Patent ID: 7420981

Claim:
A communications device for accessing a network, the communications device comprising: an application operative to specify a first priority level for a communication, the first priority level being selected from a plurality of possible priority levels; a communications manager operative to configure a control packet based on the first priority level associated with the communication; a transmitter operative to transmit the control packet to the network, wherein a communication associated with a second priority level accessing the network is discontinued to allow the communication associated with the first priority level to access the network in response to receipt of the control packet, the first priority level corresponding to a higher priority level than the second priority level; after transmission of the control packet, the communications manager further operative to receive a notification from the network that access to the network at the first priority level is unavailable; and the application further operative to specify a third priority level for the communication originally associated with the first priority level in response to the notification received by the communications manager that access to the network at the first priority level is unavailable.