Patent ID: 7346043

Claim:
A method for allocating capacity on a network, said method comprising: providing a network having an access point through which transmissions along the network may be transferred, and a predefined number of channels and a second number of channels subsequent to said access point, the predefined number of channels being allocated to a first service provider, the second number of channels being allocated to a second service provider, and the second number of channels being exclusive of said predefined number of channels; directing a transmission associated with said first service provider to the access point; determining if there is available an unassigned channel in the predefined number of channels, including comparing a number of existing transmissions associated with said first service provider to said predefined number of channels, there being an available unassigned channel if said predefined number of channels is greater than said number of existing transmissions associated with said first service provider; allocating said transmission to said available unassigned channel and transferring said transmission through the access point if there is an unassigned channel in said predefined number of channels; and rejecting said transmission as it passes through the access point if there is not an unassigned channel in said predefined number of channels or said second number of channels, wherein said second service provider is associated with a plurality of existing transmissions from a plurality of end users.