Patent ID: 7558260

Claim:
A multi-node communications network system for maximizing communications traffic throughput through dynamic optimization of network capacity allocation, the network system comprising: a plurality of channel source nodes; a destination node; and at least one dynamically switched communications channel configured to transport data from the channel source nodes to the destination node, wherein said channel has a framed signal comprising a continuous sequence of signal frames, wherein, for each new signal frame in the sequence of signal frames, the network system is configured to assign one of the channel source nodes to transmit data on the channel, wherein said signal frames identify which one of the set of channel source nodes is assigned to transmit data on the channel on a following signal frame, and wherein at least one of the set of channel source nodes is configured I) to monitor specified overhead bitfields, referred to as Access Control Tags (ACTs), in successive signal frames on the channel, and II) based at least in part on the monitoring, to determine whether to transmit data on the channel on any given one of its successive signal frames associated with any given ACT.