Patent ID: 7085850

Claim:
A method of operating a network for transmission of data between users, and wherein said network includes at least one network processor and at least one coprocessor associated with said network processor, and wherein said data is passed to said network processor in data packets, said method comprising: each of said network processors encapsulating the data in each packet into a data frame before transmission on the network, and wherein said network processor provides a header for the data in each data frame which includes all the information necessary to direct the coprocessor to perform all required operations on said data passing at least some data frames, including the header thereof, from said network processor to said coprocessor associated therewith before transmission on the network, performing any operations required by the header in said coprocessor on said data before transmission on the network, modifying said header information by said coprocessor after performing said required operations, returning said data frame from said coprocessor to said network processor with said modified header, and thereafter transmitting said data with said modified heading on said network.