Patent ID: 6876678

Claim:
A method for communicating data from a source to a destination over a communications link, the method comprising: receiving and storing a synchronous data stream into a first data buffer, wherein the synchronous data stream has a first average data bit rate; receiving and storing an asynchronous data stream into a second data buffer, wherein the asynchronous data stream has a second average data bit rate; transmitting, over the communications link during a plurality of time periods comprising a first subplurality of time periods and a second subplurality of time periods, an output data stream that includes a first set of one or more data bits that are transmitted onto the communications link from the first buffer during the first subplurality of time periods and a second set of one or more data bits that are transmitted onto the communications link from the second data buffer during the second subplurality of time periods; and wherein if the second average data bit rate is less than the first average data bit rate, then during the second subplurality of time periods, the values of all of the data bits in the second set of one or more data bits are the same and represent the value of the asynchronous data stream.