Patent ID: 7836191

Claim:
A method executed by an interface unit for putting a client on hold, the method comprising: (a) intercepting, by an interface unit, a request from a client to access a requested server; (b) determining, by the interface unit, that a response time of the requested server exceeds a threshold by calculating an estimated future response time based on (i) a weighted average of a previous measured response time and a current measured response time, and (ii) a correction factor proportional to the difference between a previously calculated estimated, response time and a corresponding previously measured response time; (c) putting the client on-hold, by the interface unit, in response to the determination that the response time exceeds the threshold; (d) establishing, by the interface unit, a waiting time for the client; and (e) transmitting, by the interface unit, an on-hold request to an on-hold server based upon the waiting time.