Patent ID: 8306063

Claim:
A method for identifying UDP packets on an IP network which are candidates for characterization as a RTP packet of a Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP) stream, each of said UDP packets having a UDP header and a payload, wherein the payload potentially includes a RTP packet having a RTP header and a RTP payload, comprising the steps of: identifying UDP packets at a point on said IP network, and for each identified UDP packet performing the substeps of: i. determining if a version number value in said RTP header located in the payload of said identified UDP packet equals a predetermined value, and ii. determining if the packet length in said identified UDP packet header is within a predetermined range, and if said determining substeps are affirmative, then characterizing said identified UDP packet as a candidate RTP packet of an RTP stream, determining from said candidate RTP packet header: a payload type, a SSRC, a sequence number, and a timestamp, comparing said determined SSRC, sequence number, and timestamp with a stored SSRC, a stored sequence number, and a stored timestamp of previously identified RTP streams, and comparing said determined payload type with a stored payload type field of said previously identified RTP streams and at least one dynamic payload type associated with said previously identified RTP streams, and if there is a match in said comparison for one of said previously identified RTP streams, generating a signal associated with said candidate RTP packet denoting that said candidate RTP packet is a packet of said one previously identified RTP stream without regard to application level signaling associated with said one previously identified RTP stream.