Abstract: A modem operable to facilitate communication between a host and a communications link includes a memory operable to store a rate control algorithm. The modem further comprises a controller operable to receive from the universal serial bus a first USB segment comprising a first plurality of ATM cells and rate control information associated with the first plurality of ATM cells, to store the first plurality of ATM cells in the memory, to perform the rate control algorithm on the first plurality of ATM cells using the rate control information received in the first USB segment, and to transmit each of the plurality of ATM cells at a particular transmission rate according to the results of the rate control algorithm.

Abstract: A modem operable to communicate information from a communications link to a host using a universal serial bus includes a modem memory operable to store a plurality of ATM cells. The modem also includes a receive manager operable to receive a plurality of ATM cells from the communications link and to store the ATM cell in the modem memory. The receive manager further operates to format the ATM cells into universal serial bus packets, and to transmit each universal serial bus packet to the host as soon as the packet is full. The modem further includes a short packet instigator operable to determine whether each ATM cell contains a termination condition associated with the content of the ATM cell, and in response to determining that an ATM cell contains a termination condition, to instigate transmission of a short packet comprising a universal serial bus packet carrying less than its capacity.