Patent ID: 7969887

Claim:
A station for receiving a message from a first interconnected station on an input side and transmitting message information relating to the received message to a second interconnected station on an output side, comprising: response means for returning a response to a request to receive and accept the message, the request being sent from the first interconnected station, wherein a content of the response to the request to receive and accept the message includes an acceptance notice that is responsive to the request and indicates to the first interconnected station whether the message sent from the first interconnected station was received and accepted; and congestion detection means, coupled to the response means, for detecting that congestion has occurred in the second interconnected station, wherein, when occurrence of congestion is detected by said congestion detection means, said response means conducts congestion control by delaying the response to the request to receive and accept said message from being transmitted to the first interconnected station for a prescribed delay time, wherein delaying transmission of the response to the first interconnected station by the prescribed delay time causes a reduction in message throughput received by the station on the input side from the first interconnected station, wherein the congestion control is provided by the delaying of the transmission of the response, that includes the acceptance notice, to the first interconnected station independent of any transmission of congestion information to the first interconnected station.