Method and apparatus for reserving and releasing bandwidth for a packet-switched telephony connection established over an HFC cable network
US7450561B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 13, 2002 |
| Grant date | Nov 11, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 9, 2027 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L67/00
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method is provided for allocating bandwidth over a cable network to establish a packet-switched telephony connection between two endpoints. The method begins by authorizing and reserving an allocation of bandwidth at the time of a call origination sufficient to establish a voice-band data connection between the endpoints. Next, only a portion of the allocation of bandwidth is committed. This committed portion, which is sufficient to establish a compressed voice traffic connection between the endpoints, is a subset of the reserved allocation of bandwidth. The reserved but uncommitted portion of the allocation of bandwidth is released so that it is available for another connection if at least one of the endpoints determines that the connection is to support voice traffic and not voice-band data. This bandwidth portion may be released after a prescribed period of time has elapsed since the establishment of a full send/receive connection without the detection of voice-band data.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.