Patent ID: 8274906

Claim:
A method for controlling a provision of packets in a communications network that comprises: a data source that provides a source signal conveying data arranged in a set of packets comprising a first number of application-data packets and a second number of error-correction packets, and adapts the first number or the second number in response to control information, wherein the first number is an integer greater than zero and the second number is an integer greater than or equal to zero, a packet processing device that receives the source signal, stores data for at least some of the packets in the set of packets in a buffer, and transmits an output signal comprising packets of data of which at least some data were stored in the buffer, wherein data are stored in the buffer using a buffer queuing scheme that comprises allocating and releasing space in the buffer to store packet data, and discarding data for packets that arrive at the processing device when the buffer has no available space to store packet data; and a receiver that receives at least some of the packets in the output signal, wherein the method comprises: obtaining an arrival time for a packet in the set of packets when the packet processing device receives the packet from the data source; obtaining release times when space in the buffer that stores packet data is released after the packet processing device successfully transmits that packet data in the output signal to its intended recipient or a maximum number of re-transmissions have been attempted; deriving from the arrival time and the release times a measure of probability that the buffer has no available space to store packet data at the arrival time; and generating the control information from the measure of probability.