Patent ID: 8004978

Claim:
A method for reserving bandwidth in a packet-oriented network in which a packet-oriented communication link is established between a plurality of network elements and comprises at least one communication path, the method comprising: allocating a unique identification number for the communication link for identification of the at least one communication path associated with the communication link, the unique identification number being unique to call setups associated with the communication link; initiating a plurality of bandwidth requests by at least one network element of the plurality of network elements for the at least one communication path, the plurality of bandwidth requests including the unique identification number; determining a bandwidth value for the communication link as a maximum value of bandwidth requested in the plurality of bandwidth requests by the at least one network element of the plurality of network elements for the communication link; and attempting to reserve the bandwidth value in the at least one communication path that comprises the communication link; releasing the reserved bandwidth value in any of the at least one communication path if that communication path is a non-participating communication path to the communication link after the communication link is established; rejecting a bandwidth request of the plurality of bandwidth requests for the at least one communication path; removing a destination network element associated with the rejected bandwidth request from a destination list; and not signaling an incoming call to the associated destination network element.