Patent ID: 7742410
Filing Date: 2010-06-22
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for communicating information, the method comprising: receiving, by a first device, non-local-destined information packets flowing through the first device in a ring network and information packets destined for the first device; storing, in the first device, said received non-local-destined information packets in a transit buffer configured for storing said non-local-destined information packets flowing through the first device in the ring network; sending a series of packets from a first device in a ring network to a second device in the ring network, the series of packets including interspersed information packets and gap packets, with said information packets including said non-local-destined information packets said stored in the transit buffer; wherein the first device determines when to insert said gap packets into the series of packets in order to reduce or eliminate an overflow condition in the ring network, with said determination including resulting in inserting a gap packet into the series of packets despite currently having an information packet of said information packets to send in the series of packets; and wherein said determination resulting in inserting a gap packet into the series of packets, rather than not inserting the gap packet, is responsive to identifying that the occupancy of said non-local-destined information packets said stored in the transit buffer of the first device equals or exceeds a threshold value.