Patent ID: 6331970
Filing Date: 2001-12-18
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method for policing the cell transmission rate of traffic from a variable cell transmission rate source in a cell relay communication system in which the source is informed of a new explicit cell transmission rate (ER) periodically and the communication system enforces the ER after a response delay, the method comprising the steps of:ensuring that traffic from the source complies with a current policed cell transmission rate (PR),storing a first stored ER (ER1),storing a first stored enforcement time defined as the time at which enforcement of ER1 begins,storing a second stored ER (ER2),storing a second stored enforcement time defined as the time at which enforcement of ER2 begins, the second stored enforcement time being greater than or equal to the first stored enforcement time,monitoring for a new ER to be enforced, andupon detecting a new ER to be enforced, the further steps of:determining a tentative enforcement time for the new ER,comparing the PR, the first stored ER (ER1), the second stored ER (ER2), and the new ER,if ER1 is greater than ER2 and if ER2 is greater than the new ER, or if the new ER is greater than ER1 and ER1 is greater than ER2, carrying out at least one first additional step to adjust the values of the stored ERs and the stored enforcement times,if ER1 is greater than the new ER and the new ER is greater than ER2, carrying out at least one second additional step to adjust the values of the stored ERs and the stored enforcement times,if the PR is greater than ER2 and ER2 is greater than ER1, or if ER2 is greater than ER1 and ER1 is greater than the PR, carrying out at least one third additional step to adjust the values of the stored ERs and the stored enforcements times, andif ER2 is greater than the PR and the PR is greater than ER1, carrying out at least one fourth additional step to adjust the values of the stored ERs and the stored enforcement times.