Patent ID: 7327679

Claim:
A method for allocating the available upstream bandwidth, BW, among service categories within a point to multi-point communications network, comprising the steps of: allocating a nominal upstream bandwidth amount, BW i , to each category i of a plurality of service categories within the network; allocating an excess subscription factor, P i , to each category i of said plurality of service categories within the network; measuring the actual upstream bandwidth demand at a time t, D i (t), for each of said plurality of service categories; initially setting a first set of effective upstream bandwidth amounts, E i (t), equal to said nominal upstream bandwidth amount, BW i , for each of said plurality of service categories whose D i (t)>BW i ; determining whether there is excess upstream bandwidth, C(t), to be distributed among said plurality of service categories within the network utilizing the equation C ⁢ ( t ) = BW - ∑ i ⁢ E i ⁢ ( t ) , said determination being positive when C(t)>0; and distributing, when said excess upstream bandwidth determination step is positive, said excess upstream bandwidth, C(t), among said first set of effective upstream bandwidth amounts, E i (t), utilizing a function ƒ; wherein the function ƒ is a min-max weighted fairness scheme utilizing said nominal upstream bandwidth amounts BW i and said excess subscription factors P i as parameters and wherein a plurality of weights, w i , are assigned to each of said plurality of service categories corresponding to said first set of effective upstream bandwidth amounts utilizing the formula w i = BW i × α P i wherein α a is a number less than or equal to 1 and represents a relative importance between BW i , and P i .