Patent ID: 7372865

Claim:
A method for use in processing data packets, comprising: marking a plurality of data packets in a data stream with a respective first time stamp indicative of a time at which the data packet enters a region selected from a group consisting of the node, a bounded region of the node, and an unbounded region of the node, the first time stamp comprising a first number of bits; inserting a plurality of marker packets into the data stream at time intervals, each marker packet comprising a respective second time stamp indicative of the time at which the marker packet enters a region selected from a group consisting of the node, a bounded region of the node, and an unbounded region of the node, the second time stamp comprising a second number of bits, the second number of bits being greater than the first number of bits, the time intervals comprising time periods selected from a group consisting of substantially equal to a maximum allowed time and lower than the maximum allowed time, the marker packet further comprising a plurality of error correction bits; calculating for at least one data packet an estimation of an age of the data packet based on a current system time, the respective first time stamp, and the respective second time stamp of the last marker packet that was inserted into the data stream before the data packet, the calculation of the age of the data packet obtained by the following equation: T c −T m | N-bit subtraction +T m −T stamp | n-bit subtraction where T c is the current system time, T m is the respective second time stamp, T stamp is the respective first time stamp, N corresponds to the second number of bits, and n corresponds to the first number of bits; discarding the data packet if the calculated age is equal to or exceeds a maximum allowed time; and allowing the data packet if the calculated age is lower than a maximum allowed time.