Patent ID: 7471699

Claim:
A station ( 4 i) for optical transmission network, this network (N) comprising at least said station and an optical link ( 2 ) provided for transporting packet streams consisting of successive optical packets (Q 1 to Q 4 ) each carried by a common wavelength and being propagated in a given direction, a time interval separating two consecutive packets of a packet stream being called a “void” (V 12 , V 23 , V 34 ), said station comprising a transmission device ( 12 - 15 ) coupled to said link at an insertion point ( 6 ) and suitable for injecting into the link of the optical packets carried by said common wavelength, the station being provided in order to observe at a detection point ( 18 ) of the link situated upstream of said insertion point ( 6 ) the “upstream” packet streams transported to this detection point ( 18 ) and in order that, as a function of this observation, each packet corresponding to data awaiting transmission and transmitted by said transmission device causes the formation at the insertion point ( 6 ) of a “downstream” packet stream, this downstream stream containing said transmitted packet (P 1 ) interposed between first (Q 2 , Q 3 ) and second (Q 3 , Q 4 ) packets delimiting a void (V 23 ) of said upstream stream, characterized in that said station comprises a device ( 17 , 11 ) for detection of said “upstream” packet streams suitable for forming a transmission control signal (ACK 1 , ACK 2 , ACK 1 +ACK 2 ) such that in the case of transmission by the transmission device as a function of said control signal, any packet (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) transmitted and interposed between said first (Q 2 , Q 3 ) and second (Q 3 , Q 4 ) packets delimiting a void is attached to at least one of said first and second packets (Q 2 , Q 4 ), that is to say is temporally separated either from said first packet (Q 2 ), or from said second packet (Q 4 ) by a time interval less than a maximal determined value.