Patent ID: 8194706

Claim:
A method of processing a signal received at a node in a network, comprising the steps of; receiving the signal at the node; determining characteristics of a first part of the signal; determining characteristics of a second part of the signal that is subsequent to the first part of the signal; quantifying an effect on the signal caused by applying an action to the first part of the signal, said quantifying based on characteristics of the first part of the signal; quantifying an effect on the signal caused by not applying the action on the first part of the signal, said quantifying based on characteristics of the second part of the signal; applying the action to the first part of the signal if it is determined that the effect on the signal caused by applying the action to the first part of the signal is less detrimental to at least one measure of the signal quality than the effect on the signal caused by not applying the action to the first part of the signal.