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US4977557A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Method of providing effective priority access in a dual bus system

Assignee: Nortel Networks Ltd
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Filing: 1989-12-14
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Granted: 1990-12-11
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Expires: 2009-12-14
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Abstract

Abstract A method provides effective priority access in a system having dual unidirectional and oppositely oriented buses. The method is intended to enhance the proposed standard, DQDB Metropolitan Area Network. An effectiveness factor K is introduced to enhance the effectiveness of the priority. In one embodiment lower priority CD counters are incremented by K for each higher priority request. A second embodiment also increments lower priority RQ counters. A third embodiment increments the lower priority CD slots only for the highest request received in a given slot. A fourth embodiment also increments lower priority RQ counters. A variation provides a threshold counter for controlling the use of the effectiveness factor.

Inventors

  • 👤 Van P. T. Phung
  • 👤 Rungroj Kositpaiboon

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-01 13:27
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L12/00; H04L12/28; H04L12/2852

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim 112 words
A method of providing priority access in a communications system comprising dual unidirectional and oppositely directed buses and stations connected therebetween, in which bandwidth is provided by slots and a first station passes slots to a second station on one bus and receives requests for useable slots from the second station via the other bus, the method comprising the steps of: providing at each station a count for each of at least two priority levels; and at the first station, increasing or not one count in dependence upon priority level of request received, increasing the other count in response to each request, by more than any concurrent increase of the first count.
Claim 2
Independent Claim 112 words
A method of providing priority access in a communications system comprising dual unidirectional and oppositely directed buses and stations connected therebetween, in which bandwidth is provided by slots and a first station passes slots to a second station on one bus and receives requests for useable slots from the second station via the other bus, the method comprising the steps of: providing at each station a count for each of at least two priority levels; and at the first station, increasing or not one count in dependence upon priority level of request received, increasing the other count in response to each request, by more than any concurrent increase of the first count.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 24 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the other count is increased by more than one for each request of higher priority level.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 33 words
A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the other count is increased by more than one only when a segment of the priority level of the other count is queued for transmission.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 27 words
A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the more than one increase of the other count is K, where K is an integer greater than one.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 31 words
A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein K is defined by K=X-Y+1, where X is the priority level of the request and Y is the priority level of the count.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 38 words
A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein K is defined by K=m(X-Y), where X is the priority level of the request, Y is the priority level of the count and m is an integer greater than one.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 27 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein on receiving concurrent requests, the other count is increased by more than one for only a highest priority level.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 33 words
A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the other count is increased by more than one only when a segment of the priority level of the other count is queued for transmission.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 27 words
A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the more than one increase of the other count is K, where K is an integer greater than one.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 31 words
A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein K is defined by K=X-Y+1, where X is the priority level of the request and Y is the priority level of the count.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 38 words
A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein K is defined by K=m(X-Y), where X is the priority level of the request, Y is the priority level of the count and m is an integer greater than one.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US4922244A Cited
US4942569A Cited
US4926418A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1993-12-10 1994-06-11 1994-12-11 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1997-12-10 1998-06-11 1998-12-11 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2001-12-10 2002-06-11 2002-12-11 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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