Patent Document ID: 20020061010
Application ID: 10050306
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A method for routing data streams through a communication network, which comprises network elements and transmission links, the method comprising determining routes for data streams between predetermined network elements, characterized in that the determining process comprises the steps of finding the transmission links which belong to at least two transmission link loops, removing from the network (a) the transmission links and the network elements which fail to belong to any loop that comprises at least one transmission link found in the finding step, and (b) hiding the network elements which belong to any of the loops that comprises at least one transmission link found in the finding step and which have been connected to at most two transmission links found in the finding step, whereby the remaining network comprises at least one subarea which comprises at least two loops, for each data stream, finding the subareas through which a route can be found between two predetermined network elements, routing within the subareas separately and, if needed, routing separately within the network parts between the subareas or between the predetermined network elements and the subareas.