Intel Corporation

At+t Corp.

Paul A Rupsis

David Hilton Shur

Ching-Roung Chou

The exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide ECTF S.100-like functionality for H.248/Megaco-controlled media gateways and/or media servers by defining extensions to several of the H.248/Megaco ARFs, which are permissible within that protocol, to allow terminations within a media gateway more advanced media processing capabilities.

Enhanced media gateway control protocol

A method and apparatus that uses the number of in-service trunks in each trunk group connected to a communication switch as the number of indices that are contained in its respective trunk group distribution table. Each of the indices of each trunk group distribution table corresponds to a single trunk ID of a respective in-service trunk of the trunk group. The method provides for a uniform distribution of call assignments among the indices. Thus, with the uniform distribution of indices, the assignment of trunks to calls will also be uniformly distributed. With trunk traffic distributed among all the trunks of a trunk group, the overall efficiency of the trunk group will be very high. Further, if a trunk group has a loss or an addition of one or more of its trunks, the method and apparatus also provides for a dynamic reforming of its trunk group distribution table such that each of the indices of the reformed table corresponds to a single trunk ID of an in-service trunk, thereby maintaining the uniform distribution and high efficiencies even when there is a change in equipment.

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Winfield, IL, United States of America

Paul A Rupsis