Patent ID: 7359322

Claim:
A method for the reallocation of bandwidth between different traffic classes that comprise a path in a packet network in order to admit a service request for the bandwidth of one or more of said traffic classes, said method comprising the steps of: storing for each traffic class an available bandwidth indicator that indicates the amount of bandwidth available within that traffic class; determining if the available bandwidth for a specific traffic class is sufficient to meet the bandwidth requested for said specific traffic class; if the available bandwidth for said specific traffic class is insufficient to meet the corresponding requested bandwidth, determining if there is excess available bandwidth in one or more other traffic classes sufficient to meet the insufficiency; if there is sufficient excess available bandwidth in one or more other traffic classes to meet the insufficiency, reallocating bandwidth from these one or more other traffic classes to said specific traffic class in an amount equal to the insufficiency by decrementing the available bandwidth indicator for the one or more other traffic classes in the amount reallocated from these traffic classes; and admitting the new service request to the network.