In communication systems, switching-oriented (call processing) resources represent those switching-oriented operating means that are temporarily provided for switched connections (such as dialed connections) and may be potentially provided over long time spans for permanent circuit connections for the switching of the connections of communication terminal equipment. Switching-oriented resources particularly encompass the central switching equipment and sub (decentralized) switching equipment of communication systems and, to an increasing degree, the transmission capacities of communication terminal equipment terminals of communication systems, particularly broad band communication systems. The transmission capacities or transmission sub-capacities can be switched or allocated to one or more communication terminal equipment connectable to a communication terminal equipment terminal. The allocation or switching of the switching-oriented resources in switched connections accomplished by a signalling procedure provided between the communication terminal equipment and the communication system. It is accomplished in permanent circuit connections either on the basis of a signalling procedure between the communication terminal equipment and the communication system or by A&M-oriented inputs or settings at the communication system. By contrast to switched connections, the switching-oriented resources for permanent circuit connections are not to be available directly following the signalling phase but at times prescribed by the subscribers, i.e. prescribed day, hour and chronological duration. In order to assure the availability of the switching-oriented resources at the prescribed times, the switching-oriented resources are reserved within a reservation time before the prescribed time. The required duration of the reservation time is substantially defined by the scope of the required switching-oriented resources (i.e. by the required scope of the switching network capacity or transmission capacity). The required switching network capacity or transmission capacity is usually cited in dataset per time units, for example, 64 Kbit/s or 2 Mbit/s in an integrated services digital network (ISDN). Given an increasing scope of the required switching-oriented resources, this means longer reservation times, whereby reservation times, for example, in the range of hours, are to be provided given a high requirement for switching-oriented resources. A maximum traffic load of the communication system is also to be taken into consideration in the determination of the reservation times, since a traffic load due to switched connections and of the resource requirements connected therewith during a predetermined reservation time is not predictable. As a result the reservation time is additionally lengthened. Given a large requirement for resources, available sub-resources are reserved or collected during the reservation time (for example, individual 64 Kbit/s capacities given a requirement of 2 Mbit/s) until the required scope of the resources is reserved. The reserved switching-oriented resources remain unused within these reservation times, particularly for switched connections. This reduces the overall switching capacity or transmission capacity of a communication system to a considerable extent given extensive switching-oriented resources to be reserved and given a plurality of permanent circuit connections to be reserved simultaneously.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds