Patent EP0621713A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0621713A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Communication of local area network based applications on a switched network
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
•
Filing: 1994-03-29
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2014-03-29
Abstract
Abstract A plurality of media access control drivers are coupled to and provide a respective channel to connect a computer and the switched network. Each media access control driver has a first mode in which a connection is established in the switched network and a second mode in which the local area network protocol is passed over the switched network. The media access control drivers may also be placed in a third and fourth mode which allow communication in an unformatted and non-LAN based protocol. The architecture also includes at least one port connection manager which manages one of the channels when the respective media access control driver is in the first mode and a connection manager to manage a status of the connection. The media access control drivers are coupled to a protocol driver to send messages in the local area network protocol when the media access control drivers are in the second mode. Each of the media access control drivers include a table of parameters which describe the channel and a set of entry points to the channel. A protocol manager catalogs the tables for use by other modules.
Inventors
- 👤 Roger Kyle Richter
- 👤 Robert Orin Sharp
- 👤 Quentin Harvey Stephenson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 03:28
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L12/00; H04L12/66; H04L9/00; H04L9/40
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
83 words
A system for communicating over a switched network between a first and a second computer using a local area network protocol comprising: a media access control driver for providing a communication channel to connect the first computer to the switched network, the media access control driver having a first mode in which a connection is established over the switched network and a second mode in which the local area network protocol is passed between the first and second computers over the switched network.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
29 words
A system as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a port connection manager which manages the channel when the media access control driver is in the first mode.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
A system as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a hardware adapter to physically connect the first computer to the switched network.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
A system as claimed in claim 2 which further comprises a hardware adapter to physically connect the first computer to the switched network.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
A system as claimed in claim 2 which further comprises a connection manager to manage a status of the connection.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the port connection manager also switches the media access control driver between the first and second modes.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the media access control driver includes a table of parameters which describe the channel and a set of entry points to the channel.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
51 words
A system as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a protocol driver and a local area network application resident in the first computer which pass messages in the local area network protocol to the second computer through the channel when the media access control driver is in the second mode.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
92 words
A system as claimed in claim 4 which further comprises: a first computer; a second computer; a second media access control driver for providing a communication channel between the second computer and the switched network, the media access control driver having a first mode in which a connection is established in the switched network and a second mode in which the local area network protocol is passed between the first and second nodes over the switched network; and a second hardware adapter to physically connect the second computer to the switched network.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
A system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the hardware adapter is a modem and the switched network is a telephone network.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the media access control driver has a third mode in which unformatted data is sent over the switched network.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the media access control driver has a third mode in which a non-LAN protocol is sent over the switched network.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
87 words
A method for communicating over a switched network between a first and a second computer using a local area network protocol comprising the steps of: establishing a connection with a media access control driver providing a communication channel between the first computer and the switched network while the media access control driver is a first mode; and passing a message in the local area network protocol between the first and second computers over the switched network while the media access control driver is in a second mode.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
55 words
A method as claimed in claim 13 which further comprises the steps of: managing the channel with a port connection manager when the media access control driver is in the first mode; and switching the media access control driver between the first and second modes with the port connection manager when the connection is established.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method as claimed in claim 14 which further comprises the step of managing a status of the connection with a connection manager.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the media access control driver includes a table of parameters which describe the channel and a set of entry points to the channel.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
51 words
A method as claimed in claim 13 which further comprises the step of passing messages in the local area network protocol from a protocol driver and a local area network application both resident in the first computer through the channel when the media access control driver is in the second mode.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method as claimed in claim 13 which further comprises the steps of: switching the media access control driver to a third mode; and sending unformatted data over the switched network while the media access control driver is in the third mode.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
45 words
A method as claimed in claim 13 which further comprises the steps of: switching the media access control driver to a third mode; and sending data in a non-LAN protocol over the switched network while the media access control driver is in the third mode.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.