Patent ID: 7324543

Claim:
Method for protecting against overload of a multipoint-to-point channel of a mobile communication network, said multipoint-to-point channel being provided by a radio access network for the mobile communication network in order to enable a plurality of mobile communication means to access the mobile communication network, wherein each mobile communication means can attach to the multipoint-to-point channel to provide processing requests to the mobile communication network, in particular to a packet switching node of the mobile communication network, comprising the steps of: receiving a processing request wherein said processing request is associated with one of at least two different request types; detecting the request type of the received request; counting the number of mobile communication means presently attached to the multipoint-to-point channel; determining, based on the counted number of attached mobile communication means, a present load on the multipoint-to-point channel; determining a utilization level of a processor, in said packet switching node, used for request processing; and deciding whether to reject or to accept the request for processing, wherein the decision is based on the detected request type and on the determined present load of the multipoint-to-point channel.