Importance

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Abstract

A method which achieves a reduction of the virtual channel connection delay time in signaling without using permanent virtual channels (PVC) and without performing wasteful allocation of signal bandwidth. When a transmission terminal transmits a packet, a packet transmission control section requests transmission of a signaling packet to a signaling transmission section. The signaling transmission section searches a VC and signal bandwidth table and sends out, when a virtual channel is registered and a required signal bandwidth is provided, a packet using the virtual channel. When the signal bandwidth is insufficient, it requests from the packet switching system only a sufficient signal bandwidth and then sends out the packet. When no virtual channel is registered, the signaling transmission section requests a signaling packet from the packet switching system. The table includes, for each destination address, a virtual channel timer for releasing the virtual channel applied thereto after the virtual channel is held for a predetermined period of time after completion of transmission, and a bandwidth timer for reducing the signal bandwidth after each predetermined interval of time after the completion of transmission. At each end of a packet transmission, the two timers are reset to a clock.

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First Claim