US4901305A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Distributed crossbar switch
Assignee: The AT&T MVPD Group LLC
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Filing: 1987-12-28
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Granted: 1990-02-13
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Expires: 2007-12-28
Abstract
Abstract The Invention provides a locally distributed crossbar switch to optically connect many computer processors and memories in arbitrary permutation an without interruption. A process or and an associated memory can be packaged together, taking advantage of the fact that the distributed crossbar switch employs local switching. At the same time, processor-memory pairs can be physically separated from other such processor-memory pairs, and by great distance.
Inventors
- 👤 Gregory L. Tangonan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 23:38
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04B; H04B10/00; H04B10/80; H04B10/801; H04L; H04L49/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
116 words
A distributed switching assembly, comprising: (a) N transmitter-receiver pairs, wherein each receiver comprises a switched array of N detectors for detecting and selecting a particular transmitted signal, wherein each transmitter-receiver pair is packaged together; (b) optical fiber routing means for linking a transmitter and a receiver through (c) fanout reformatter means for: (i) accepting a signal output from each transmitter by way of the optical fiber routing means; (ii) fanning out the signal output from each transmitter from 1 to N branches; and (iii) reformatting all of the Kth branches, where K is from 1 to N, from each transmitter for providing N inputs to the Kth receiver by way of the optical fiber routing means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
116 words
A distributed switching assembly, comprising: (a) N transmitter-receiver pairs, wherein each receiver comprises a switched array of N detectors for detecting and selecting a particular transmitted signal, wherein each transmitter-receiver pair is packaged together; (b) optical fiber routing means for linking a transmitter and a receiver through (c) fanout reformatter means for: (i) accepting a signal output from each transmitter by way of the optical fiber routing means; (ii) fanning out the signal output from each transmitter from 1 to N branches; and (iii) reformatting all of the Kth branches, where K is from 1 to N, from each transmitter for providing N inputs to the Kth receiver by way of the optical fiber routing means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
A switching assembly according to claim 1, wherein the fanout reformatter is passive.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
A switching assembly according to claim 2, wherein the fanout-reformatter comprises a fused half-star coupler.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
A switching assembly according to claim 2, wherein the fanout-reformatter comprises a planar waveguide structure.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
A switching assembly according to claim 2, wherein the fanout-reformatter comprises crossed phase gratings.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
A switching assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of the transmitter-receiver pairs is separated from the other pairs by at least 100 meters.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
A switching assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one transmitter outputs an asynchronous signal.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
A switching assembly according to claim 1, wherein N is 2 to 256.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1993-02-12 | 1993-08-14 | 1994-02-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-02-12 | 1997-08-14 | 1998-02-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-02-12 | 2001-08-14 | 2002-02-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |