Bridge for connecting an ieee 802.3 local area network to an asynchronous time-division multiplex telecommunication network

Claim 1

A bridge for connecting an IEEE 802.3 local area network to an asynchronous time-division multiplex telecommunication network, said bridge comprising: first means implementing the functions of layer 2.1 of a data transmission protocol of the asynchronous time-division multiplex telecommunication network, said first means comprising a protocol processing circuit implementing the functions of level 2.1 of a telecommunication network data transmission protocol, a data memory, a processor, a send command memory, a receive command memory, a direct access memory, a cell receive memory for storing cells received from the telecommunication network and supplying them to the protocol processing circuit, a data bus connected to the protocol processing circuit, to the data memory, to the command memories and to the direct access memory, an address bus connected to the protocol processing circuit and to the data memory, and a processor bus connected to the processor, to the direct access memory, to the data memory and to said command memories; and second means implementing the functions of layer 1 of a data transmission protocol in the local area network, said second means being connected to said first means and comprising a physical interface circuit appropriate to the local area network connected to the processor by the direct access memory.