Patent ID: 6760774
Filing Date: 2004-07-06
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method of establishing a connection in an IP (Internet Protocol) communication network for executing 1-to-N communication between a transmitting terminal and N receiving terminals by establishing a connection in an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network, said IP communication network having said ATM network between an IP network accommodating said transmitting terminal and an IP network accommodating said N receiving terminals, and boundary apparatuses provided with an IP communication function and an ATM communication function on the boundaries between said ATM network and said respective IP networks, said method comprising the steps of:providing each of said transmitting terminal, said receiving terminals and said boundary apparatuses with a resource reserving function performed on said IP networks in accordance with a communication quality control protocol; converting a bandwidth BWr(i) (i=1, 2, . . . ) required of said transmitting terminal by each of said receiving terminals in accordance with said protocol so as to receive one transmission data to a recommended bandwidth BWs which is transmitted from said transmitting terminal to each of said receiving terminals via said boundary apparatus on the transmission side and each of said boundary apparatuses on the reception side with respect to one data transmission session in accordance with said protocol, and transmitting a request of said bandwidth BWs to a boundary apparatus on the transmission side, by each of boundary apparatuses on the reception side; and establishing by said boundary apparatus on the transmission side, a point-multipoint connection of a bandwidth of BWs/&rgr;(k) between said boundary apparatus on the transmission side and each of said boundary apparatuses on the reception side in response to the request of said bandwidth BWs from said boundary apparatuses on the reception side so as to execute 1-to-N communication, wherein &rgr;(k) represents a usage ratio, which is smaller than 1 and depends upon the number k of connections accommodated in a link between said boundary apparatus on the transmission side and an ATM switch.