Patent ID: 6915360

Claim:
A storing module for use in a communication network for buffering data, said storing module comprising: a cell buffer unit having a first queue and a plurality of second queues operably configured to store protocol data units (PDU), wherein said first queue is further configured to receive a PDU from said communication network; a cell buffer status indicator operably configured to issue a first queue status signal and a second queue status signal, wherein said first queue status signal indicates an occupancy status of said first queue and said second queue status signal indicates an occupancy status of said plurality of second queues; a cell buffer controller operably configured to forward a PDU received in said first queue to one of said plurality of second queues, wherein said plurality of second queues include at least a high priority queue and a low priority queue and said forwarded PDU is forwarded to one of said high priority queue and said low priority queue in accordance with an appended PDU priority indicator, wherein said cell buffer controller is further operably configured to forward and fetch a PDU to and from a remote memory unit comprising a dedicated queue for each of said plurality of second queues.