Data block multiplexing system

Claim 3

The data block multiplexing method specified in claim 1 wherein the step of transferring the data block and label from said second level of storage to said data link is performed at a rate determined by that link.

Claim 4

The data block multiplexing method specified in claim 1 including the additional steps of sensing the availability of data link capacity in excess of that needed to transfer said block multiplexed data at the rate associated with said data link, and utilizing the sensed excess capacity of said data link to transfer synchronization information and low prioritY data to the receiving station.

Claim 5

The data block multiplexing method specified in claim 1 further including the steps of generating a transfer control signal, and utilizing said transfer control signal to control the order of transfer to said second level of storage of two blocks of data which become available in first storage level for transfer simultaneously.

Claim 6

The method specified in claim 4 wherein the step of generating said transfer control signal involves deriving from said master clock signal a sequence of strobing signals, and wherein the step of utilizing said transfer control signal involves the enabling by successive ones of said strobing signals of apparatus effective to cause the selective transfer of data blocks from said first storage level to said second level of storage.

Claim 7

The data block multiplexing method specified in claim 5 further including the additional steps of sensing the availability of data link capacity in excess of that needed to transmit said block multiplexed data at the rate associated with said data link, and utilizing the sensed excess capacity of said data link to transfer synchronization information and low priority data to the receiving station.

Claim 8

The data block multiplexing method specified in claim 1 wherein the step of storing data from each input source in said first storage level is accomplished by serially shifting the data bits contained in the data from each source into a storage shift register means whose bit storage capacity equals the desired data block length.

Claim 9

The data block multiplexing method specified in claim 1 wherein the step of storing data in said first storage level comprises the step of applying data from each input source to an assigned temporary storage at the clock rate associated with that source until a block of data comprising a predetermined number of data bits is accumulated, and wherein the step of transferring data from said first to said second storage level occurs when a block of data has been accumulated in said temporary storage and said second storage level is in a condition to receive and store said data block and its appended label.

Claim 10

The data block multiplexing method specified in claim 8 further including the additional step of generating a label uniquely identifying each data source being multiplexed, and appending to each data block accumulated during said temporary data storage step a label uniquely identifying the source of that data prior to transfer of said data block to the second storage level.

Claim 11

The block multiplexing method specified in claim 8 further including the steps of generating a transfer control signal in the form of a sequence of strobing pulses, and strobing the temporarily stored data with said transfer control signal to determine the order of transfer to said second level of storage of two blocks of data which become available for transfer simultaneously.

Claim 12

The data block multiplexing method specified in claim 8 wherein the temporary storage of data from each input source is accomplished by the steps of applying the data bits comprising each source data to a shift register means having a bit storage capacity corresponding to the predetermined number of data bits in the desired data block length and shifting said data bits within said shift register means by the clock rate associated with that same data source, detecting when said register means has become full, and subsequently shifting control of said full register means to the higher master clock rate for transferring the data from said filled register means to said second storage level.

Claim 13

The data block multiplexing method specified in claim 11 wherein, the step of applying source data to a shift register means is accomplished by selectively applying the data from each data source to the empty one of a pair of shift registers each capable of storing said predetermined number of data bits, the step oF detecting whenever one of said pair of shift registers has become full is accomplished by counting the clock rate for the same data source during application of data from that source to a shift register, and the step of shifting control of a full shift register in said pair is accomplished by selectively rendering the full shift register effective to transfer its contents to said second storage level at the higher master clock rate.

Claim 14

The data block multiplexing method specified in claim 1 further including the step of periodically inserting a block of synchronization information into the data transferred to said data link.

Claim 15

The data block multiplexing method specified in claim 13 further including the step of initializing the apparatus to transfer a synchronization block to said data link when said apparatus is initially rendered operative.

Claim 16

The data block multiplexing method specified in claim 13 wherein the step of periodically inserting said synchronization block is accomplished by counting the number of data blocks transferred to said second storage level, and rendering effective a source of said synchronization block to transfer a synchronization block to said second storage level each time said predetermined number of data blocks has been transferred to said second storage level.

Claim 17

The data block multiplexing method specified in claim 15 further including the additional steps of sensing the availability of data link capacity in excess of that needed to transfer said block multiplexed data and said periodic synchronization block at the rate associated with said data link, and applying synchronization and low priority data to said data link in the presence of sensed excess data link capacity.

Claim 18

The data block multiplexing method specified in claim 16 wherein the step of storing source data in said first storage level is accomplished by the selective application of data from each source to an associated one of a plurality of input channels each containing means to store the data from the associated data source, and further including the step of sequentially strobing the input storage channels to determine the time sequence in which the data stored in each channel is transferred to said second level of storage.

Claim 19

The data block multiplexing method specified in claim 17 further including the steps of generating a label uniquely identifying each input data source, and appending to each block of data accumulated in one of said input channels the appropriate label associated with the source of that data prior to transferring said data to said second level of storage.

Claim 20

In a data transfer system including a fixed capacity data link for transferring block multiplexed data at a predetermined rate from a plurality of data sources to a reception station, the method comprising the steps of sensing the availability of data link capacity in excess of that needed to transfer said block multiplexed data at the transfer rate for said link, and utilizing the sensed excess capacity of said data link to transfer synchronization information and low priority data to the reception station.

Claim 21

In a data transfer system including a fixed capacity data link for transferring block multiplexed data at a predetermined rate from a plurality of data sources to a reception station, the method comprising the steps of sensing the availability of data link capacity in excess of that needed to transfer said block multiplexed data at the transfer rate for said link, and utilizing the sensed excess capacity of said data link to transfer synchronization information and low priority data to the reception station.

Claim 22

The method specified in claim 19 wherein the data transfer system comprises a first storage level for temporarily storing data from each of a plurality of data sources at the clock rate for that source until a block of data containing a predetermined number of data bits has been accumulated from a particular source, and a second level of storage to which each data block is transferred after being accumulated in said first storage level and from which said data blocks are read out to the data link at the clock rate for the data link, and wherein the step of sensing the availability of excess data link capacity is accomplished by the steps of, registering a first count of the number of data blocks transferred from said first to said second storage level, registering a second count of the number of data blocks read out from said sEcond storage level to said data link, comparing said first and second counts to obtain an indication of when said data link is in condition to receive a data block and no data block is contained in said second storage level, and transferring a block of synchronization information and low priority data to said second storage level when said comparison step provides said indication.

Claim 23

The method specified in claim 20 further including the step of initializing the apparatus which registers said first and second counts so that a synchronization block is transferred to said data link when the data block transfer system is initially rendered operative.

Claim 24

Apparatus for multiplexing data from a plurality of input data sources each having an associated clock rate onto a data link, comprising, first storage means constituting a first level of storage for storing data from each input data source at the clock rate associated with that source to accumulate a block of data comprising a predetermined number of data bits, means for generating a master clock signal whose rate is higher than the clock rate associated with any of said input data sources, second storage means constituting a second level of storage, means operably connected between said first and second storage means and responsive to the master clock signal generated by said generating means for transferring each data block accumulated from said first storage means to said second storage means at said master clock signal rate, means for appending to each block of data a label uniquely identifying the source of said data block, and means operably connecting said second storage means to said data link for reading the data blocks and appended labels out of said second storage means and onto said data link at a rate determined by said data link, for transfer to a receiving station.

Claim 25

Apparatus for multiplexing data from a plurality of input data sources each having an associated clock rate onto a data link, comprising, first storage means constituting a first level of storage for storing data from each input data source at the clock rate associated with that source to accumulate a block of data comprising a predetermined number of data bits, means for generating a master clock signal whose rate is higher than the clock rate associated with any of said input data sources, second storage means constituting a second level of storage, means operably connected between said first and second storage means and responsive to the master clock signal generated by said generating means for transferring each data block accumulated from said first storage means to said second storage means at said master clock signal rate, means for appending to each block of data a label uniquely identifying the source of said data block, and means operably connecting said second storage means to said data link for reading the data blocks and appended labels out of said second storage means and onto said data link at a rate determined by said data link, for transfer to a receiving station.

Claim 26

The data block multiplexer specified in claim 22 further including means responsive to the condition of said data link for sensing the availability of data link capacity in excess of that needed to transfer said block multiplexed data, source means for producing synchronization information and low priority data, and means responsive to said sensing means for transferring synchronization information and low priority data from said source means to said second storage means when said sensing means senses said excess data link capacity.

Claim 27

The data block multiplexer specified in claim 22 further including means for generating a transfer control signal, and control means responsive to said transfer control signal for controlling the order of transfer to said second level of storage of two blocks of data which become available in said first storage means for transfer simultaneously.

Claim 28

The data block multiplexer specified in claim 24 wherein said transfer control signal generating means includes means responsive to said master clock signal for deriving from said master clock signal a sequence of strobing signals, and said control means includes means for selectively applying successive ones of said strobing signals to said first storage means to cause the sequential transfer of data blocks accumulated for said plurality of input data sources from said first storage means to said second storage means.

Claim 29

The data block multiplexer specified in claim 25 further including means responsive to the condition of said data link for sensing the availability of data link capacity in excess of that needed to transfer said block multiplexed data, source means for producing synchronization information and low priority data, and means responsive to said sensing means for transferring synchronization information and low priority data from said source means to said second storage means when said sensing means senses said excess data link capacity.

Claim 30

The data block multiplexer specified in claim 22 wherein said first storage means comprises a plurality shift register means each operably connected to an associated one of said input data sources and each having a bit storage capacity equal to the desired data block length, the input data bits from each input data source being serially shifted into the associated shift register means at the clock rate associated with that same input data source.

Claim 31

The data block multiplexer specified in claim 22 wherein said first storage means comprises a plurality of temporary storage means each adapted to receive data from an associated input data source at the clock rate associated with that same input data source until a block of data comprising a predetermined number of data bits has been accumulated, and wherein said transfer means is rendered effective to transfer a block of data from said first storage means to said second storage means when a block of data has been accumulated in one of said temporary storage means and said second storage means is in a condition to receive and store said data block.

Claim 32

The data block multiplexer specified in claim 28 wherein said appending means comprises means for generating a label uniquely identifying each data source being multiplexed, each label being appended to data from the associated source when a block of such data has been accumulated within said first storage means and prior to transfer of said data block to said second storage means.

Claim 33

The data block multiplexer specified in claim 28 further including, means for generating a transfer control signal in the form of a sequence of strobing pulses, and means for sequentially applying said strobing pulses to different ones of said temporary storage means to determine the order of transfer of blocks of data from said temporary storage means to said second storage means.

Claim 34

The data block multiplexer specified in claim 28 wherein, said temporary storage means for each data source comprises a shift register means having a bit storage capacity corresponding to the predetermined number of data bits in the desired data block length and adapted to have said data bits shifted thereinto by the clock rate associated with that same data source, and wherein said transfer means includes means for detecting when a shift register means has become full with a block of data from the associated data source and for thereafter causing the data block to be transferred from said full shift register means to said second storage means at said master clock rate.

Claim 35

The data block multiplexer specified in claim 31 wherein said shift register means associated with each data source comprises a pair of shift registers each capable of storing said predetermined number of data bits, and further including means for detecting whenever one of said pair of shift registers for a particular data source has become full with data from said source by counting the clock rate for that data source during application of data from said source to a shift register, first selector means responsive to said detecting means for selectively connecting the empty one of said pair of shift registers to said data source whenever the other register has been detected as being full with data, and second selector means responsive to said detecting means for selectively connecting the full shift register in said shift register pair to transfer its contents to said second storage means at said master clock rate.

Claim 36

The data block multiplexer specified in claim 22 further including a source of synchronization information, and means responsive to the number of data blocks transferred to said second storage means from said first storage means for rendering said synchronization source effective to transfer a block of synchronization information to said second storage means each time a predetermined number of data blocks has been transferred from said first storage means to said second storage means.

Claim 37

The data block multiplexer specified in claim 33 Further including means for initializing said block multiplexer to transfer a synchronization block to said second storage means when said block multiplexer is initially rendered operative.

Claim 38

The data block multiplexer specified in claim 33 further including, means for sensing the availability of data link capacity in excess of that needed to transfer said block multiplexed data and said periodic synchronization block at the rate associated with said data link, and means for applying synchronization and low priority data to said data link in the presence of said sensed excess data link capacity.

Claim 39

The data block multiplexer specified in claim 35 wherein, said first storage means comprises a plurality of input data storage channels each adapted to receive and store a block of data from an associated data source, and further including means for sequentially strobing said input storage channels to determine the time sequence in which data stored in said input data channels are transferred to said second storage means.

Claim 40

The data block multiplexer specified in claim 36 further including means connected to each input data storage channel for generating and appending to each block of data a label uniquely identifying the source of said data block prior to transfer of said data block to said second storage means.

Claim 41

In combination with a data block multiplexer connected to a data communications link of fixed capacity, means for sensing the availability of data link capacity in excess of that needed to transmit block multiplexed data at the clock rate for said data link, and means responsive to said sensing means for enabling the transfer of synchronization information and low priority data to said data link for transmission to a reception station.

Claim 42

In combination with a data block multiplexer connected to a data communications link of fixed capacity, means for sensing the availability of data link capacity in excess of that needed to transmit block multiplexed data at the clock rate for said data link, and means responsive to said sensing means for enabling the transfer of synchronization information and low priority data to said data link for transmission to a reception station.

Claim 43

The combination specified in claim 38 wherein said data block multiplexer includes, first storage means for temporarily storing data from each of a plurality of input data sources at the clock rate for that source until a block of data containing a predetermined number of data bits has been accumulated from a particular source, and a second storage means to which said data block is transferred after being accumulated in said first storage means and from which said data blocks are read out onto said data link at the clock rate for data link, and wherein said means for sensing the availability of excess data link capacity comprises, means for registering a first count of the number of data blocks transferred from said first storage means to said second storage means within said data block multiplexer, means for registering a second count of the number of data blocks read out from said second storage means onto said data link, comparator means for comparing said first and second counts to obtain an indication of when said data link is in a condition to receive a data block and no data block is contained in said second storage means, and means for transferring a block of synchronization information and low priority data to said second storage means when said comparator provides said indication.

Claim 44

The combination specified in claim 39 further including means for initializing said first and second count registering means to register a count condition wherein synchronization information is transferred to said data link when said data block multiplexer is initially rendered operative.