Patent ID: 8811160

Claim:
A method for routing communications over a communication network, the method comprising: receiving a communications request to establish communications over a communication network; determining a communications path for routing the communications associated with the communications request; accessing network performance information associated with communications over the communications path; automatically determining whether at least one network node is impaired or congested along the communications path based on the network performance information; in response to a determination that at least one network node is impaired or congested, determining an alternative communications path for establishing the communications, the alternative communications path bypassing the at least one network node; and in response to a determination that there is no alternative communications path for establishing the communications, determining priority of the communications request, and establishing the communications through the at least one network node in response to a determination that the priority of the communications request is above a priority threshold and not establishing the communications through the at least one network node in response to a determination that the priority of the communications is below the priority threshold.