Associative storage for data packets including asynchronous, self-running shift register transmission paths

Claim 2

An associative storage device for data packets each including bits of identification data and a plurality of additional bits of data associated with and yet different from the identification data, comprising: first data transmission path means for transmitting the data packets, said first data transmission path means including a plurality of bit-parallel data buffers interconnected in a cascade fashion so as to constitute a multi-state, asynchronous, self-running shift register in which the data packets are sequentially shifted in a bit-parallel fashion in response to vacancy of a pre-stage data buffer; second data transmission path means for transmitting the data packets, said second data transmission path means including a plurality of bit-parallel data buffers interconnected in a cascade fashion so as to constitute a multi-stage, asynchronous, self-running shift register in which h data packets are sequentially shifted in a bit-parallel fashion in response to vacancy of a pre-stage data buffer; first identification data extracting means coupled with said first data transmission path for extracting only the identification data of at least one of the data packets being transmitted on said first data transmission path; second identification data extracting means coupled with said second data transmission path for extracting only the identification data of at least one of the data packets being transmitted on said second data transmission path; determining means for comparing the identification data rom said first identification data extracting means and the identification data from said second identification data extracting means and for determining whether or not the identification data being transmitted on said first data transmission path and the identification data being transmitted on said second data transmission path are associated with each other; and data packet reading means for reading at least one of the data packets which have been determined by said determining means to be associated with each other.

Claim 3

An associative storage in accordance with claim 1, wherein said data packet reading means includes means for producing a single data packet based on data packets being transmitted, respectively, on said first data transmission path and said second data transmission path.

Claim 4

An associative storage in accordance with claim 2, wherein said means for producing a single data packet includes combining means for combining at least a portion of the data packet being transmitted on said first data transmission path with at least a portion of the data packet being transmitted on said second data transmission path.

Claim 5

An associative storage in accordance with claim 3, wherein said combining means includes joining means for joining said first and second data transmission paths to achieve said combination of at least a portion of a data packet being transmitted on said first data transmission path and at least a portion of a data packet being transmitted on said second data transmission path, the new data packet thus produced being returned to at least one of said first and second data transmission paths.

Claim 6

An associative storage in accordance with claim 1, wherein said determining means includes comparing means for comparing the identification data extracted by said first and second identification data extracting means.

Claim 7

An associative storage in accordance with claim 5, further comprising means for making the data packet being transmitted on one of said first and second data transmission paths wait until a data packet which is associated therewith is transmitted on the other of said first and second data transmission paths.

Claim 8

An associative storage in accordance with claim 6, wherein said means for making wait includes stopping means for stopping a shift operation of data on said asynchronous self-running type shift register constituting said one of said first and second data transmission paths.

Claim 9

An associative storage in accordance with claim 1, wherein data packets are transmitted on said first data transmission path in a direction opposite to the direction of data packet transmission on said second transmission path.

Claim 10

An associative storage in accordance with claim 8, wherein at least one of said first and second data transmission paths is formed on a loop fashion and data packets on said one data transmission path are circulated on said loop-fashioned data transmission path.

Claim 11

An associative storage in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first and second identification data extracting means are connected to one or more of said data buffers of said first and second data transmission paths so as to form first and second identification data detecting sections, respectively.

Claim 12

An associative storage in accordance with claim 10, wherein said first identification data detecting section includes a plurality of first identification data detecting sections coupled with said first data transmission path, and said second identification data detecting section includes one second identification data detecting section coupled with said second data transmission path, said first identification data extracting means extracting a plurality of the identification data in respective ones of said plurality of first identification data detecting sections and said second identification data extracting means extracting one of the identification data in said second identification data detecting section.

Claim 13

An associative storage in accordance with claim 1, wherein said determining means includes a plurality of comparing means for comparing the identification data in association with said plurality of first identification data detecting sections, the identification data extracted by said first identification data extracting means in each of said plurality of said first identification data detecting sections and the identification data extracted by said second identification data extracting means in said second identification data detecting section being compared with each other by each of said plurality of comparing means.

Claim 14

An associative storage in accordance with claim 10, wherein said first identification data detecting section includes a plurality of first identification data detecting sections coupled with said first data transmission path, and said second identification data detecting section includes a plurality of second identification data detecting sections coupled with said second data transmission path, said first identification data extracting means extracting a plurality of the identification data in respective ones of said plurality of first identification data detecting sections, and said second identification data extracting means extracting a plurality of the identification data in respective ones of said second identification data detecting sections.

Claim 15

An associative storage in accordance with claim 13, wherein said determining means includes a plurality of comparing means for comparing the identification data in association with said plurality of first and second identification data detecting sections, the identification data extracted by said first identification data extracting means in each of said plurality of said first identification data detecting sections and the identification data extracted by said second identification data extracting means in each of said second identification data detecting sections being compared with each other by each of said plurality of comparing means.

Claim 16

An associative storage in accordance with claim 1, wherein said self-running shift registers of said first and second transmission paths each have means for detecting vacancy of one of said data buffers, said detecting means including an associated coincidence element, said self-running shift registers each further having means responsive to said associated coincidence element detecting vacancy for transferring the data packets between data buffers in the bit parallel fashion.

Claim 17

An associative storage device for data packets each including bits of identification data and a plurality of additional bits of data associated with and yet different from the identification data, comprising: first data transmission path means for transmitting the data packets, said first data transmission path means including a plurality of bit-parallel data buffers interconnected in a cascade fashion so as to constitute a multi-state, asynchronous, self-running shift register in which the data packets are sequentially shifted in a bit-parallel fashion in response to vacancy of a pre-stage data buffer; second data transmission path means for transmitting the data packets, said second data transmission path means including a plurality of bit-parallel data buffers interconnected in a cascade fashion so as to constitute a multi-stage, asynchronous, self-running shift register in which h data packets are sequentially shifted in a bit-parallel fashion in response to vacancy of a pre-stage data buffer; first identification data extracting means coupled with said first data transmission path for extracting only the identification data of at least one of the data packets being transmitted on said first data transmission path; second identification data extracting means coupled with said second data transmission path for extracting only the identification data of at least one of the data packets being transmitted on said second data transmission path; determining means for comparing the identification data rom said first identification data extracting means and the identification data from said second identification data extracting means and for determining whether or not the identification data being transmitted on said first data transmission path and the identification data being transmitted on said second data transmission path are associated with each other; and packet producing means for producing a single data packet based upon the data packets which have been determined by said determining means to be associated with each other.

Claim 18

An associative storage device for data packets each including bits of identification data and a plurality of additional bits of data associated with and yet different from the identification data, comprising: first data transmission path means for transmitting the data packets, said first data transmission path means including a plurality of bit-parallel data buffers interconnected in a cascade fashion so as to constitute a multi-state, asynchronous, self-running shift register in which the data packets are sequentially shifted in a bit-parallel fashion in response to vacancy of a pre-stage data buffer; second data transmission path means for transmitting the data packets, said second data transmission path means including a plurality of bit-parallel data buffers interconnected in a cascade fashion so as to constitute a multi-stage, asynchronous, self-running shift register in which h data packets are sequentially shifted in a bit-parallel fashion in response to vacancy of a pre-stage data buffer; first identification data extracting means coupled with said first data transmission path for extracting only the identification data of at least one of the data packets being transmitted on said first data transmission path; second identification data extracting means coupled with said second data transmission path for extracting only the identification data of at least one of the data packets being transmitted on said second data transmission path; determining means for comparing the identification data rom said first identification data extracting means and the identification data from said second identification data extracting means and for determining whether or not the identification data being transmitted on said first data transmission path and the identification data being transmitted on said second data transmission path are associated with each other; and packet producing means for producing a single data packet based upon the data packets which have been determined by said determining means to be associated with each other.

Claim 19

An associative storage according to claim 16, wherein said self-running shift registers of said first and second transmission paths each have means for detecting vacancy of one of said data buffers, said detecting means including an associated coincidence element, said self-running shift registers each further having means responsive to said associated coincidence element detecting vacancy for transferring the data packets between data buffers in the bit parallel fashion.