Patent ID: 7263289

Claim:
A node comprising: a data transferring function for transferring data; a data receiving function for receiving data; and a unit for establishing and releasing a cut through path, through which an optical packet is transferred without a header of the optical packet being read, to a node of a next stage, wherein the establishing and releasing unit comprises: a unit which detects the arrival of a request packet for establishing a cut through path to the next stage while data transfer is being performed on a path for which the cut through path is to be established; a unit which, when the unit which detects the arrival has detected the arrival of the request packet, establishes the cut through path to the node of the next stage; a detecting unit which detects whether there has been a communication using the cut through path, established by the unit which establishes the cut through path; and a releasing unit which releases the cut through path when no communication has been detected by the detecting unit for a predetermined period of time.