Patent ID: 7929569

Claim:
A system, comprising: one or more nodes configured to transmit information between a plurality of subscriber units and a network over a medium; and a switch connected to at least one of said nodes, said switch being configured to: receive, from the network, a plurality of incoming packets having a first packet format, each of the plurality of incoming packets having a common destination associated with one of said subscriber units; and format an outgoing packet for transmission to the associated subscriber unit in a second packet format, said outgoing packet including an outgoing header derived at least in part from a first incoming header portion of an incoming header of at least one packet of the plurality of incoming packets, the outgoing packet also including a payload containing: a plurality of payload data corresponding to said received plurality of incoming packets; and at least a second incoming header portion from the incoming header, wherein said first incoming header portion includes an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) virtual channel identifier (VCI) or a virtual path identifier (VPI).