Patent ID: 7222166

Claim:
A method for managing a communications arrangement comprising a plurality of participants, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: assigning, to a first participant from the plurality of participants, one or more functions to be performed by the first participant; prior to a failure of the first participant that prevents the first participant from performing any of the one or more functions to be performed by the first participant, designating a second participant from the plurality of participants to perform the one or more functions if any of one or more handoff criteria are satisfied; the first participant communicating with the second participant to indicate that the second participant has been designated to perform the one or more functions if any of the one or more handoff criteria are satisfied; in response to any of the one or more handoff criteria being satisfied, assigning the one or more functions to the second participant; and selecting, based upon performance of a plurality of communications channels and at least one performance criterion, a first communications channel from a plurality of communications channels.