Patent ID: 8068413

Claim:
An overload control method for an access media gateway, wherein the access media gateway restricts a call of a subscriber coupled thereto and acting as a calling side, the overload control method comprising: detecting, by the access media gateway, an overload of the access media gateway after the subscriber initiates a call, wherein the subscriber is acting as a calling side when the subscriber initiates the call; determining, by the access media gateway, an overload level; and determining, by the access media gateway, a corresponding call restriction policy dependent upon the overload level, wherein if the corresponding call restriction policy comprises a guaranteed connection of an emergency call, then the access media gateway buffers a hook-off event, plays a dial tone directly to a port of the subscriber, and compares a number received from the subscriber with an emergency call digitmap to determine whether the call is an emergency call, wherein if the number matches the emergency call digitmap, then the access media gateway determines that the call is an emergency call, wherein responsive to determining that the call is an emergency call, the method further comprises: reporting, by the access media gateway, the hook-off event to a media gateway controller; sending, by the media gateway controller, a normal digitmap to the access media gateway after receiving the hook-off event, wherein the media gateway controller instructs the access media gateway to play the dial tone to the calling subscriber port; and comparing, by the access media gateway, the buffered number with the received normal digitmap, wherein the access media gateway processes the call in accordance with a normal call flow.