Patent ID: 7961739

Claim:
A method of transmitting media data in a network, comprising: receiving a packet that includes layer 3 and layer 4 headers; generating a session header including a length field that specifies a payload length of the packet, a protocol field that specifies a protocol of payload data of the packet, a timestamp field that includes sequencing data of the packet in the session header, and a stream identifier, wherein the stream identifier is an end-to-end identifier of a voice over packet (VoP) session in one direction, wherein the stream identifier is a value that remains constant for packets belonging to the same VoP session; associating the stream identifier with at least a portion of content of the layer 3 and layer 4 headers such that the stream identifier is usable to access stored data for reconstructing the at least a portion of the content of the layer 3 and layer 4 headers; removing the layer 3 and layer 4 headers from the packet; and inserting the stream identifier in the packet.