Network control arrangement for processing a plurality of connection requests

Claim 3

A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising determining whether any paths of said network from said first inlet to said first outlet conflict with any paths of said network from said second inlet to said second outlet, and said accessing being in response to a determination that there are no paths of said network from said first inlet to said first outlet that conflict with any paths of said network from said second inlet to said second outlet.

Claim 4

A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said network comprises a plurality of nodes of capacity one and wherein said determining comprises determining whether any paths of said network from said first inlet to said first outlet include the same one of said nodes as any paths of said network from said second inlet to said second outlet.

Claim 5

A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said network comprises a plurality of nodes of full capacity interconnected by links and wherein said determining comprises determining whether any paths of said network from said first inlet to said first outlet include the same one of said links as any paths of said network from said second inlet to said second outlet.

Claim 6

A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein each of said plurality of inlets is associated with an inlet binary number comprising a plurality of bits and each of said plurality of outlets is associated with an outlet binary number comprising a plurality of bits, said determining comprising logically processing the bits of the inlet binary numbers associated with said first and second inlets and the bits of the outlet binary numbers associated with said first and second outlets.

Claim 7

A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said processing comprises logically combining corresponding bits of the inlet binary numbers associated with said first and second inlets and logically combining corresponding bits of the outlet binary numbers associated with said first and second outlets.

Claim 8

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said storing means comprises first and second memory means each for storing busy/idle information for all path components for all paths of said network, wherein said reading comprises reading said first memory means, wherein said marking comprises marking all path components of said identified path busy in both said first and second memory means, and wherein said accessing comprises accessing said second memory means.

Claim 9

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said storing means comprises first and second memory means each for storing busy/idle information for all path components for all paths of said network, wherein said reading comprises reading said first memory means, wherein said marking comprises marking all path components of said identified path busy in both said first and second memory means, and wherein said accessing comprises accessing said second memory means concurrently with said reading of said first memory means.

Claim 10

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said reading comprises reading busy/idle information from said storing means, and processing said read information to identify an idle path from said first inlet to said first outlet.

Claim 11

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said reading comprises reading busy/idle information from said storing means, and processing said read information, concurrently with said accessing, to identify an idle path from said first inlet to said first outlet.

Claim 12

A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising after finding an idle path from said second inlet to said second outlet, marking all path components of said found path busy in said storing means.

Claim 13

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first and second inlets may both be the same one of said plurality of inlets and said first and second outlets may both be the same one of said plurality of outlets.

Claim 14

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first and second inlets must be different ones of said plurality of inlets and said first and second outlets must be different ones of said plurality of outlets.

Claim 15

An arrangement comprising a network for interconnecting any of a plurality of inlets with any of a plurality of outlets, means for storing busyiidle information for path components of said network, means responsive to a request for a first connection from a first one of said inlets through said network to a first one of said outlets for reading busy/idle information from said storing means, means responsive to said read busy/idle information for identifying an idle path through said network for said first connection, means responsive to identification of said first connection path by said identifying means for marking path components of said first connection path as busy in said storing means, and means responsive to a request for a second connection from a second one of said inlets through said network to a second one of said outlets for controlling said reading means to read, before said first connection path components are marked busy by said marking means, busyiidle information from said storing means to identify an idle path through said network for said second connection.

Claim 16

An arrangement comprising a network for interconnecting any of a plurality of inlets with any of a plurality of outlets, means for storing busyiidle information for path components of said network, means responsive to a request for a first connection from a first one of said inlets through said network to a first one of said outlets for reading busy/idle information from said storing means, means responsive to said read busy/idle information for identifying an idle path through said network for said first connection, means responsive to identification of said first connection path by said identifying means for marking path components of said first connection path as busy in said storing means, and means responsive to a request for a second connection from a second one of said inlets through said network to a second one of said outlets for controlling said reading means to read, before said first connection path components are marked busy by said marking means, busyiidle information from said storing means to identify an idle path through said network for said second connection.

Claim 17

An arrangement in accordance with claim 14 wherein said controlling means comprises means for determining whether any paths of said network from said first inlet to said first outlet conflict with any paths of said network from said second inlet to said second outlet, and wherein said controlling means controls said reading from said storing means to identify said second connection path only in response to a determination by said determining means that there are no paths of said network from said first inlet to said first outlet that conflict with any paths of said network from said second inlet to said second outlet.

Claim 18

An arrangement in accordance with claim 14 wherein said storing means comprises first and second memory means each for storing busy-iidle information for all path components for all paths of said network, wherein said reading means is responsive to said request for said first connection for reading busy/idle information from said first memory means to identify said first connection path, wherein said marking means is responsive to said identification of said first connection path for marking all path components of said first connection path as busy in both said first and second memory means, and wherein said controlling means is responsive to said request for said second connection for controlling said reading means to read, before said first connection path components are marked busy in said first and second memory means by said marking means, busy/idle information from said second memory means to identify said second connection path.

Claim 19

An arrangement in accordance with claim 14 wherein said storing means comprises first and second memory means each for storing busy/idle information for all path components for all paths of said network, wherein said reading means is responsive to said request for said first connection for reading busy / idle information from said first memory means to identify said first connection path, wherein said marking means is responsive to said identification of said first connection path for marking all path components of said first connection path as busy in both said first and second memory means, and wherein said controlling means is responsive to said request for said second connection for controlling said reading means to read busy/idle information from said second memory means to identify said second connection path concurrently with reading busy/idle information from said first memory means to identify said first connection path.

Claim 20

An arrangement in accordance with claim 14 wherein said identifying means comprises means for processing read busy/idle information to identify said first connection path, and wherein said controlling means controls reading from said storing means to identify said second connection path concurrently with said processing means processing to identify said first connection path.