Patent ID: 7065081

Claim:
A telecommunication carrier processor subsystem having an input and a plurality of outputs and receiving, at said input, telecommunication cells each comprising a payload field and a H-bit header field, said subsystem comprising: telecommunication interface means having an interface input corresponding to said input and a plurality of outlets each coupled to distinct ones of said outputs, said telecommunication interface means comprising: header detection means connected to said input, said header detection means deriving a R-bit connection identifier from at least a portion of the set of H bits contained in said header field, R and H being integer numbers with R smaller than H, routing means connected to said input and to said plurality of outlets and controlled by said header detection means, wherein said routing means transmits a cell from said input to at least one predetermined outlet of said plurality of outlets according to said R-bit connection identifier received from said header detection means, and replaces, into the header field of said cell, said set of H bits by a second set of H bits comprising the set of R bits constituting said connection identifier, and header combination means, coupled to said header detection means and to said routing means, for combining a set of D bits with said set of R bits received from said header detection means into said second set of H bits, D being an integer number smaller or equal to a difference between H and R, wherein a portion of said set of D bits is used for command data associated with said payload field.