Patent ID: 8040918
Filing Date: 2011-10-18
Classification: H04Q

Abstract:
1. A method of allocating upstream bandwidth to at least a first upstream traffic flow and a second upstream traffic flow in a passive optical access network, comprising: a) associating a first timer to said first upstream traffic flow, said first timer being initialized to a number of frame periods corresponding to a first delay between two consecutive upstream transmission start times of said first upstream traffic flow; b) associating a second timer to said second upstream traffic flow, said second timer being initialized to a number of frame periods corresponding to a second delay between two consecutive upstream transmission start times of said second upstream traffic flow, said first and second timers being decremented at every frame period during which no upstream bandwidth is allocated to the corresponding upstream traffic flow and until a corresponding expiration value has been reached; during a given frame period: if said first timer is at its expiration value and said second timer is not at its expiration value c) allocating a first portion of said upstream bandwidth to said first upstream traffic flow, d) verifying if a second portion of said upstream bandwidth is left after performing said step c); and e) in the affirmative, allocating at least part of said second portion of said upstream bandwidth to said second upstream traffic flow before said second timer is at its expiration value, if said first timer and said second timer are not at their expiration value f) allocating at least part of said upstream bandwidth to at least one of said first and second upstream traffic flows before respective timers are at their expiration values.