Patent ID: 7436767

Claim:
A method, comprising: a) advancing to a next entry in a scheduling table in response to a transmission of a cell over a networking line, said scheduling table to help control the transmission of cells over said networking line for a plurality of virtual circuits that transmit cells over said networking line, said scheduling table having a plurality of entries that are each representative of a cell transmission time slot on said network line, said scheduling table being organized so that a virtual circuit that transmits cells over said networking line has reserved entries within said scheduling table, said reserved entries being spaced apart within said table so as to correspond to said virtual circuit's sustained cell rate (SCR); b) determining a first virtual circuit of the plurality of virtual circuits that has reserved the next entry; and c) deciding if the first virtual circuit of said plurality of virtual circuits can transmit a next cell over said networking line during a next cell transmission time slot, said next cell transmission time slot following said cell's cell transmission time slot.