Patent ID: 7567570

Claim:
A method for transporting a Time Division Multiplexed (TDM) data stream over a packet network, the method comprising: on a sending side: buffering an input TDM data stream until a data frame is filled; assigning a sequence number to the data frame; sending the data frame in a packet across the packet network to a receiving side; computing and setting a timer corresponding to the data frame; storing a copy of the data frame in a sending side buffer; on the receiving side: receiving the packet and removing the data frame; sending an acknowledgement frame in an acknowledgement packet to the sending side; buffering received data frames in a sequence order in a receive buffer; and sending a data frame with a lowest sequence number to an output TDM data stream; wherein if an acknowledgement frame is not received at the sending side before an expiration of the timer, a copy of a corresponding data frame stored in the sending side buffer is resent to the receiving side; and wherein a length of the timer and a size of the receive buffer is automatically decreased if, when an acknowledgement is received, a running average of the time remaining on the timer is greater than a predetermined threshold.