Patent ID: 8411668

Claim:
A method for staggering a plurality of call setup signaling messages via a time division multiplexing based telephone network that is in communication with a packet network, comprising: receiving the plurality of call setup signaling messages by a switch in the time division multiplexing based telephone network, where the plurality of call setup signaling messages is destined to an internet protocol based teleconference bridge located on the packet network; and controlling a flow of the plurality of call setup signaling messages destined to the internet protocol based teleconference bridge by the switch, wherein the controlling comprises: assigning the plurality of call setup signaling messages over a plurality of periods of a predefined time interval, wherein the assigning is based on a capacity limitation of the packet network to simultaneously process the call setup signaling messages; sending only a predefined number of the plurality call setup signaling messages to the internet protocol based teleconference bridge in each of the plurality of periods of the predefined time interval; and placing on hold a remaining number of the plurality of call setup signaling messages that have not yet been sent to the internet protocol based teleconference bridge.