Patent ID: 7336603

Claim:
An Internet telephone system for voice communication between a telephone subscribing to a first voice network and a telephone subscribing to a second voice network via a network using an Internet protocol, comprising: a plurality of label switch routers configured to use a label switching technique; a first media gateway coupled to a first one of the plurality of label switch routers and a first signaling transfer point connected to said first voice network; a second media gateway coupled to a second one of the plurality of label switch routers and a second signaling transfer point connected to said second voice network; a path control unit configured to: store information identifying connection relationships between telephones in the first and second voice networks and the first and second media gateways, the information including telephone numbers of telephones in the first and second voice networks, store connection relationships between the first and second media gateways and the plurality of label switch routers, store a maximum band settable between adjacent ones of the plurality of label switch routers, and determine whether a first path having a first band larger than a band necessary for transferring a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) packet between said first label switch router and said second label switch router exists, and when it is determined that the first path having the first band does not exist, set a new path for transferring the VoIP packet; and a packet control unit, coupled to said path control unit, configured to: instruct said first media gateway and said second media gateway to transfer VoIP packets via the first path or the new path.