Importance

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Abstract

A method and system for allocating a constrained common resource (such as capacity in an ordered bus network) among a plurality of demands for the resource. The allocation arrangement receives from a source, demands for allocating the resource (network) for a particular use, e.g., a conference among a plurality of customer sites, stratifies the received demands in response to a grouping of endpoints to be conferenced at the customer sites, and allocates the network resources to connect the endpoints to be conferenced in response to the stratified demand. This is done by generating setup and terminate times for each endpoint to be connected in a conference; reserving the endpoints to be connected in the conference; and generating a plurality of bindings for signalling the network and the source as to the success of connecting the endpoints to be conferenced over the ordered bus network. The arrangement also stratifies a customer's demand into sets of strategies for groupings of like endpoints; allocates network resources responsive to characteristics of the different groupings of like endpoints; for each strategy, generates the setup times and terminate times for each endpoint, reserves the endpoints for a reservation, and generates bindings. The endpoints may be codecs, alternate accesses, offnets, audio bridges, and/or video conference controllers.

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First Claim