Patent ID: 7697424

Claim:
A method for conveying data in a connection between terminals in a communications network comprising at least one low-bit-rate artery and at least one standard-bit-rate artery, the method comprising: at a first end of the low-bit-rate artery, receiving a plurality of first basic transmission units from different originating terminals, each first basic transmission unit comprising a packet of application data formed according to a second protocol, wherein the packet of application data comprises a plurality of coded frames and a header, each of the plurality of coded frames comprising data received from the different originating terminals according to a first protocol and converted by a compression algorithm; extracting one or more packets of application data from the plurality of first basic transmission units; multiplexing the one or more packets of application data received from the different originating terminals by inserting into a second basic transmission unit for transmission via the low-bit-rate artery to a second end of the low-bit-rate artery; setting an adjustable time lag for transmission of the second basic transmission unit when a first of the one or more packets of application data is inserted into the second basic transmission unit; and at an end of the adjustable time lag, transmitting the second basic transmission unit from the first end to the second end of the low-bit-rate artery; at the second end of the low-bit-rate artery, extracting the one or more packets of application data from the second basic transmission unit; inserting the extracted one or more packets of application data into a third basic transmission unit; and transmitting the third basic transmission unit to a terminating terminal.