EP0710047A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for multicast of ATM cells
Assignee: Marconi Intellectual Property Ringfence Inc
•
Filing: 1995-09-08
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2015-09-08
Abstract
Abstract The present invention pertains to a method for multicasting ATM cells. The method comprises the steps of reading a first ATM cell to which a first cell read pointer is pointing. Then there is the step of transmitting the first ATM cell out a first port to a first address. Next there is the step of determining whether the first ATM cell is to be transmitted out the first port to a second address. Next there is the step of reading a cell pointer pointing to a second ATM cell if the transmission of the first ATM cell out the first port to addresses is completed. The present invention pertains to a multicast system for an ATM network. The multicast system is comprised of a first ATM cell pointer mechanism associated with a first port. The multicast system also comprises at least a second ATM cell pointer mechanism associated with a second port. The multicast system is also comprised of at least a first ATM cell. The first ATM cell pointer mechanism and the second ATM cell pointer mechanism points to the first ATM cell. There is a first node having a first address and a node address pointer. The first ATM cell pointer mechanism points to the first node. There is a second node having a second address. The node address pointer of the first node points to the second node. The first and second nodes form a linked list of addresses. The first ATM cell preferably has a cell pointer. The multicast system preferably includes a second ATM cell. The cell pointer of the first ATM cell points to the second ATM cell. The first ATM cell and second ATM cell forms a linked list of ATM cells. The multicast system can include a controller for controlling when a pointer is read and when an ATM cell is transmitted out a port and with which address. The controller is in communication with the nodes, cells and pointers. The multicast system preferably also includes a write pointer pointing to a last ATM cell in the linked list of ATM cells.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert Brownhill
- 👤 Jon C.R. Bennett
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 23:28
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L12/00; H04L12/02; H04L12/16; H04L12/18; H04L12/1886; H04L49/00; H04L49/20; H04L49/201; H04L49/203; H04Q; H04Q11/00; H04Q11/04; H04Q11/0428; H04Q11/0478
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
126 words
A multicast system 100 for an ATM network 12 characterized by the fact that there is: at least a first ATM cell pointer mechanism 62; at least a first cell 14a having data, said first ATM cell pointer mechanism 62 pointing to the first ATM cell 14a; a first node 64 having a first address 66 for the first ATM cell 14a and a node address pointer 68, said first ATM cell pointer mechanism 62 pointing to the first node 64; and a second node 70 having a second address 71 for the first ATM cell 14a, said node address pointer 68 of the first node 64 pointing to the second node 70, said first and second nodes 70 forming a linked list 72 of addresses.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
65 words
A system 100 as described in Claim 1 characterized by the fact that there is a controller 300 in communication with the first ATM cell pointer mechanism 62, the first node 64 and the second node 70, said controller 300 causing the first ATM cell 14a to be transmitted out a port 18 to the first address 66 and then to the second address 71.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
62 words
A system 100 as described in Claim 2 characterized by the fact that the first ATM cell pointer mechanism 62 includes a first cell read pointer 16 pointing to the first cell 16a, and an address pointer 74 pointing to the node in the linked list 72 of addresses whose address is the address where the first cell 14a is to go.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
47 words
A system 100 as described in Claim 3 characterized by the fact that each node of the linked list 72 of addresses comprises new VPI information, new VCI information, a terminating connection indication bit and a final entry in the linked list 72 of addresses indication bit.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
71 words
A system 100 as described in Claim 4 characterized by the fact that if the terminating indication bit in the node is set and the address pointer 74 is pointing to the node, then the first cell 14a is caused to be transmitted by the controller 300 with the VPI and VCI information in the node, otherwise the first cell 14a is transmitted with only the VPI information from the node.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
57 words
A system 100 as described in Claim 5 characterized by the fact that if the final entry in the linked list 72 of addresses is set in the node, then after the first cell 14a is transmitted, the first cell read pointer 16a is caused by the controller 300 to point to a second ATM cell 14b.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
86 words
A method for multicasting an ATM cell 14 characterized by the steps of: reading a first node 64 having a first address 66 to which a first ATM cell 14a is to be sent; transmitting the first ATM cell 14 out a port 18 to the first address 66; reading a second node 70 having a second address 71 to which the first ATM cell 14a is to be sent; and transmitting the first ATM cell 14a out the port 18 to the second address 71.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
57 words
A method is described in Claim 7 characterized by the fact that before the reading the second node 70 step, there is the step of reading a node address pointer 74 associated with the first node 64 which points to the second node 70, said first and second nodes 70 forming a linked list 72 of addresses.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method as described in Claim 8 characterized by the fact that before the reading the first node 64 step there is the step of reading a first ATM cell read pointer 16a which points to the first ATM cell 14a.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as described in Claim 9 characterized by the fact that before the reading the first node 64 step there is the step of reading an address pointer 74 to the first node 64.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method as described in Claim 10 characterized by the fact that before the transmitting step there is the step of inserting a new VPI and VCI into the first ATM cell 14a if the first address 66 is a terminating address.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method as described in Claim 11 characterized by the fact that before the transmitting step there is the step of inserting a new VPI into the first ATM cell 14a if the first address 66 is a non-terminating address.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method as described in Claim 12 characterized by the fact that after the step of reading the address pointer 74 associated with the first node 64, there is the step of pointing the address pointer 74 to the second node 70.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
105 words
A method as described in Claim 13 characterized by the fact that after the step of transmitting the first ATM cell 14a to the second address 71, there are the steps of transmitting the first ATM cell 14a out the first port 18a sequentially to additional addresses in additional nodes in the linked list 72 of addresses until a node is reached which is a final entry in the linked list 72 of addresses, pointing the ATM cell read pointer 14 to a second ATM cell 14b, and pointing the address pointer 74 to the first node 64 of the linked list 72 of addresses.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
162 words
A method for multicasting ATM cells 14 characterized by the steps of: reading a first ATM cell 14a to which a first cell read pointer 16a is pointing; transmitting the first ATM cell 14a out a first port 18a to a first address 66; determining whether the first ATM cell 14a is to be transmitted out the first port 18a to a second address 71; reading a node address pointer 68 of a first node 64 having the first address 66 to which an address pointer 74 is pointing if the first ATM cell 14a is to be transmitted out the first port 18a to the second address 71, said node address pointer 68 of the first node 64 pointing to a second node 70 having the second address 71; and reading a cell pointer 20 pointing to a second ATM cell 14b if the transmission of the first ATM cell 14a out the first port 18a to any addresses is completed.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
54 words
A method as described in Claim 15 characterized by the fact that the first ATM cell 14a includes a cell pointer 20 and wherein the reading a cell pointer 20 step includes the step of reading the cell pointer 20 of the first ATM cell 14a which points to the second ATM cell 14b.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as described in Claim 16 characterized by the fact that after the step of reading the cell pointer 20, there is the step of reading the second ATM cell 14b.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method as described in Claim 17 characterized by the fact that after the step of reading a node address pointer 68, there is the step of reading the second address 71 of the second node 70.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
140 words
A multicast system 200 for an ATM network 12 characterized by the fact that there is: a first ATM cell pointer mechanism 62 associated with a first port 18a; at least a second ATM cell pointer mechanism 76 associated with a second port 18b; at least a first ATM cell 14a, said first ATM cell pointer mechanism 62 and said second ATM cell pointer mechanism 76 pointing to the first ATM cell 14a; a first node 64 having a first address 66 and a node address pointer 68, said first ATM cell pointer mechanism 62 pointing to the first node 64; and a second node 70 having a second address 71, said node address pointer 68 of the first node 64 pointing to the second node 70, said first and second nodes 70 forming a linked list 72 of addresses.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
66 words
A system 200 as described in Claim 19 characterized by the fact that the first ATM cell 14a has a cell pointer 20 and including a second ATM cell 14b, with the cell pointer 20 of the first ATM cell 14a pointing to the second ATM cell 14b, said first ATM cell 14a and second ATM cell 14b forming a linked list 72 of ATM cells.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
52 words
A system 200 as described in Claim 20 characterized by the fact that there is a controller 300 for controlling when a pointer is read and when an ATM cell 14 is transmitted out a port 18 and with which address, said controller 250 in communication with the nodes, cells and pointers.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
34 words
A system 100 as described in Claim 21 characterized by the fact that there is a write pointer 22 pointing to a last ATM cell 14c in the linked list 72 of ATM cells.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.