Patent ID: 7068598

Claim:
An IP Packet Access Gateway (IP PAG) system for managing an IP bearer path between IP endpoints, comprising: an IP PAG; a first IP bearer connection termination in said IP PAG for terminating a first bearer connection with a first IP endpoint; a second IP bearer connection termination in said IP PAG for terminating a second bearer connection with a second IP endpoint; a call control entity associated with said IP PAG for communicating call control instructions to said IP PAG, said call control instructions including instructions for logically concatenating said connections into an active IP bearer path extending between said first IP endpoint and said second IP endpoint; a bearer traffic IP packet handler in said IP PAG for moving bearer traffic IP packet payloads over said active IP bearer path, said packet payloads being part of a call established between said first IP endpoint and said second IP endpoint and comprising voice, data, multimedia or other information; and a bearer connection address table for use by said traffic handler that associates said first IP bearer connection and said second IP bearer connection with said active IP bearer path, said bearer connection address table being constructed to provide bearer path pivot capability that allows said first IP bearer connection to participate in multiple IP bearer paths that respectively associate said first IP bearer connection with alternative second IP bearer connections that can be switched into and out of association with said first bearer connection by modifying said bearer connection address table to select one of said multiple IP bearer paths as said active IP bearer path.