Patent ID: 8477614

Claim:
A method for routing a call over a packet network, said method comprising: receiving from a first network a call request from a calling party to call a called party at a network address of a second network; determining a potential call path over a packet network to connect the calling party from the first network to the called party at the network address of the second network; determining whether the potential call path is impaired, wherein an impaired status indicates that the potential call path is between a normal status and a congested status; responsive to a determination that the potential call path is impaired, determining whether a terminating line of the potential call path has the capability of using a lower bandwidth CODEC; responsive to a determination that the terminating line of the potential call path is capable of using the lower bandwidth CODEC, transmitting a setup message to the terminating line requesting use of the lower bandwidth CODEC and transmitting a request to the first network requesting the use of the lower bandwidth CODEC for the call; responsive to receiving an acceptance of the request from the first network to use the lower bandwidth CODEC for the call, establishing the call over the potential call path using the lower bandwidth CODEC; responsive to not receiving the acceptance of the request from the first network to use a lower bandwidth codec for the call, accessing network performance information associated with a plurality of potential call paths; determining a condition of each of the call paths within the plurality of potential call paths based on the network performance information associated with each of the call paths; comparing the condition of each of the call paths within the plurality of potential call paths based on the network performance information associated with each of the call paths; and routing the call over a second call path other than the potential call path to enable the calling party to communicate with the called party at the network address of the second network, wherein the condition of the second call path is determined to be better than that of the potential call path.