Patent ID: 8094607

Claim:
A method that reduces the number of bits that are transferred via a channel/sub-channel over a communication link that carries a plurality of channels/sub-channels, wherein each channel/sub-channel is associated with a different connection and wherein the communication content is organized in data units, the method comprising the actions of: receiving, at a transmitting node at the ingress of a communication link, a plurality of data units that are associated with the plurality of channels/sub-channels, wherein the plurality of channels/sub-channels are carried over the communication link between the transmitting node and a receiving node; for each data unit, identifying the channel/sub-channel that the data unit is associated with and storing each of the data units of the received plurality of data units into a historic memory module that is associated with the same channel/sub-channel as the received data unit; examining one or more consecutively received data units of a particular channel/sub-channel to identify similar one or more previously received data units, wherein the similar one or more previously received data units were received over a channel/sub-channel other than the particular channel/sub-channel; modifying the one or more consecutively received data units, of the particular channel/sub-channel, based on the similar one or more previously received data units received over the channel/sub-channel other than the particular channel/sub-channel; and transmitting the modified one or more data units over the particular channel/sub-channel via the communication link; wherein the modified one or more data units has fewer bits than the number of bits comprised in said one or more consecutively received data units.