EP0108555A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Duplicated network arrays and control facilities for packet switching
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1983-10-26
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-10-26
Abstract
Abstract A communication method and packet switching system in which packets comprising logical addresses and voice/ data information are communicated through the system by packet switching networks (116) which are interconnected by high speed digital trunks (118) with each of the latter being directly terminated on both ends by trunk controllers (131). During initial call setup of a particular call, central processors (115) associated with each network in the desired route store the necessary logical to physical address information in the controllers which perform all logical to physical address translations on subsequent packets of the call. Each network comprises duplicated arrays (170, 171) with each array having stages of switching nodes which are responsive to the physical address associated with a packet by a controller to communicate this packet to a designated subsequent node. Each trunk controller alternately transmits packets to available ones of the duplicated arrays as the packets are received from the attached trunk. If an array is unavailable for a time interval specified at initialization time by the associate processor, an affected trunk controller detects and transmits this fact to the associated processor via a maintenance message. Each trunk controller provides variable packet buffering and signalling protocols for each of the arrays in order to facilitate the transfer of packets from the arrays to the attached trunk.
Inventors
- 👤 Jonathan Shields Turner
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 20:18
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L49/00; H04L49/25; H04L49/253; H04L49/254; H04L49/30; H04L49/3027; H04L49/40
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
85 words
Circuitry for controlling the communication of information packets among a single communication channel and a plurality of network switching arrays, comprising: array interface means comprising communicating means for each of said arrays for concurrently transmitting and receiving packets between each of said arrays and said channel, and common control means responsive to availability signals from said arrays and said channel for controlling the concurrent transmission and reception of said information packets to and from said communicating means for each of said arrays and said channel.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
85 words
Circuitry for controlling the communication of information packets among a single communication channel and a plurality of network switching arrays, comprising: array interface means comprising communicating means for each of said arrays for concurrently transmitting and receiving packets between each of said arrays and said channel, and common control means responsive to availability signals from said arrays and said channel for controlling the concurrent transmission and reception of said information packets to and from said communicating means for each of said arrays and said channel.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
48 words
The circuitry of claim 1 wherein a plurality of said packets comprise a packet call message and said common control means comprises means cooperating with said communicating means for selectively controlling a routing of said packets of said message through each of said arrays in a predetermined order.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
The circuitry of claim 2 wherein said plurality of switching arrays comprise duplicated switching arrays and said routing means comprises means for selectively alternating the routing of said packets of said message through each of said duplicated arrays.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
The circuitry of claim 3 wherein said array interface means further comprises means responsive to a receipt of an unavailability signal from one of said duplicated arrays for generating a time interval; and means responsive to the end of said time interval for withdrawing said one of said duplicated arrays from active service.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
71 words
The circuitry of claim 3 wherein said array interface means further comprises means responsive to a receipt of an unavailability signal from one of said duplicated arrays for generating a time interval; and said common control means further comprising means responsive to a receipt of one of said packets during said generation of said time interval for selecting another one of said arrays for switching said received one of said packets.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
61 words
The circuitry of claim 1 wherein said controlling circuitry further comprises common buffer means for storing packets for transmission to said channel; and each of said communicating means further comprises variable buffer means to store temporarily one of said packets received from one of said arrays until said common buffer means is available for storing said stored one of said packets.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
184 words
A method of communicating packets through a packet switching system comprising switching networks each having a plurality of arrays, said switching networks interconnected by a plurality of transmission means with each transmission means connected to a given network by one of a plurality of interface facilities, each having a plurality of transmitting means each connecting the interface facility to one of the switching arrays of the connected switching network, each of said interface facilities further having selection means for transferring said packets from said transmission means to said transmitting means, said method comprising the steps: selectively steering one of said packets to an available one of said switching arrays from one of said transmitting means in response to the receipt of said one of said packets from said connected one of said transmission means via said selection means; and selectively steering another one of said packets to an available other one of said switching arrays from ' another one of said transmitting means upon receipt of another one of said packets received from said connected one of said transmission means via said selection means.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
184 words
A method of communicating packets through a packet switching system comprising switching networks each having a plurality of arrays, said switching networks interconnected by a plurality of transmission means with each transmission means connected to a given network by one of a plurality of interface facilities, each having a plurality of transmitting means each connecting the interface facility to one of the switching arrays of the connected switching network, each of said interface facilities further having selection means for transferring said packets from said transmission means to said transmitting means, said method comprising the steps: selectively steering one of said packets to an available one of said switching arrays from one of said transmitting means in response to the receipt of said one of said packets from said connected one of said transmission means via said selection means; and selectively steering another one of said packets to an available other one of said switching arrays from ' another one of said transmitting means upon receipt of another one of said packets received from said connected one of said transmission means via said selection means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
79 words
The method of claim 7 wherein said selection means further comprises means for storing signals designating the one of said switching array having received the last packet from said interface means, said step of selectively steering said other one of said packets further comprising the step of selecting the next sequential one of said switching arrays in response to said stored signals and receipt of said other one of said packets from said connected one of said transmission means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
68 words
The method of claim 7 wherein said step of selectively steering said one of said packets to said one of said switching arrays further comprises the steps of: transmitting a ready signal to said one of said transmitting means by said one of said switching arrays upon said one of said switching arrays being ready for packet reception; and .storing said ready signal by said selectively steering means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
75 words
The method of claim 9 wherein said packet switching system further comprises processor means and said method further comprises the steps of calculating the amount of time said ready signal is absent from said storage means; comparing said calculated time with a fixed period of time which is determined by said processor means; and transmitting a fault indication signal to said processor means upon said calculated time being greater than said fixed period of time.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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