Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
215 words
A method of switching information among a plurality of incoming and outgoing information channels carrying multiple bit data words at different data transmission rates, the method comprising the steps of: accessing from the incoming channels nyblets of the data words, each nyblet having a predetermined number of bits, the number of bits in a nyblet being less than a total number of bits in each word; for incoming channels operating at a maximum transmission rate, storing in a data memory a first ordered sequence of nyblets of the data words from each incoming channel and sequentially transmitting the nyblets in the first ordered sequence to reform the data words on outgoing channels; for incoming channels operating at transmission rates less than the maximum transmission rate, duplicating a first nyblet of each word n-1 times, where n is a quotient of the maximum transmission rate divided by a lowest transmission rate of the channels, and storing in a second ordered sequence in the data memory each nyblet and its duplications; and for incoming channels operating at transmission rates less than the maximum transmission rate, retrieving from the data memory the nyblets and transmitting the nyblets in a third ordered sequence on the outgoing channels, the third ordered sequence including only the first occurrence of each nyblet.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
215 words
A method of switching information among a plurality of incoming and outgoing information channels carrying multiple bit data words at different data transmission rates, the method comprising the steps of: accessing from the incoming channels nyblets of the data words, each nyblet having a predetermined number of bits, the number of bits in a nyblet being less than a total number of bits in each word; for incoming channels operating at a maximum transmission rate, storing in a data memory a first ordered sequence of nyblets of the data words from each incoming channel and sequentially transmitting the nyblets in the first ordered sequence to reform the data words on outgoing channels; for incoming channels operating at transmission rates less than the maximum transmission rate, duplicating a first nyblet of each word n-1 times, where n is a quotient of the maximum transmission rate divided by a lowest transmission rate of the channels, and storing in a second ordered sequence in the data memory each nyblet and its duplications; and for incoming channels operating at transmission rates less than the maximum transmission rate, retrieving from the data memory the nyblets and transmitting the nyblets in a third ordered sequence on the outgoing channels, the third ordered sequence including only the first occurrence of each nyblet.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method recited in claim 1 wherein the steps of storing the nyblets in the first and second ordered sequence comprises: storing a plurality of nyblets from each incoming channel sequentially in the data memory, such that adjacently positioned nyblets of each incoming channel are stored in sequential memory locations.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method recited in claim 2 wherein the data words on each incoming channel are stored sequentially in the memory, and wherein each incoming channel identifies a communicating device.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
76 words
The method recited in claim 1 wherein the data words on the incoming channels have a fixed number of nyblets in identifiable positions within the data words, the method further comprising: clocking the nyblets of the data words onto each outgoing channel such that the nyblets are placed on the outgoing channels in data words having nyblets in identifiable positions corresponding to the identifiable positions in the incoming data words in a predetermined sequence of channels.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method recited in claim 1 wherein the channels operating at less than the maximum rate transmission rates are ISDN D channels.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method recited in claim 1 wherein the third ordered sequence contains nyblets from a plurality of channels operating at the lower information transmission rate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
73 words
The method recited in claim 1 wherein a connection memory, in which each connection memory address corresponds to a particular destination nyblet of a data word of an outgoing channel, is addressed and the contents of the connection memory at an addressed location designates a particular nyblet of a data word on an incoming channel as the data to be transmitted to the particular nyblet of a data word of an outgoing channel.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
209 words
A method of switching information among a plurality of incoming and outgoing information channels carrying multiple bit data words at different data transmission rates, the method comprising the steps of: accessing from incoming channels nyblets of the data words, each nyblet having a predetermined number of bits, the number of bits in a nyblet being less than a total number of bits in each word; for incoming channels operating at a maximum transmission rate, storing in a data memory a first ordered sequence of nyblets of the data words from each incoming channel and sequentially transmitting the nyblets to outgoing channels in the first ordered sequence to reform the data words; for incoming channels operating at transmission rates less than the maximum transmission rate, storing in a second ordered sequence in the data memory a selected nyblet of each data word and a plurality of n-1 any other nyblets, where n is a quotient of the maximum transmission rate divided by a lowest transmission rate of the channels, for incoming channels operating at transmission rates less than the maximum transmission rate, retrieving from the data memory the nyblets and transmitting the nyblets to outgoing channels in a third ordered sequence, the third ordered sequence including only each selected nyblet.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
209 words
A method of switching information among a plurality of incoming and outgoing information channels carrying multiple bit data words at different data transmission rates, the method comprising the steps of: accessing from incoming channels nyblets of the data words, each nyblet having a predetermined number of bits, the number of bits in a nyblet being less than a total number of bits in each word; for incoming channels operating at a maximum transmission rate, storing in a data memory a first ordered sequence of nyblets of the data words from each incoming channel and sequentially transmitting the nyblets to outgoing channels in the first ordered sequence to reform the data words; for incoming channels operating at transmission rates less than the maximum transmission rate, storing in a second ordered sequence in the data memory a selected nyblet of each data word and a plurality of n-1 any other nyblets, where n is a quotient of the maximum transmission rate divided by a lowest transmission rate of the channels, for incoming channels operating at transmission rates less than the maximum transmission rate, retrieving from the data memory the nyblets and transmitting the nyblets to outgoing channels in a third ordered sequence, the third ordered sequence including only each selected nyblet.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
228 words
An apparatus for switching information among a plurality of incoming and outgoing information channels carrying multiple bit data words at different data transmission rates, the apparatus comprising: means for accessing from the incoming channels nyblets of the data words, each nyblet having a predetermined number of bits, the number of bits in a nyblet being less than a total number of bits in each word; a data memory for storing a first ordered sequence of nyblets of the data words from each incoming channel operating at a maximum transmission rate and a second ordered sequence of nyblets from channels operating at less than the maximum data transmission rate; means for sequentially transmitting the nyblets in the first ordered sequence to reform the data words on outgoing channels; means for duplicating, in incoming channels operating at less than the maximum transmission rate, a first nyblet of each word n-1 times, where n is a quotient of the maximum transmission rate divided by a lowest transmission rate of the channels, and for storing in the second ordered sequence in the data memory each nyblet and its duplications; and for the incoming channels operating at less than the maximum transmission rate, means for retrieving from the data memory the nyblets and transmitting the nyblets in a third ordered sequence, the third ordered sequence including only the first occurrence of each nyblet.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
228 words
An apparatus for switching information among a plurality of incoming and outgoing information channels carrying multiple bit data words at different data transmission rates, the apparatus comprising: means for accessing from the incoming channels nyblets of the data words, each nyblet having a predetermined number of bits, the number of bits in a nyblet being less than a total number of bits in each word; a data memory for storing a first ordered sequence of nyblets of the data words from each incoming channel operating at a maximum transmission rate and a second ordered sequence of nyblets from channels operating at less than the maximum data transmission rate; means for sequentially transmitting the nyblets in the first ordered sequence to reform the data words on outgoing channels; means for duplicating, in incoming channels operating at less than the maximum transmission rate, a first nyblet of each word n-1 times, where n is a quotient of the maximum transmission rate divided by a lowest transmission rate of the channels, and for storing in the second ordered sequence in the data memory each nyblet and its duplications; and for the incoming channels operating at less than the maximum transmission rate, means for retrieving from the data memory the nyblets and transmitting the nyblets in a third ordered sequence, the third ordered sequence including only the first occurrence of each nyblet.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
245 words
An apparatus for switching information among a plurality of incoming and outgoing information channels carrying multiple bit data words at different data transmission rates, the apparatus comprising means for accessing from the incoming channels nyblets of the data words, each nyblet having a predetermined number of bits, the number of bits in a nyblet being less than a total number of bits in each word; a data memory for storing a first ordered sequence of nyblets of the data words from each incoming channel operating at a maximum data transmission rate and a second ordered sequence of nyblets of data words for incoming channels operating at less than the maximum data transmission rate; means for sequentially transmitting the nyblets in the first ordered sequence to reform the data words on outgoing channels, as the data words in the channels operating at the maximum data transmission rates are accessed; means for storing in the second ordered sequence in the data memory selected nyblets of words in channels operating at transmission rates less than the maximum data transmission rate, and a plurality of n-1 any other nyblets, where n is a quotient of the maximum transmission rate divided by a lowest transmission rate of the channels, for the incoming channels operating at transmission rates less than the maximum transmission rate, means for retrieving from the data memory the nyblets and transmitting the nyblets in a third ordered sequence, the third ordered sequence including only each selected nyblet.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
245 words
An apparatus for switching information among a plurality of incoming and outgoing information channels carrying multiple bit data words at different data transmission rates, the apparatus comprising means for accessing from the incoming channels nyblets of the data words, each nyblet having a predetermined number of bits, the number of bits in a nyblet being less than a total number of bits in each word; a data memory for storing a first ordered sequence of nyblets of the data words from each incoming channel operating at a maximum data transmission rate and a second ordered sequence of nyblets of data words for incoming channels operating at less than the maximum data transmission rate; means for sequentially transmitting the nyblets in the first ordered sequence to reform the data words on outgoing channels, as the data words in the channels operating at the maximum data transmission rates are accessed; means for storing in the second ordered sequence in the data memory selected nyblets of words in channels operating at transmission rates less than the maximum data transmission rate, and a plurality of n-1 any other nyblets, where n is a quotient of the maximum transmission rate divided by a lowest transmission rate of the channels, for the incoming channels operating at transmission rates less than the maximum transmission rate, means for retrieving from the data memory the nyblets and transmitting the nyblets in a third ordered sequence, the third ordered sequence including only each selected nyblet.