Bandwidth management for internet telephony

• US 20080008160A1
• Filed: 07/06/2006
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Uhler, Stephen A.
• Application Number:
  US11/482,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20080008160A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

A system and method to manage Internet telephony bandwidth including a network switch to collect network information, and a telephone switch coupled with a network switch to dynamically allocate bandwidth of an Internet telephone based on network information received from a network switch are described herein.

Claims

1. A system to manage Internet telephony bandwidth comprising:

a network switch to collect network information; and

a telephone switch coupled with said network switch to dynamically allocate bandwidth for an Internet telephone based on said network information received from said network switch.

2. The system to manage Internet telephony bandwidth of claim 1, wherein said telephone switch is a private branch exchange.

3. The system to manage Internet telephony bandwidth of claim 1, wherein said telephone switch dynamically allocates bandwidth for said Internet telephone through the use of a new codec between said telephone switch and said Internet telephone.

4. The system to manage Internet telephony bandwidth of claim 1, wherein said telephone switch dynamically allocates bandwidth by directing the network switch to restrict data bandwidth.

5. The system to manage Internet telephony bandwidth of claim 2, wherein said telephone switch is implemented in software.

6. The system to manage Internet telephony bandwidth of claim 2, wherein said telephone switch and said network switch are embodied in one network element.

7. The system to manage Internet telephony bandwidth of claim 3, wherein said telephone switch dynamically allocates bandwidth for said Internet telephone to improve quality of service.

8. An network element comprising:

a network switch to monitor network performance;

a private branch exchange coupled with said switch to manage bandwidth for a Voice over Internet Protocol telephone based on said network performance.

9. The network element of claim 8, wherein said private branch exchange is implemented in software.

10. The network element of claim 8, wherein said private branch exchange manages bandwidth for said Voice over Internet Protocol telephone based on network performance retrieved from said network switch.

11. The network element of claim 8, wherein said private branch exchange manages network bandwidth based on network performance indicated by one or more criterion selected from a group consisting of bandwidth load, number of active sessions on the network, number of phone conversations on the network, historical bandwidth information of a network, and quality of service.

12. The network element of claim 8, wherein said private branch exchange manages network bandwidth based on network performance through the use of a lower bandwidth codec between said private branch exchange and said Voice over Internet protocol phone.

13. The network element of claim 9, wherein said private branch exchange manages network bandwidth for said Voice over Internet Protocol telephone by directing said network switch to reduce data bandwidth.

14. The network element of claim 10, wherein said private branch exchange manages bandwidth for said Voice over Internet Protocol telephone responsive to a command sent by said switch based on network performance.

15. A method comprising:

monitoring conditions of a packet-switched network; and

dynamically allocating bandwidth for an Internet telephone in use on said packet-switched network responsive to conditions of said packet-switched network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein dynamically allocating bandwidth is performed by a telephone switch.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein dynamically allocating bandwidth for said Internet telephone is responsive to a need for bandwidth on said packet-switched network.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein dynamically allocating bandwidth for an Internet telephone includes negotiating the use of a codec with said Internet telephone.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein dynamically allocating bandwidth for an Internet telephone includes limiting data bandwidth on said packet-switched network.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said telephone switch is a private branch exchange.