Broadcast packet switching network

Claim 2

-A packet switch comprising: . copy network means for receiving information packets at individual inputs thereof and replicating identical copies at multiple outlets thereof; . routing and distribution network means for receiving packets from said copy network means and transmitting them to predetermined destinations; and . control means responsive to information contained in the packets for determining the number of copies to be replicated by said copy means and said destinations.

Claim 3

-A packet switch in accordance with claim 1, wherein said routing and distribution network means includes a routing network for routing packets to said destinations and a distinct distribution network for evenly distributing packets from said copy network means to said distribution network.

Claim 4

-A packet switch in accordance with claim 2, wherein said control means includes translator means between said copy network means and said distribution network for providing each of said packet copies leaving said copy network with a destination address.

Claim 5

-A packet switch in accordance with claim 2, wherein said control means includes first and second translation means between said copy network means and said distribution network: -said first translator means providing at least some of said packet copies leaving said copy network with an identification number for a group of destinations, and -said second translator means providing to those packets with an identification number provided by said first translator means the address of one of said destinations in the group identified by said number in a manner so that all destinations in a group receive approximately the same volume of packet traffic.

Claim 6

-A switch module for use in a packet switching network having broadcast capability comprising: -a copy network capable of producing a desired number of copies of a data packet; -memory means containing destination address information for each of the copies of the data packet produced by said copy network, and -a routing network capable of routing each of the copies of the data packet to a desired destination having an address supplied by said memory means.

Claim 7

-A switch module for use in a packet switching network having broadcast capability comprising: -a copy network capable of producing a desired number of copies of a data packet; -memory means containing destination address information for each of the copies of the data packet produced by said copy network, and -a routing network capable of routing each of the copies of the data packet to a desired destination having an address supplied by said memory means.

Claim 8

-A switch module for use in a packet switching network, said switch module terminating a plurality of bidirectional data links and being capable of routing point-to-point packets from one of said data links to another of said data link and being capable of copying broadcast packets and routing broadcast packets to a plurality of said links, said switch module comprising: -a copy network for passing each point-to-point packet unchanged and for making a desired number of copies of each broadcast packet, -memory means for supplying an address of an outgoing data link to each copy of a broadcast packet leaving said copy network, and -a routing network routing said point-to-point packets and said broadcast packets to outgoing data links.

Claim 9

-A switch module for use in a packet switching network, said switch module terminating a plurality of bidirectional data links and being capable of routing point-to-point packets from one of said data links to another of said data link and being capable of copying broadcast packets and routing broadcast packets to a plurality of said links, said switch module comprising: -a copy network for passing each point-to-point packet unchanged and for making a desired number of copies of each broadcast packet, -memory means for supplying an address of an outgoing data link to each copy of a broadcast packet leaving said copy network, and -a routing network routing said point-to-point packets and said broadcast packets to outgoing data links.

Claim 10

-A switch module in accordance with claim 6 further comprising a distribution network for preventing congestion in said routing network interposed between said copy network and said routing network.

Claim 11

-The module of claim 6, wherein some of said point-to-point packets include a number identifying a group of outgoing data links and wherein said switch module includes further memory means for translating said group identification number into the address of one of said links in said group in a manner so that all links in said group receive approximately the same volume of packet traffic.

Claim 12

-The switch module of claim 6, wherein said copy network has a plurality of inputs and said routing network has a plurality of outputs and wherein said switch module further comprises a plurality of processors, each of said processors interfacing one of said bidirectional links with one input of said copy network and one output of said routing network, each of said processors comprising translation memory means for supplying routing information to packets for routing said packets through said switch module.

Claim 13

-The switch module of claim 9, wherein each packet arriving at a given one of said processors by way of an associated data link includes a logical channel number for indexing the translation memory means in said given processor, said transmission memory means serving to cause routing information to be written into each packet indicating whether each packet is a point-to-point packet or a broadcast packet.

Claim 14

-The switch module of claim 10, wherein said packet is a point-to-point packet and said information includes the address of the data link over which said packet leaves said switch module.

Claim 15

-The switch module of claim 10, wherein said packet is a broadcast packet and said information includes the number of copies to be made by the copy network and a broadcast channel number for determining a destination address for each packet copy made by said copy network.

Claim 16

-A packet switch module comprising: -copy network means for receiving broadcast packets at individual inputs thereof and replicating identical copies at multiple outputs thereof, -first memory means associated with each output of said copy network for providing each of said copies leaving said copy network with routing information to enable each of said copies to be routed to a destination; -second memory means associated with each of said first memory means for controlling the writing of said routing information into each of said first memory means, each of said second memory means capable of being indexed by a broadcast destination update packet containing a plurality or routing information entries to retrieve information which identifies which of said routing information entries in said broadcast destination update packet is to be written into the associated first memory.

Claim 17

-A packet switch module comprising: -copy network means for receiving broadcast packets at individual inputs thereof and replicating identical copies at multiple outputs thereof, -first memory means associated with each output of said copy network for providing each of said copies leaving said copy network with routing information to enable each of said copies to be routed to a destination; -second memory means associated with each of said first memory means for controlling the writing of said routing information into each of said first memory means, each of said second memory means capable of being indexed by a broadcast destination update packet containing a plurality or routing information entries to retrieve information which identifies which of said routing information entries in said broadcast destination update packet is to be written into the associated first memory.

Claim 18

-The packet switch module of claim 13, wherein a particular copy bound for a particular destination may exit the copy network at any of a group of said outputs of said copy network, and wherein said first memory means associated with each of said outputs in said group is capable of providing said particular packet with the address of said particular destination, whereby said particular packet is routed to said particular destination regardless of which output in said group said particular packet uses.

Claim 19

-A relatively high bit rate data link comprising: - a group of individual low bit rate data links, and -memory means for storing the addresses of all of said relatively low bit rate links in said group, said memory means being indexed by packets including an identification number for said group, said memory means successively writing the addresses of said links in said group into successive packets having said identification number, whereby packets - having said identification number are evenly distributed to said relatively low bit rate links in said group.

Claim 20

-A relatively high bit rate data link comprising: - a group of individual low bit rate data links, and -memory means for storing the addresses of all of said relatively low bit rate links in said group, said memory means being indexed by packets including an identification number for said group, said memory means successively writing the addresses of said links in said group into successive packets having said identification number, whereby packets - having said identification number are evenly distributed to said relatively low bit rate links in said group.

Claim 21

-The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said high bit rate data link connects a pair of switch modules.

Claim 22

-A method for copying a data packet and distributing the copies of the data packet to a plurality of destinations comprising the steps of: -routing said packet through a copy network to produce a desired number of copies of said packet; -translating a broadcast channel number in each of said copies into a destination address for each of said copies, and -routing each of said copies through a routing network to its destination.

Claim 23

-A method for copying a data packet and distributing the copies of the data packet to a plurality of destinations comprising the steps of: -routing said packet through a copy network to produce a desired number of copies of said packet; -translating a broadcast channel number in each of said copies into a destination address for each of said copies, and -routing each of said copies through a routing network to its destination.

Claim 24

-The method of claim 17, wherein said translating step comprises the steps of indexing a memory with said broadcast channel number and writing into said packet the address of a destination data link.

Claim 25

-The method of claim 17, wherein said translating step comprises the steps of indexing a first memory with said broadcast channel number and writing into said packet an identification number for a group of data links and indexing a second memory with said identification number and writing into said packet the address of one of said data links in said group, the address of said one data link being chosen so that all of the data links in said group receive approximately the same volume of packet traffic.

Claim 26

-In combination, a plurality of switching modules and apparatus for interconnecting said plurality of switching modules, said apparatus comprising: -a planar array of switches, each of said switches in said planar array having a total of four switching leads, two of said leads lying in said plane, one of said leads extending perpendicular to said plane on one side thereof, and one of said leads extending perpendicular to said plane on the other side thereof; -control means associated with each of said switches for establishing a switched connection between any two of said four leads comprising each switch, and - connections between particular ones of said interconnected switch passing through one or more switches in said array.

Claim 27

-In combination, a plurality of switching modules and apparatus for interconnecting said plurality of switching modules, said apparatus comprising: -a planar array of switches, each of said switches in said planar array having a total of four switching leads, two of said leads lying in said plane, one of said leads extending perpendicular to said plane on one side thereof, and one of said leads extending perpendicular to said plane on the other side thereof; -control means associated with each of said switches for establishing a switched connection between any two of said four leads comprising each switch, and - connections between particular ones of said interconnected switch passing through one or more switches in said array.

Claim 28

-The combination in accordance with claim 16, wherein each of said switching modules includes copy network means for replicating information packets for broadcast mode operation and means for determining the operation of the module in a broadcast mode or a point-to-point mode.

Claim 29

-In combination, a plurality of switching modules and apparatus for interconnecting said plurality of switch modules: -said interconnecting apparatus comprising a planar array of switches, a first group of said switch modules being connected to one side of said array and a second group of said switch module being connected to the other side of said array, -said switches in said array being programmed to form one or more connections between said first and second groups of switch modules.

Claim 30

-In combination, a plurality of switching modules and apparatus for interconnecting said plurality of switch modules: -said interconnecting apparatus comprising a planar array of switches, a first group of said switch modules being connected to one side of said array and a second group of said switch module being connected to the other side of said array, -said switches in said array being programmed to form one or more connections between said first and second groups of switch modules.

Claim 31

-In combination, a plurality of switching modules and apparatus for interconnecting said plurality of switch modules: -said interconnecting apparatus comprising a planar array of switches arranged in rows and columns, -said plurality of switching modules comprising a first set of at least one switch module connected to one side of said planar array, data links from said at least one switch module in said first set being connected to switches in a single column of said array, and a second set of at least one switch module connected to the other side of said planar array, data links from said at least one switch module in said second set being connected to switches in a single row of said array, -said switches in said array being programmed to achieve connections between at least one data link from said at least one switch module in said first set and at least one data link from said at least one switch module in said second set.

Claim 32

-In combination, a plurality of switching modules and apparatus for interconnecting said plurality of switch modules: -said interconnecting apparatus comprising a planar array of switches arranged in rows and columns, -said plurality of switching modules comprising a first set of at least one switch module connected to one side of said planar array, data links from said at least one switch module in said first set being connected to switches in a single column of said array, and a second set of at least one switch module connected to the other side of said planar array, data links from said at least one switch module in said second set being connected to switches in a single row of said array, -said switches in said array being programmed to achieve connections between at least one data link from said at least one switch module in said first set and at least one data link from said at least one switch module in said second set.

Claim 33

-The combination of claim 1, wherein each of said switches comprises: -first and second switches leads lying in said plane and third and fourth switching leads extending perpendicular to said plane on either side thereof, and -control means for determining if any two out of said four switching leads are to be connected.

Claim 34

-A process of controlling the passage of data packets through a binary network comprising a plurality of switching elements arranged in stages, each said element having a pair of inputs and a pair of outputs and wherein each packet has a field (NC field) to indicate the number of remaining copies to be made of the packet during the passage of the packet through the network comprising the steps of: a.-ascertaining for each entering packet the number of copies of the incoming packet which are to be made for broadcast to a plurality of destinations, b.-controlling the element of the stage receiving said packet to deliver said packet to each output of said pair when the number of remaining copies to be made exceeds 2 sn-1 where sn identifies the position of the said last-mentioned stage relative to the position of the output stage in said network, and c.-when the broadcast channel number of the packet is even, changing the number recorded in said NC field in said packet at the uppermost one of said pair of outputs to the integer part of (NC + 1)/2 and changing the number recorded in said NC field in said packet at the lower most one of said pair of outputs to the integer part of NC/2; and d.-when the broadcast packet number is odd, changing the NC field of said upper packet to the integer part of NC/2 and the integer part of said lower packet to the integer part of (NC + 1 )/2.

Claim 35

-A process of controlling the passage of data packets through a binary network comprising a plurality of switching elements arranged in stages, each said element having a pair of inputs and a pair of outputs and wherein each packet has a field (NC field) to indicate the number of remaining copies to be made of the packet during the passage of the packet through the network comprising the steps of: a.-ascertaining for each entering packet the number of copies of the incoming packet which are to be made for broadcast to a plurality of destinations, b.-controlling the element of the stage receiving said packet to deliver said packet to each output of said pair when the number of remaining copies to be made exceeds 2 sn-1 where sn identifies the position of the said last-mentioned stage relative to the position of the output stage in said network, and c.-when the broadcast channel number of the packet is even, changing the number recorded in said NC field in said packet at the uppermost one of said pair of outputs to the integer part of (NC + 1)/2 and changing the number recorded in said NC field in said packet at the lower most one of said pair of outputs to the integer part of NC/2; and d.-when the broadcast packet number is odd, changing the NC field of said upper packet to the integer part of NC/2 and the integer part of said lower packet to the integer part of (NC + 1 )/2.

Claim 36

-The process of claim 25, comprising a further step of randomly routing each packet to one of said output ports when the number of remaining copies to be made is less than 2 sn-1 .