Patent ID: 7298728

Claim:
A scheduling method for use with a switch element operating to switch at least one input data channel of an input port to an output port, said at least one input data channel including data bursts of a plurality of packets each, comprising the steps: for each time slot associated with said switch element, determining whether a buffer structure provided with said switch element contains previously received data packets that can be transmitted from said output port on an output data channel; if so, forwarding said previously received data packets for transmission on said output data channel; determining whether a currently received data packet on said at least one input data channel is part of a data burst previously accepted by said switch element for transmission; if so, processing said currently received data packet on said at least one input data channel; determining whether a currently received initial data packet of a new data burst on said at least one input data channel can be processed for scheduling by said switch element; and if so, processing said currently received initial data packet for scheduling by said switch element.