Patent ID: 8009554

Claim:
A method of enhancing the reliability of a transmission from a source to a destination in a communications network using a network protocol that operates on top of the Internet Protocol (IP), the method comprising: transmitting data between a source and destination over a first network path made up of one or more network links where at least one of the network links is to a local area network that is remote from the transmission source; and switching the transmission from the first network path to one of a plurality of alternative network paths; wherein said transmission is not disrupted as a result of said switch to the one of a plurality of alternative network paths, said transmission contains audio or video data and at least one Network Address Translation (NAT) is performed on said transmission; said transmission uses the Real Time Protocol (RTP); said transmission uses the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP); and the SIP signaling sequence of the transmission is maintained after said switching from the first network path to the one of a plurality of alternative network paths.