Patent ID: 8121124

Claim:
A method performed by an access node coupled to a subscriber network that includes a subscriber device, the method comprising: determining, with the access node, an adaptive threshold value based on a number of multicast streams that the access node previously delivered simultaneously to the subscriber network; receiving, with the access node, a message requesting to join a first multicast group from the subscriber device; determining a projected stream count based on a current number of multicast streams currently being delivered to the subscriber network and a requested multicast stream associated with the join message; determining, with the access node, whether the projected stream count exceeds the adaptive threshold value; and identifying one of the multicast streams currently being delivered to the subscriber network for which a leave message requesting to leave a second multicast group corresponding to this one of the multicast streams was not received by the access node based on the determination of whether the projected stream count exceeds the adaptive threshold value.