Patent ID: 6876664

Claim:
A data buffer, the data buffer comprising: an entry section, the entry section comprising a buffer entry section; and a signaling circuit coupled to the entry section for providing a signal to transfer a portion of a data cell from the entry section prior to the data cell being completely received by the entry section, the signal being provided once an amount of data received by the entry section reaches a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold being sufficient to ensure that reading of the data cell cannot get ahead of the writing of the data cell; the signaling circuit providing a write signal to the entry section to begin writing another data cell into the entry section prior to the data cell being completely read in the entry section, the signal being provided based on a second predetermined threshold, the signaling circuit comprising an asynchronous signaling circuit; wherein the buffer entry section comprises a write element and a read element, wherein the write element and the read element each comprise an entry pointer, an item pointer and an entry counter.