Patent ID: 7684334

Claim:
A call processing method at a communication node for accepting a call connection request that includes reported bandwidths in both upstream and downstream directions, comprising: managing available bandwidths in both upstream and downstream directions on a per-trunk circuit basis wherein each trunk circuit connects between two nodes and has an upstream path and a downstream path; when a call connection request that includes reported bandwidths in both upstream and downstream directions has been issued, searching for a trunk circuit having an upstream path of which upstream available bandwidth is greater than said upstream reported bandwidth and having a downstream path of which downstream available bandwidth is greater than said downstream reported bandwidth; if such a trunk circuit can be found, accepting the call connection request as a call communicated in both directions on said trunk circuit; if such a trunk circuit cannot be found, searching independently for one trunk circuit of which an upstream available bandwidth is greater than the upstream reported bandwidth and another trunk circuit connecting on a same leg between the two nodes of which a downstream available bandwidth is greater than the downstream reported bandwidth; and if these two trunk circuits can be found, accepting the call connection request as a split-path call communicated on separate trunk circuits on a per-upstream-, downstream-direction basis.