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US 6,747,977 B1Granted
Packet interface and method of packetizing information
AssigneeNortel Networks Limited
InventorsRoger Smith, Simon Daniel Brueckheimer, Fai Tsang
Life of this patent
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AssigneeNortel Networks Limited
InventorsRoger Smith, Simon Daniel Brueckheimer, Fai Tsang
Estimating the term…
To obviate inefficient use of bandwidth in a packetised system, such as a broadband ATM domain, the use or amount of header information sent in relation to a channel is restricted by one of two principal mechanisms, as exemplified in FIGS. 3 and 4. First, control information incident to a packet interface (20) is interrogated by a processor (21) to determine (50) packet length requirements. A packet length indicator is then generated (52) for inclusion within a header (44) of a packet. Alternatively, a frame (30) is pre-partitioned (60) into several packets (32-42) having different lengths. An addressed subscriber unit (28) is allocated (64) a particular channel, i.e. at least one particular packet within the frame (30), based on data throughput requirements (62), whereby the location of the packet within the frame inherently identifies the length of the packet. Optionally, the data rate used within that packet may also be identified inherently by the location of the packet within the frame (30).
A method of sending information in packets over a multiplicity of frames, the method comprising:
A packet interface for coupling between a narrowband domain and a broadband domain, the packet interface arranged to packetise information from the narrowband domain to the broadband domain into variable length packets, the packet interface having associated therewith:
A communications network comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.