Patent ID: 7647411

Claim:
A method for controlling distribution of network communications via a communications network, the method comprising: sampling a subset of a first plurality of network communications received along a first network path; sampling a subset of a second plurality of network communications received along a second network path; performing a statistical analysis of content within samples of said sampled subsets of said first and second pluralities of network communications to determine respective probabilities that the content carried on said first and second network paths are likely to have a certain characteristic, wherein the statistical analysis comprises determining values for sender metrics, the sender metrics reflecting quantities of communications on the first and second network paths having the certain characteristic; determining a corresponding priority level for each network path, each priority level determined according to said path's respective probability; and varying an allocation of network resources permitted to be used to transmit communications received along each of said network paths, said allocations being varied as a function of said corresponding priority levels; wherein a path having a higher corresponding priority level is allocated network resources to permit a rate of transmission of network communications that is greater than a corresponding rate of transmission for a path having a lower corresponding priority level.