Patent ID: 8059660

Claim:
A method for switching communications, the method comprising the acts of: receiving, by a first switch from a radio router, a first frame associated with a first data link layer protocol on a first connection, wherein the first frame includes a type of service value in a header of the first frame that is set by the radio router and wherein the type of service value associated with the first frame is one of an assured forwarding, expedited forwarding, and best effort; forming a second frame from the first frame according to a second data link layer protocol; selecting one of a plurality of connections for transmitting the second frame based on an identification of the first connection and the type of service value in the header of the first frame, wherein each of the plurality of connections is associated with a distinct type of service, wherein the distinct type of service of the plurality of connections comprises real-time variable bit rate, non-real time variable bit rate, constant bit rate, available bit rate, and unspecified bit rate connections, and wherein selecting one of the plurality of connections comprises mapping the assured forwarding type of service value to the non-real time variable bit rate connection; transmitting the second frame over the selected one of the plurality of connections to a second switch, wherein the first and second data link layer protocols are different data link layer protocols, receiving, by the first switch, a third frame associated with a third data link layer protocol on the first connection, wherein a header of the third frame includes a different type of service value than the header of the first frame; forming a fourth frame from the third frame according to a fourth data link layer protocol; selecting one of the plurality of connections for transmitting the fourth frame based on the identification of the first connection and the type of service value in the header of the third frame, wherein the one of the plurality of connections selected for the fourth frame is a different connection than the one selected for the second frame; and transmitting the fourth frame to the second switch over the selected one of the plurality of connections, wherein the third and fourth data link layer protocols are different data link layer protocols.