Patent ID: 7016378

Claim:
A communications device for use in a communications network, the communications device comprising: a plurality of interface ports, each of said interface ports receiving a first signal in a first format; a processor coupled to said plurality of interface ports, said processor receiving said first signals, provisioning an overhead byte associated with one of said first signals to form a provisioned overhead byte and multiplexing said first signals to generate a multiplexed signal; and a framer coupled to said processor, said framer receiving said multiplexed signal and said provisioned overhead byte and placing said multiplexed signal and provisioned overhead byte in a second format to provide a second signal for transmission on the communications network, wherein said overhead byte can be utilized to determine whether a receiver should demultiplex said second signal to said first signals, and wherein: during reception said framer receives said second signal and extracts said multiplexed signal and said provisioned overhead byte from said second signal; and during reception said processor receives said provisioned overhead byte and said multiplexed signal and compares said provisioned overhead byte to a path label associated with the communications device, said processor demultiplexing said multiplexed signal to form said first signals and directing one of said first signals to said interface port if said provisioned overhead byte matches said path label.