Flexible Ethernet Increment Tag Clock Synchronization

The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (increment tag and idle block tracking) that mediates between the service data flow and the flexible Ethernet transport. The increment tag records the quantity of inserted or deleted idle blocks without disrupting the service data itself, allowing the receiver to restore the original service rate and recover clock frequency and time phase information while still enabling bandwidth adaptation through idle block insertion/deletion.

The patent segments the Ethernet data flow into identifiable units (blocks) and introduces increment tags at specific segmentation points. This segmentation allows the system to track idle block operations at granular levels while maintaining overall service integrity. The increment tags are inserted at block boundaries, enabling precise tracking of rate adaptations without affecting the synchronized transport of service data across multiple virtual logical ports.

The patent applies local quality by inserting increment tags only at specific locations in the data flow where idle block operations occur, rather than modifying the entire data flow structure. The increment tags are placed locally at block boundaries or within idle blocks themselves, allowing the system to track rate adaptations only where necessary while leaving the rest of the service data flow unchanged and simple.