Patent ID: 7002957
Filing Date: 2006-02-21
Classification: H04J

Abstract:
1. A method of transporting information from a first sub-network to a second sub-network via a third sub-network in a transmission network, wherein information is transported between nodes in the transmission network in frames, each of the frames including a header and a payload, wherein a node generates a header for each frame transmitted from the node and wherein the node completely copies payload data from an incoming frame to one or more outgoing frames, and wherein the payload data is allowed to float relative to frames, the method comprising: copying a first part of a header into payload of a frame upon crossing a first boundary between the first sub-network and the third sub-network such that available space is created in the payload by not copying a second part of the header therein; in the third sub-network, using a reduced-size header that fits into the available space in the payload; upon crossing a second boundary between the third sub-network and the second sub-network, retrieving the first part of the header and the reduced-size header from the payload and generating header information in the second sub-network; adding timing information to the payload when crossing the first boundary, the timing information indicating an extent to which a frame duration in the first sub-network differs from the frame duration in the third sub-network; and using the timing information to regenerate frames in the second sub-network upon crossing the second boundary, so that frames in the second sub-network have substantially the same duration as corresponding frames in the first sub-network.