Method and apparatus for controlling data flow in data communication networks

A method of controlling data flow of data communications in a network, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) transmitting at least one byte of data from a frame of data within a frame slot;
• (b) incrementing a byte counter from a current setting;
• (c) if an end of the frame of data does not occur, then repeat steps (a) and (b) for the frame;
• (d) if an end of the frame of data occurs, then determining whether a number currently represented and stored in the byte counter is less than a predetermined minimum frame slot number;
• (e) if the number currently represented and stored in the byte counter is less than the predetermined minimum frame slot number, then transmitting a flag byte and incrementing a flag byte counter from a current setting;
• (f) if the number currently represented and stored in the byte counter is equal or greater than the minimum frame slot number, then resetting the byte and flag counters and repeating steps (a) through (e);
• (g) if the sum of the numbers currently represented and stored in the byte and flag counters does not equal the predetermined minimum frame slot number, then repeat steps (e) and (f);
• and
• (h) if the sum of the numbers currently represented and stored in the byte and flag counters equals the predetermined minimum frame slot number, then resetting the byte and flag counters to an initial setting and repeat steps (a) and (b) for another frame of data.

A method of controlling data flow of data communications in a network, the method comprising the steps of:

• dynamically varying a minimum frame slot number;
• and
• transmitting at least bytes of data from a frame of data of a slot having the dynamically varying minimum frame slot number;
• determining the end of the frame of data;
• determining that the number of bytes of data within the frame is less than the current minimum frame slot number;
• and
• transmitting flag bytes within the slot until the combination of the number of bytes and flag bytes equals the current minimum frame slot number.

An apparatus for network data communications, the apparatus comprising:

• a transmitter positioned to transmit at least bytes of frames of data of a data slot;
• a byte counter responsive to said transmitter to count the number of bytes in a frame of transmitted data;
• a flag counter responsive to said transmitter to count the number of flag bytes transmitted within a frame of transmitted data;
• a byte counter comparator responsive to said byte counter to compare the number of bytes transmitted in each frame of data with a predetermined minimum frame slot number;
• and
• a counter sum comparator responsive to said byte and flag counters for comparing the sum of the number in said byte counter and the number in said flag counter with the predetermined frame slot number.

An apparatus for network data communications, the apparatus comprising:

• transmitting means for transmitting at least bytes of frames of data of a data slot;
• byte counting means responsive to said transmitting means for counting the number of bytes in a frame of transmitted data;
• flag counting means responsive to said transmitting means for counting the number of flag bytes transmitted within a frame of transmitted data;
• byte counter comparing means responsive to said byte counter for comparing the number of bytes transmitted in each frame of data with a predetermined minimum frame slot number;
• and
• counter sum comparing means for comparing the sum of the number in said byte counter and the number in said flag counter with the predetermined minimum frame slot number.

An apparatus for network data communications, the apparatus comprising:

• transmitting means for transmitting at least bytes of frames of data of a data slot;
• counting means responsive to said transmitting means for counting the number of bytes and the number of flag bytes in a frame of a data slot of transmitted data;
• and
• comparing means responsive to said counting means for comparing the number of bytes transmitted in each frame of data with a predetermined minimum frame slot number and for comparing the sum of the number of bytes and the number of flag bytes in said counting means with a predetermined minimum frame slot number.