element:

contacts a second mapping generator to determine one or more operating parameters of the called party's TD;

receives the communication context from a Call Gateway (CG) that retrieves said communication context from the call setup request;

informs a media gateway of the content mapping scheme for adapting content exchanged between the called party's and calling party's TDs; and

instructs the CG to establish a communication session between said called party's and calling party's TDs.

10. The mapping generator of claim 9 , wherein the one or more operating parameters comprise at least one among one or more device capabilities of the called party's TD, one or more preferences of the called party, and one or more user activities taking place at the called party's TD.

11. The mapping generator of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the CG, the first and second mapping generators, and the media gateway conforms to an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architecture, wherein at least a portion of signaling information exchanged between the CG, the first and second mapping generators, and the media gateway conforms to a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), and wherein a Call Detail Record (CDR) is generated from information supplied by the CG, the mapping generator and the media gateway.

12. The mapping generator of claim 9 , wherein the controller element receives a registration or notification of at least one among changes in operating parameters of the calling party's or called party's TD, current user activity at the calling party's or called party's TD, and one or more preferences of the called or calling party within or across networks.