Method and apparatus for compressing communication packets

A method of sending compressed data, the method comprising:

• (i) receiving uncompressed data;
• (ii) providing a plurality of M compressing devices, each compressing device configured to apply a lossless compression algorithm;
• (iii) dividing the received uncompressed data into a first plurality of sequential segments S of uncompressed data;
• (iv) applying data in each segment S.sub.i of a first N sequential segments of the uncompressed data, for i=1 to N, where N.Itoreq.M, to a respective compressing device CD.sub.i, and obtaining N respective compressed blocks B.sub.i, each block B.sub.i having a respective characteristic transmission time BlockDuration.sub.i wherein a sum of characteristic transmission times BlockDuration.sub.i, for i=1 to N, of said N blocks, is greater than a predetermined Response Time (RT);
• (v) sequentially forwarding the obtained blocks B.sub.i along a communication link in an order i=1 to N;
• and (vi) repeating steps (iv) and (v) for another group of N sequential segments of the uncompressed data, wherein the response time (RT) is an amount of time taken to receive a message in response to the forwarding of a block B.sub.i along the communication link.

A method of sending compressed data along a communication link in a communications network, the method comprising:

• (i) receiving uncompressed data at a first end of the communication link;
• (ii) providing a plurality of compressing devices at the first end of the communication link, each compressing device configured to apply a lossless compression algorithm;
• (iii) dividing the received uncompressed data into a first plurality of sequential segments S of uncompressed data;
• (iv) compressing data in each segment Si of a first N sequential segments of uncompressed data, for i=1 to N, from the first plurality of sequential segments, by applying the data in each segment Si to a respective compressing device CDi, and obtaining N respective compressed blocks Bi, each block Bi including at least one packet and each block Bi having a respective characteristic transmission time of BlockDurationi, wherein:
• (a) the number (N) is equal to or less than the number of the plurality of compressing devices provided;
• and
• (b) a sum of aggregated characteristic transmission times BlockDurationi, for i=1 to N, of said N blocks, is greater than a predetermined Response Time (RT), as expressed in the following mathematical relationship:
• ∑
• i
• =
• 1
• N
• ⁢
• BlockDuration
• i
• >
• RT
• (v) sequentially forwarding the obtained blocks Bi along the communication link, wherein s the blocks are forwarded sequentially in an order i=1 to N from their respective compressing devices CDi;
• and
• (vi) repeating steps (iv) and (v) for another group of N sequential segments of uncompressed data,
• wherein the response time (RT) is an amount of time starting from when a packet of a block is sent from the first end of the communication link to when a message in response to the packet is received at that first end back from an other end of the communication link.

An apparatus for sending compressed data along a communication link in a communications network and located at one end of a communication link extending in a communications comprising:

• an input interface adapted to receive uncompressed data;
• a plurality of compressing devices CD, each compressing device configured to apply a lossless compression algorithm;
• a processor coupled to the input interface and the plurality of compressing devices, the processor configured to:
• divide received uncompressed data into a first plurality of sequential segments S of uncompressed data;
• and
• apply each segment Si of a first N sequential segments of the uncompressed data, for i=1 to N, from the first plurality of sequential segments S, to a respective compressing device CDi, and obtain N respective compressed blocks Bi, each block Bi including at least one packet and each block Bi having a respective characteristic transmission time of BlockDurationi, wherein:
• (a) the number (N) is equal to or less than the number of the plurality of compressing devices provided;
• and
• (b) a sum of aggregated characteristic transmission times BlockDurationi, for i=1 to N, of said N blocks, is greater than a predetermined Response Time (RT), as expressed in the following mathematical relationship:
• ∑
• i
• =
• 1
• N
• ⁢
• BlockDuration
• i
• >
• RT
• ;
• an output interface coupled to the plurality of compressing devices and configured to sequentially forward the obtained blocks Bi along the communication link, wherein the blocks are forwarded sequentially in an order i=1 to N from their respective compressing devices CDi;
• wherein the response time (RT) is an amount of time starting from when a packet of a block is sent from the first end of the communication link to when a message in response to the packet is received at that first end back from an other end of the communication link.