Patent ID: 7356605

Claim:
A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony device for controlling the delivery of streaming media, comprising: a communication network interface operable to receive streaming media from a network device external to the VoIP telephony device, the streaming media comprising a voice message received by the communication network interface at a first delivery rate; a memory coupled to the communication network interface, the memory operable to store media received through the communication network interface; and a media rate controller coupled to the memory and the communication network interface, the controller operable to: determine an adjustment to the first delivery rate and generate a command for transmission to the external network device, the command requesting a subsequent transmission of streaming media from the external network device to the VoIP telephony device to be delivered at an adjusted delivery rate based upon the adjustment to the first delivery rate; and determine whether to adjust the first delivery rate based on a status of the media in the memory.