Patent · US Expired

Packet interface and method of packetizing information

US6747977B1 · kind B1 · utility

43Cited by
4References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 9, 1999
Grant dateJun 8, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 9, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L2012/5671
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

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).

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.