Patent ID: 7535843

Claim:
A method for enforcing a transmission control parameter for a virtual connection including multiple cells within an input port, the virtual connection having a nominal inter-cell arrival rate increment, wherein the multiple cells are associated with a theoretical arrival time and an early arrival limit, said method comprising: delineating a lower boundary of a conformance zone for said transmission control parameter by determining a difference between the early arrival limit and the theoretical arrival time; defining a plurality of early arrival curves for said transmission control parameter, each of said early arrival curves below said lower boundary of said conformance zone; determining an actual arrival time for an incoming cell from said multiple cells; comparing said actual arrival time to said theoretical arrival time to determine whether said actual arrival time is later or earlier than said theoretical arrival time; in response to determining that said actual arrival time is later than said theoretical arrival time, identifying said incoming cell as conforming to said transmission control parameter; in response to determining that said actual arrival time is earlier than said theoretical arrival time, comparing said actual arrival time to said lower boundary to determine whether or not said actual arrival time is later than said lower boundary of said conformance zone; in response to determining that said actual arrival time is later than said lower boundary of said conformance zone, identifying said incoming cell as conforming to said transmission control parameter; and in response to determining that said actual arrival, time is earlier than said lower boundary of said conformance zone, identifying said incoming cell as non-conforming to said transmission control parameter and prioritizing said non-conforming cell using said early arrival curves defined for said transmission control parameter.