Method and receiver for controlling the conformance of a data flow in a communication system to a traffic definition

A receiver for controlling conformance of a data flow in a communication system to a traffic definition associated with a specified quality of service, wherein the data flow consists of data units of an upper layer in a protocol stack and data packets transporting the data flow are data packets of an underlying layer in the protocol stack, the receiver comprising:

• an input unit to receive the data packets transporting the data flow from a transmitter;
• an output unit adapted to send responses identifying received data packets to the transmitter;
• and
• a processing unit adapted to control the responses sent by the output unit and to obtain a predefined conditioning criterion for the data flow, the conditioning criterion being associated with the traffic definition, the processing unit further comprising
• a determining function for determining a conformance parameter for the received data packets transporting the data flow;
• a control function for the underlying layer for controlling the number of sent data packets for which no response is received;
• and
• a setting function for modifying a limit for a number of outstanding data packets or the sending of the responses according to the conditioning criterion and the determined conformance parameter for controlling the number of transmitted data packets obtaining a conditioning criterion for the data flow, the conditioning criterion being associated with the traffic definition, wherein
• if the conditioning criterion is fulfilled according to the determined conformance parameter, the receiver sending acknowledgments for all received data packets, and
• if the conditioning criterion is violated according to the conformance parameter, the receiver sending acknowledgments for only a part of the received data packets.