Patent ID: 6839322

Claim:
A method of routing variable-length packet data across a communications network having a plurality of data communications channels, the method comprising the steps of: a) inverse-multiplexing a data packet into a frame comprising: i) a label block containing label information of the frame, and ii) two or more respective payload blocks having a predetermined length; wherein the step of inverse-multiplexing a data packet comprises the step of dividing the data packet into N packet segments of substantially equal size; and b) transmitting the label block aver a label channel of the communications network; c) transmitting each payload block over respective separate data channels of the communications network; and d) when the size of each packet segment is greater than a capacity of each payload block, further comprising the steps of: i) subdividing each packet segment into two or more portions, each portion having a size equal to or less than the capacity of a payload block; and ii) transmitting each portion within respective payload blocks of respective successive frames.