Communication control unit

Claim 2

A communication control unit for controlling data transmission and reception between a terminal and a communication network employing a multi-conjunction architecture, said communication control unit comprising: transmitter/receiver means for transmitting a signal to and for receiving a signal from the communication network, said signal transmitted to and received from the communication network prior to a data communication between the terminal and the communication network comprising at least a destination address portion indicating an address of a destination communication control unit, an originating address portion indicating an address of an originating communication control unit and a signal kind indicating portion indicating whether the signal is a transmission request or an acknowledge signal; switch means for enabling signal transmission and reception between the terminal and the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means in a first state and for disabling the signal transmission and reception between the terminal and the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means in a second state; and control means comprising address discriminating means for discriminating whether or not an address indicated by the destination address portion of the signal received from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means coincides with an address of said communication control unit, signal kind discriminating means for discriminating the kind of the signal received from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means, and signal detecting means for detecting whether or not a signal received from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means is intended for the terminal coupled to said communication control unit based on a discrimination made in said address discriminating means, said control means controlling said switch means to the first state only when said address discriminating means discriminates that the two addresses coincide and said signal kind discriminating means discriminates that the signal received is a transmission request signal when receiving the signal from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means, and controlling said switch means to the first state only when said address discriminating means discriminates that the two addresses coincide and said signal kind discriminating means discriminates that the signal received is an acknowledge signal when transmitting the signal to the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means.

Claim 3

A communication control unit as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises signal supervising means for monitoring the signal received from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means and outputting a monitoring signal, said control means receiving said monitoring signal and controlling said switch means to the second state so as to disconnect the terminal from the communication network depending on said monitoring signal from said signal supervising means when signal transmission and reception is made between the terminal and communication network.

Claim 4

The communication control unit as claimed in claim 2 in which said control means controls said switch means to the second state when said signal supervising means provides said monitoring signal at a predetermined logic level which continues for over a predetermined time.

Claim 5

A communication control unit as claimed in claim 1 in which said transmitter/receiver means comprises a transmitter for transmitting a signal to the communication network and a receiver for receiving a signal from the communication network.

Claim 6

A communication control unit as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises converting means for subjecting a signal supplied to and a signal received from the terminal to a signal conversion.

Claim 7

A communication control unit as claimed in claim 5 in which the signal conversion carried out by said converting means includes a signal level, conversion.

Claim 8

A communication control unit as claimed in claim 5 in which the signal conversion carried out by said converting means includes a serial-to-parallel conversion for converting an output serial signal of said communication control unit into input parallel signals of the terminal and a parallel-to-serial conversion for converting output parallel signals of the terminal into an input serial signal of said communication control unit.

Claim 9

A communication control unit as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises encoder/decoder means for encoding a signal transmitted to the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means and for decoding a signal received from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means.

Claim 10

A communication control unit as claimed in claim 8 in which said encoder/decoder means comprises carrier detecting means.

Claim 11

A communication control unit as claimed in claim 1 further comprises signal supervising means monitoring the signal received from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means and outputting a monitoring signal, said control means receiving said monitoring signal and controlling said switch means to the second state so as to disconnect the terminal from the communication network depending on said monitoring signal from said signal supervising means when signal transmission and reception is made between the terminal and the communication network, and encoder/decoder means for encoding a signal transmitted to the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means and for decoding a signal received from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means.

Claim 12

A communication control unit as claimed in claim 10 in which said control means controls said switch means to the second state when said signal supervising means provide said monitoring signal at a predetermined logic level which continues for over a predetermined time.

Claim 13

A communication control unit as claimed in claim 10 in which said encoder/decoder means comprises carrier detecting means.

Claim 14

A communication control unit as claimed in claim 1 in which the terminal is selected from a group at least comprising a computer and a printer.

Claim 15

A communication control for controlling data transmission and reception between a plurality of terminals and a communication network employing a multi-conjunction architecture via an interface, said communication control unit comprising: transmitter/receiver means for transmitting a signal to and for receiving a signal from the communication network, said signal transmitted to and received from the communication network prior to a data communication between the terminal and the communication network comprising at least a destination address portion indicating an address of a destination communication control unit, an originating address portion indicating an address of an originating communication control unit and a signal kind indicating portion indicating whether the signal is a transmission request or an acknowledge signal; switch means for enabling signal transmission and reception between a selected one of interfaces and the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means in a first state and for disabling the signal transmission and reception between the selected one of the interfaces and the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means in a second state; and control means comprising address discriminating means for discriminating whether or not an address indicated by the destination address portion of the signal received from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means coincides with an address of said communication control unit, signal kind discriminating means for discriminating the kind of the signal received from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means, selecting means for selecting a desired one of the interfaces coupled to said communication control unit and signal detecting means for detecting whether or not a signal received from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means is intended for the selected one of the interfaces coupled to said communication control unit based n a discrimination made in said address discriminating means, said control means controlling said switch means to the first state only when said address discriminating means discriminates that the two addresses coincide and said signal kind discriminating means discriminating that the signal received is a transmission request signal when receiving the signal from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means, and controlling said switch means to the first state only when said address discriminating means discriminates that the two addresses coincide and said signal kind discriminating means discriminates that the signal received is an acknowledge signal when transmitting the signal to the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means.

Claim 16

A communication control for controlling data transmission and reception between a plurality of terminals and a communication network employing a multi-conjunction architecture via an interface, said communication control unit comprising: transmitter/receiver means for transmitting a signal to and for receiving a signal from the communication network, said signal transmitted to and received from the communication network prior to a data communication between the terminal and the communication network comprising at least a destination address portion indicating an address of a destination communication control unit, an originating address portion indicating an address of an originating communication control unit and a signal kind indicating portion indicating whether the signal is a transmission request or an acknowledge signal; switch means for enabling signal transmission and reception between a selected one of interfaces and the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means in a first state and for disabling the signal transmission and reception between the selected one of the interfaces and the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means in a second state; and control means comprising address discriminating means for discriminating whether or not an address indicated by the destination address portion of the signal received from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means coincides with an address of said communication control unit, signal kind discriminating means for discriminating the kind of the signal received from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means, selecting means for selecting a desired one of the interfaces coupled to said communication control unit and signal detecting means for detecting whether or not a signal received from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means is intended for the selected one of the interfaces coupled to said communication control unit based n a discrimination made in said address discriminating means, said control means controlling said switch means to the first state only when said address discriminating means discriminates that the two addresses coincide and said signal kind discriminating means discriminating that the signal received is a transmission request signal when receiving the signal from the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means, and controlling said switch means to the first state only when said address discriminating means discriminates that the two addresses coincide and said signal kind discriminating means discriminates that the signal received is an acknowledge signal when transmitting the signal to the communication network through said transmitter/receiver means.

Claim 17

A communication control unit as claimed in claim 14 in which the plurality of terminals include different kinds of terminals using different protocols.

Claim 18

A communication control unit as claimed in claim 14 in which the terminals are selected from a group at least comprising a computer and a printer.