Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
159 words
In a link unit in a node in a digital message routing network, said node being one of a plurality of nodes, a digest processing means for generating and compressing a plurality of accounting digests, each of said digests having a unique key representing the nature and route of a corresponding message and a value associated with the message, characterized in that the digest processing means comprise: a first memory into which said digests are written and compressed at locations determined by their corresponding unique keys; a second memory operated as a cyclic buffer, an address of a head of said cyclic buffer included in each of said digests in the first memory, said head providing an index; and copying means for each time one of said digests is created or changed in the first memory, copying it into the second memory at a location in the second memory determined by the index of the one of said digests.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
159 words
In a link unit in a node in a digital message routing network, said node being one of a plurality of nodes, a digest processing means for generating and compressing a plurality of accounting digests, each of said digests having a unique key representing the nature and route of a corresponding message and a value associated with the message, characterized in that the digest processing means comprise: a first memory into which said digests are written and compressed at locations determined by their corresponding unique keys; a second memory operated as a cyclic buffer, an address of a head of said cyclic buffer included in each of said digests in the first memory, said head providing an index; and copying means for each time one of said digests is created or changed in the first memory, copying it into the second memory at a location in the second memory determined by the index of the one of said digests.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
80 words
The digest processing means according to claim 1, further comprising: a validity test logic fed when the one of said digests is to be created or changed in the first memory, with the index of the digest and the address of the head and an address of a tail of the cyclic buffer to determine whether the corresponding location in the second memory is valid and, if not, to cause a new digest to be created in the first memory.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
The digest processing means according to claim 2 further comprising a cycle counter, the contents of which are concatenated with an address of the head of the second memory to form an updated digest index.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
The digest processing means according to claim 3 further comprising: a microprocessor coupled to the first and second memories, said microprocessor used to handle a processing load of said link unit; and a third, instruction, memory coupled to the microprocessor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
The digest processing means according to claim 4, characterized by a digest memory receiving the updated digest index from the second memory of the link unit and a management processor which compresses into the digest memory digests from all nodes.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
The digest processing means according to claim 2 further comprising: a microprocessor coupled to the first and second memories, the microprocessor used to handle the processing load of said link unit; and a third, instruction, memory coupled to the microprocessor.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
40 words
The digest processing means according to claim 6, characterized by a digest memory receiving the updated digest index from the second memory of the link unit and a management processor which compresses into the digest memory digests from all nodes.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
The digest processing means according to claim 1 further comprising: a microprocessor coupled to the first and second memories, the microprocessor used to handle the processing load of the link unit; and a third, instruction, memory coupled to the microprocessor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
The digest processing means according to claim 8, characterized by a digest memory receiving the updated digest index from the second memory of the link unit and a management processor which compresses into the digest memory digests from all nodes.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
159 words
A method of generating and compressing a plurality of accounting digests in a link unit in a node in a digital message routing network, said network having a plurality of nodes, each of said nodes having a plurality of link units, each one of said digests consisting of a unique key representing the nature and route of a corresponding message and a value associated with the corresponding message, comprising the steps of: writing and compressing the digests at locations determined by their unique keys in a first memory; as each one of said digests in the first memory is created, including in said digest an address of the head of a second memory operated as a cyclic buffer as an index; and each time one of said digests is created or changed in the first memory, copying it a copying means into the second memory at a location in the second memory determined by the index of the digest.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
159 words
A method of generating and compressing a plurality of accounting digests in a link unit in a node in a digital message routing network, said network having a plurality of nodes, each of said nodes having a plurality of link units, each one of said digests consisting of a unique key representing the nature and route of a corresponding message and a value associated with the corresponding message, comprising the steps of: writing and compressing the digests at locations determined by their unique keys in a first memory; as each one of said digests in the first memory is created, including in said digest an address of the head of a second memory operated as a cyclic buffer as an index; and each time one of said digests is created or changed in the first memory, copying it a copying means into the second memory at a location in the second memory determined by the index of the digest.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
85 words
The method of generating and compressing a plurailty of accounting digests according to claim 10 including the step of: testing, when a new digest is to be created or changed in the first memory, its validity using an index of the digest and the address of the head and an address of a tail of the cyclic buffer to determine whether the corresponding location in the second memory is valid and, if not, to cause a new digest to be created in the first memory.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of generating and compressing a plurality of accounting digests according to claim 11 further including the step of: concatenating the contents of a cycle counter with the address of the head of the second memory to form the index of the digest.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of generating and compressing a plurality of accounting digests according to claim 12 further including the step of: compressing memory digests from the plurality of link units into a node digest memory fed from the second memories of the link units by a management processor.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of generating and compressing a plurality of accounting digests according to claim 11 further including the step of: compressing memory digests from the plurality of link units into a node digest memory fed from the second memories of the link units by a management processor.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of generating and compressing a plurality of accounting digests according to claim 10 further including the step of: compressing memory digests from the plurality of link units into a node digest memory fed from the second memories of the link units by a management processor.