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.