Patent ID: 8406248

Claim:
A method of routing data in a mesh communication network including a plurality of network devices and operating in a process control environment, the method comprising: assigning one of a plurality of priority levels associated with the communication network to a data packet; sending the data packet from a source network device included in the plurality of network devices to a destination network device included in the plurality of network devices; and routing the data packet to a destination network device via at least one intermediate network device included in the plurality of network devices, including: comparing, at each at least one intermediate network device upon reception of the data packet at the each at least one intermediate network device, the priority level of the data packet to a priority mask of the each at least one intermediate network device, wherein the priority mask indicates one or more priorities of data packets that are accepted at the each at least one intermediate network device, accepting the data packet at the each at least one intermediate network device if the comparison of the priority level of the data packet to the priority mask indicates that the priority level of the data packet is accepted at the each at least one intermediate network device, and modifying at least one of scheduling or routing of the data packet if the comparison of the priority level of the data packet to the priority mask indicates that the priority level of the data packet is not accepted at the each at least one intermediate network device.