Packet communication method and packet communication apparatus

Claim 2

A packet communication system for communicating packets each having a fixed length and including a header portion and an information portion between nodes through a plurality of transmission paths, said plurality of transmission paths for connecting said nodes comprise plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines, each node comprising: a packet transmitting section which comprises: means for distributing packet trains to be sent to a receiving section of another node into said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines, wherein packets included in said packet trains are arranged in a predetermined order, and for transmitting said packets on said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines; and a packet receiving section which comprises: buffer means for storing packets received from said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines corresponding to said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines respectively, and read controlling means for monitoring whether said packets are received or not from said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines, for storing management information concerning packets received, for reading out said packets stored in said buffer means in the same predetermined order as arranged at a packet transmitting section which transmitted said packets based on said management information when said packets have been received, and for waiting until said packets have been received in said buffer means and then reading out said packets based on said management information when said packets have not been received, said packet trains are received and reproduced by said packet receiving section for receiving side communication nodes in the same predetermined order as said packet trains transmitted by said packet transmitting section of transmitting side communication nodes.

Claim 3

A packet communication system according to claim 1, wherein said packet transmitting section further comprises: means for transmitting information corresponding to said predetermined order on said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines to said another packet receiving section; and wherein said packet receiving section further comprises: means for receiving information corresponding to said predetermined order transmitted by another packet transmitting section and holding said information corresponding to said predetermined order as said management information, and said packet trains are received and reproduced by said packet receiving section after receiving said information corresponding to said predetermined order transmitted by said another packet transmitting section.

Claim 4

A packet communication system according to claim 2, wherein said information is periodically transmitted from said another packet transmitting section to said packet receiving section through said plurality of transmission paths, and wherein when said predetermined order at said another packet transmitting section is changed, said packets transmitted by said another packet transmitting section are received and reproduced by said packet receiving section after receiving information corresponding to the changed predetermined order transmitted from said another packet transmitting section.

Claim 5

A packet communication system according to claim 1, wherein a common buffer type memory for logically buffering packets received from said plurality of transmission paths is used as a buffer for said packet receiving section, and said packets received from each of said plurality of said transmission paths are stored in said common buffer type memory.

Claim 6

A packet communication system for communicating packets each having a fixed length and including a header portion and an information portion between nodes through a plurality of transmission paths, said nodes including means for switching said packets, said plurality of transmission paths for connecting said nodes comprise plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines, and said plurality of transmission paths are divided and connected to any plural nodes, each node comprising: a transmitting section which comprises: means for distributing packet trains to be sent to a receiving section of another node into said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines, wherein packets included in said packet trains are arranged in a predetermined order, and for transmitting said packet trains on said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines; and a receiving section which comprises: buffer means for storing packets received from said plural physical low speed and low capacity or logical lines corresponding to said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines respectively, and read controlling means for monitoring whether said packets are received or not from said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines, for storing management information concerning packets received from said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines for reading out said packets stored in said buffer means in the same predetermined order as arranged at a packet transmitting section which transmitted said packets based on said management information when said packets have been received, and for waiting until said packets have been received in said buffer means and then reading said packets based on said management information when said packets have not been received, said packet trains are received and reproduced by said packet receiving section of receiving side communication nodes in the same predetermined order as said packet trains transmitted by said packet transmitting section of transmitting side communication nodes.

Claim 7

A packet communication system for communicating packets each having a fixed length and including a header portion and an information portion between nodes through a plurality of transmission paths, said nodes including means for switching said packets, said plurality of transmission paths for connecting said nodes comprise plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines, and said plurality of transmission paths are divided and connected to any plural nodes, each node comprising: a transmitting section which comprises: means for distributing packet trains to be sent to a receiving section of another node into said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines, wherein packets included in said packet trains are arranged in a predetermined order, and for transmitting said packet trains on said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines; and a receiving section which comprises: buffer means for storing packets received from said plural physical low speed and low capacity or logical lines corresponding to said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines respectively, and read controlling means for monitoring whether said packets are received or not from said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines, for storing management information concerning packets received from said plural low speed and low capacity physical or logical lines for reading out said packets stored in said buffer means in the same predetermined order as arranged at a packet transmitting section which transmitted said packets based on said management information when said packets have been received, and for waiting until said packets have been received in said buffer means and then reading said packets based on said management information when said packets have not been received, said packet trains are received and reproduced by said packet receiving section of receiving side communication nodes in the same predetermined order as said packet trains transmitted by said packet transmitting section of transmitting side communication nodes.