Patent ID: 7489631

Claim:
A method for managing varying traffic load in a packetized communication network, comprising the steps of: (i) at a pre-defined location in a packetized communication network, comparing an instantaneous demand for bandwidth required for delivering incoming packetized signals via a plurality of currently active channels, with bandwidth available at that pre-defined location; (ii) applying a rate adjusting mechanism to at least one of the active channels carrying the signals when the available bandwidth at that pre-defined location is less than the bandwidth required for conveying the signals carried along all these active channels, and wherein at least one group of active channels comprises more than one active channel, carrying signals at a substantially equalized quality which is different from a substantially equalized quality of signals associated with a different group of active channels; and (iii) repeating steps (i) and (ii) periodically; and wherein the rate adjusting mechanism is applied on packetized signals arriving along at least one group of active channels so as to ensure that: a. a substantially equalized signal quality is maintained for signals delivered via all of the active channels belonging to said at least one group of active channels, and b. the instantaneous overall bandwidth required to convey all the packetized signals arriving at the pre-defined location via all active channels, is not more than the instantaneous bandwidth available thereat.