Patent ID: 7274661

Claim:
An apparatus for detecting network congestion in a best-effort packet network, said packet network comprising at least one server and at least one client coupled to the at least one server via a link, said apparatus comprising: a client media buffer at the at least one client; a plurality of watermarks dividing said buffer into a plurality of regions depending on a presentation time for data remaining in the buffer; and a signaling device operatively coupled to the buffer by which said buffer sends signals to the at least one server to enact an error avoidance mechanism when said buffer operates in at least one of the regions, wherein the client media buffer operates in two modes, and wherein a first mode of the two modes comprises: an active zone including a resume water mark; an overflow alert zone above the active zone and separated from the active zone by a high water mark; a prioritized recovery zone below the active zone and separated from the active zone by a low water mark; and a stream switch zone below the prioritized recovery zone and separated from the prioritized recovery zone by an ultra low water mark.