Patent ID: 8625563

Claim:
A method for transmitting data packets, the method comprising: formatting a first data ticket by a first formatting mechanism in accordance with a first communication protocol; assigning a first priority to the first data packet formatted; formatting a second data packet by a second formatting mechanism in accordance with a second communication protocol that is different from the first communication protocol; assigning a second priority to the second data packet formatted; attaching a priority tag to each of the first data packet and the second data packet, the priority tag including at least data priority level and management priority level that are shared and compared between the first formatting mechanism and the second formatting mechanism; determining one of the first priority and the second priority as having a higher priority than the other; and transmitting by a transmitter one of the first data packet and the second data packet having the higher priority over a single energy conduit prior to transmitting the other of the first data packet and the second data packet over the single energy conduit.