Patent ID: 6917616

Claim:
A method for transmission of a stream of data between first end second communications devices of a transmission system, the data being segmented into packets prior to transmission thereof, each of the packets comprising a header of a given size and a payload, the method comprising the steps of: (a) at said first communications device, in the header in the stream of data, examining a predetermined date element and evaluating information therein to determine whether said information is available to said first and second communication devices, independently from information in other headers in the stream of data; (b) if said information is available to said first and second communication devices, reducing the given size of the header prior to said transmission of packets by eliminating the predetermined data element therefrom to form a reduced header, (c) transmitting said reduced header from said first of the two communications devices to said second communications device, and (d) at said second communications device, restoring the given size of the said header when said reduced header so transmitted has been received by said second of the two communications devices by reconstituting said predetermined data element thereto.