Apportioning bandwidth capacity in communication switching systems

• Main Authors: WALSH, WILLIAM, RAMASWAMY, SREENIVAS, HEATWOLE, ANTONY, ABINANTE, MARK
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 28.07.2004
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; SELECTING; TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHICCOMMUNICATION

An approach for allocating system capacity of a communication switching system for exchange of traffic is disclosed. The system includes multiple terminals that request allocations of system capacity. The capacity is partitioned into a provisioned portion and an unprovisioned portion, in which a portion of the terminals constitutes a pool having a plurality of sub-pools. According to one embodiment, a control computer communicates with the plurality of terminals and allocates the provisioned portion of the capacity to the plurality of sub-pools of the terminals. The provisioned portion of the capacity is arranged into sub-partitions, wherein one of the sub-partitions is not associated with the sub-pools of terminals. Remaining sub-partitions are associated with the sub-pools of terminals. The control computer selectively allocates available capacity from the sub-partitions to one of the sub-pool terminals to permit overflow of traffic from the one sub-pool terminal, and selectively allocates the unprovisioned portion of the capacity to the pool to permit overflow of traffic from a terminal within the pool and to a terminal that is not a part of the pool of terminals.