Patent ID: 6529475
Filing Date: 2003-03-04
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method of reducing congestion of real time data traffic on a multimedia communications network having a plurality of gatekeepers, said method comprising:extracting, from specialized packets within data traffic in said multimedia communications network, information regarding congestion of said multimedia communications network, wherein said extracting step is completed by a plurality of monitors coupled to said multimedia communications network that are designed to recognize and intercept said specialized packets; analyzing said information extracted from each of said plurality of monitors with a centralized processing component coupled to said plurality of monitors; and regulating congestion on said multimedia communications network utilizing the analyzed information whereby said centralized processing component is utilized to control data traffic by messaging said plurality of gatekeepers, wherein said step of regulating congestion on said multimedia communications network includes transmitting a control message to one or more of said plurality of gatekeepers, which responds to a receipt of said message in at least one of a plurality of ways from among rerouting data traffic flow from congested paths to less congested paths and throttling back the flow of data traffic to reduce congestion, wherein said plurality of gatekeepers operate in concert with each other based on received control messages from said centralized processing component.