Patent ID: 7292532

Claim:
A traffic shaping apparatus for controlling an allowed transmission frame rate of user frames according to frame rates specified in advance, for each user who transmits and receives the user frames through a network, the traffic shaping apparatus comprising: a plurality of frame queues, each provided for a corresponding user, for storing the user frames of the corresponding user; a frame-rate storage section for storing a minimum transmission frame rate and a peak transmission frame rate specified for each user; a transmission-interval calculation section for calculating an allowed transmission frame rate of user frames for each user by using the minimum transmission frame rate or the peak transmission frame rate, for calculating a reference transmission interval of the user frames for each user by using the calculated allowed transmission frame rate, and for calculating a minimum transmission interval for each user by using the peak transmission frame rate; a transmission-interval storage section for storing the reference transmission interval and the minimum transmission interval for each user; a time calculation section for calculating a first estimated transmission time for each user by using the reference transmission interval and for calculating a second estimated transmission time for each user by using the minimum transmission interval; a time storage section for storing the first estimated transmission time and the second estimated transmission time for each user; a determination section for determining the user having the earliest first estimated transmission time among one or more users corresponding to one or more frame queues where at least one user frame is stored, and for determining whether a user frame is to be transmitted according to the second estimated transmission time for the determined user; a frame reading section for reading the user frame from the frame queue corresponding to the determined user when the determination section has determined that the user frame of the determined user is to be transmitted; and a transmission section for transmitting the read user frame.