Patent ID: 6947450

Claim:
Method of multiplexing in a multiplexer a plurality of data streams to a single channel each of said data streams containing a plurality of fixed length data packets being serially transmitted from a source to a destination by way of the data stream and the channel, the method comprising: for each data stream: a) receiving a data packet at an input of a data stream; b) segmenting the data packet into segments; c) assigning a time label to the data packet, the time label containing data indicating an estimated arrival time for the packet at the multiplexer; d) transmitting the time label to the multiplexer at a first signal; e) transmitting the segments comprising the data packet to the channel at a second signal from the multiplexer; and f) storing the time label as a previously transmitted stream time label; for the multiplexer: aa) signaling to transmit a time label of one of the plurality of data streams at the first signal; bb) receiving a received time label associated with the one of the plurality of data streams; cc) storing the received time label in a group of received time labels the group of time labels containing received time labels from other data streams; dd) sorting the group of received time labels to determine a transmitting time label with an earliest estimated arrival time of the group; ee) sending said second signal associated with the transmitting time label to transmit the segments comprising a transmitting data packet to the channel, said transmitting data packet being a data packet assigned with the transmitting time label; ff) storing the transmitting time label as a previously transmitted channel time label; and gg) removing the transmitting time label from the group after the segments comprising the transmitting data packet have been transmitted.