Patent ID: 8606176

Claim:
A communication system comprising: a source apparatus; an intermediate apparatus being for transmitting signals received from the source apparatus or signals derived from the signals to a destination apparatus; and a destination apparatus being for receiving signals from the source apparatus via the intermediate apparatus; wherein: the destination apparatus comprises: a receiving unit to receive, from the source apparatus via the intermediate apparatus, a bandwidth change request or a revised bandwidth change request derived at the intermediate apparatus; a bandwidth allocation determining unit operable, based on the bandwidth change request or the revised bandwidth change request, to determine a bandwidth to be allocated to the source apparatus for transmission from the source apparatus to the intermediate apparatus that will attain or maintain a balance between a measure of the quality of service experienced at the destination apparatus and a measure of the quality of service experienced at the intermediate apparatus in order that the number of data packets received at the intermediate apparatus is substantially equal to the number of data packets received at the destination apparatus; and a transmitting unit to transmit information of the determined bandwidth to the intermediate apparatus, wherein the intermediate apparatus comprises: a transmitting unit operable to transmit one said bandwidth change request received from the source apparatus to the destination apparatus, or to transmit to the destination apparatus one said revised bandwidth change request, said revised bandwidth change request being derived at the intermediate apparatus by revising the bandwidth change request received from the source apparatus; a receiving unit to receive, from the destination apparatus, notification of the bandwidth allocation determined by the bandwidth allocation determining unit of the destination apparatus; and a bandwidth allocation unit to allocate a bandwidth to the source apparatus for transmission from the source apparatus to the intermediate apparatus in accordance with the notification.