EP0443782A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus and method for time multiplexing a resource among a plurality of entities
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1991-02-14
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-02-14
Abstract
Abstract Apparatus and methods for time multiplexing a resource among a plurality of entities at average rates and with deterministic delays between accesses to the resource by an entity. An entity accessing the resource received a time slot on the resource; a fixed number of time slots constitute a frame. Each entry receives a fixed allocation of time slots in the frame. When an entity has work for the resource to do, it receives access to the resource for a number of slots in each frame equal to the lesser of the number of slots required to do the work and the number of slots in the allocation. A rate-controlled server is disclosed which defines a frame and allocations therein, as well as a hierarchy of servers which combines rate-controlled traffic with best traffic. In the hierarchy, a rate-controlled server activates a round-robin server when the entitles served by the rate-controlled server do not require all the slots in a frame. A hierarchy of rate-controlled servers is further disclosed which permits access to the resource at widely-differing average rates. In that hierarchy, a number of slots in the frame for a given member of the hierarchy are reserved for the next number down of the hierarchy and the next member down is active only during those slots. Further disclosed are nodes of ISDN networks employing ATM which incorporate the servers and hierarchies thereof.
Inventors
- 👤 Alexander G. Fraser
- 👤 Charles R. Kalmanek
- 👤 Srinivasan Keshav
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 14:45
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L12/00; H04L12/54; H04L12/56; H04L12/5601; H04L12/5602; H04L2012/5678; H04L2012/5679
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
202 words
Apparatus for time multiplexing a resource which does pieces of work in intervals of time among such pieces of work provided by one or more entities, the apparatus comprising: means (201) for associating pieces of work belonging to the entities with the apparatus; means (403,427) for associating a set of the intervals of time with the apparatus; means (419) for associating an entity subset of the set of intervals of time with each of the entities; and the apparatus being characterized by means (415,425) for repeatedly providing associated pieces of work to the resource for the set of intervals of time, the number of intervals of time provided for pieces of work belonging to a given one of the entities in a given one of the repeated set of intervals of time being equal to the number of pieces of work belonging to the given entity which are currently associated with the apparatus if that number is less than the number of intervals in the entity subset associated with the given entity and otherwise the number of intervals in the entity subset associated with the given entity, whereby the apparatus provides the pieces of work to the resource at a controlled rate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
90 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that the entities with which the subsets are associated are first entities and the apparatus further comprises: means (1103) for associating pieces of work belonging to second entities with the apparatus; and means (1107,1109,1113) for providing associated pieces of work belonging to the second entities to the resource for any intervals of time in the given set of intervals of time which are not required to provide the associated pieces of work belonging to the first entities to the resource.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
45 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 2 further characterized in that: the number of intervals of time in the entity subsets of the set of intervals of time is less than the total number of intervals of time in the set of intervals of time.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
139 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further characterized in that the means for repeatedly providing associated pieces of work comprises: a set of at least two servers (303) for providing use of the resource to the entities for the set of intervals of time, at least one of the servers being capable of activating another server in the set and the at least one server comprising means (111) for associating at least one of the entities with the server; means (307) for associating a server subset of the intervals with the server; and means (305) operating when the server is active to make the resource available to the at least one associated entity for a first subset of the server subset and to activate the other server for intervals remaining in the server subset.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
126 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 4 further characterized in that: the at least one server is capable of activating an additional other server (1113); the size of the first subset is fixed at a number of intervals less than the number of intervals in the server subset; and the means operating when the at least one server is active operates to make the resource available to each of the at least one associated entities for a number of intervals no greater than the number of intervals in the entity subset corresponding to the associated entity, operates to activate the additional other server for any intervals remaining in the entity subset, and operates to activate the other server for the intervals remaining in the server subset.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 5 further characterized in that: the additional other server is one of the at least one servers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
36 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 6 further characterized in that: the sum of the maximum number of intervals in each of the entity subsets is less than the number of intervals in the server subset.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 4, claim 5, claim 6, or claim 7 further characterized in that: the other server is a simple round-robin server.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
176 words
A method of time multiplexing a resource which does pieces of work in intervals of time among such pieces of work provided by one or more entities, the method comprising the steps of: establishing a set of the intervals of time; associating pieces of work belonging to the entities with the apparatus; associating a subset of the set of intervals of time with each of the entities; and the method being characterized by the step of repeatedly providing associated pieces of work to the resource for the set of intervals of time, the number of intervals of time provided for pieces of work belonging to a given one of the entities in a given one of the repeated set of intervals of time being equal to the number of pieces of work belonging to the given entity which are currently associated with the apparatus if that number is less than the number of intervals in the subset associated with the given entity and otherwise the number of intervals in the subset associated with the given entity.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
73 words
The method set forth in claim 9 further characterized by the steps of: associating pieces of work belonging to at least one other entity with the apparatus; and providing associated pieces of work belonging to the other entities to the resource for any intervals of time in the given set of intervals of time which are not required to provide the associated pieces of work belonging to the first entities to the resource.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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