US5509121A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Multi-protocol communication control apparatus
Assignee: Hitachi Ltd
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Filing: 1995-04-25
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Granted: 1996-04-16
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Expires: 2015-04-25
Abstract
Abstract A multi-protocol communication control apparatus which includes a plurality of kinds of upper layer protocol controllers, a plurality of kinds of lower layer protocol controllers, and a common interface controller for processing correspondence between the upper and lower layer protocols controllers. The multi-protocol communication control apparatus provides for the optional use of any combination of a plurality of kinds of upper layer communication protocols, a plurality of kinds of lower layer communication protocols, and a plurality of transmission lines.
Inventors
- 👤 Yukio Nakata
- 👤 Hidemitsu Higuchi
- 👤 Yukio Shimamoto
- 👤 Atsushi Kobayashi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 12:02
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F13/00; G06F13/38; G06F13/382; G06F13/387; H; H04; H04L; H04L9/00; H04L9/40; H04L69/00; H04L69/18
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
353 words
A multi-protocol communication control apparatus in a multi-protocol communication network system which couples a plurality of said multi-protocal communication control apparatuses through transmission mediums, comprising: a plurality of lower layer protocal controllers, each of said lower layer protocol controllers having a lower layer protocol different from the lower layer protocols of the other lower layer protocal controllers and being capable of at least forming a data link and transmitting communication data through a predetermined transmission medium, each of said lower layer protocol controllers includes a data link controller and a sender/receiver for driving said data link controller to send and receive communication data having a communication data format of a data link type different from communication data of the other data link controllers; a plurality of upper layer protocol controllers, each of said upper layer protocol controllers having an upper layer protocol different from upper layer protocols of the other upper layer protocol controllers and being capable of at least forming a transport layer and network layer defined by a predetermined application, each of said upper layer protocol controllers outputting a request which has a data link type and an entry address; a common interface controller installed between said lower layer protocol controllers and said upper layer protocol controllers, said common interface controller includes a mapping table for storing information indicating corresponding relations between a kind of upper layer protocol controller and a kind of lower layer protocol controller in accordance with said request from each of said upper layer protocol controllers and a mapping processor for processing exchanges of communication data between each of said sender/receivers provided in each of the lower layer protocol controllers and each of the upper layer protocol controllers in accordance with said information indicating a corresponding relation stored on said mapping table; and a packet type identifier for identifying a kind of data link type in a packet of communication data received through a transmission medium from another multi-protocol communication control apparatus and for transmitting said packet of communication data to a desired data link controller selected in accordance with said identified kind of data link type.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
353 words
A multi-protocol communication control apparatus in a multi-protocol communication network system which couples a plurality of said multi-protocal communication control apparatuses through transmission mediums, comprising: a plurality of lower layer protocal controllers, each of said lower layer protocol controllers having a lower layer protocol different from the lower layer protocols of the other lower layer protocal controllers and being capable of at least forming a data link and transmitting communication data through a predetermined transmission medium, each of said lower layer protocol controllers includes a data link controller and a sender/receiver for driving said data link controller to send and receive communication data having a communication data format of a data link type different from communication data of the other data link controllers; a plurality of upper layer protocol controllers, each of said upper layer protocol controllers having an upper layer protocol different from upper layer protocols of the other upper layer protocol controllers and being capable of at least forming a transport layer and network layer defined by a predetermined application, each of said upper layer protocol controllers outputting a request which has a data link type and an entry address; a common interface controller installed between said lower layer protocol controllers and said upper layer protocol controllers, said common interface controller includes a mapping table for storing information indicating corresponding relations between a kind of upper layer protocol controller and a kind of lower layer protocol controller in accordance with said request from each of said upper layer protocol controllers and a mapping processor for processing exchanges of communication data between each of said sender/receivers provided in each of the lower layer protocol controllers and each of the upper layer protocol controllers in accordance with said information indicating a corresponding relation stored on said mapping table; and a packet type identifier for identifying a kind of data link type in a packet of communication data received through a transmission medium from another multi-protocol communication control apparatus and for transmitting said packet of communication data to a desired data link controller selected in accordance with said identified kind of data link type.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
A multi-protocal communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the lower layer protocal controllers has identification means for identifying the kind of lower layer protocal for the received communication data.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
95 words
A multi-protocal communication control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of upper layer protocal controllers, the common interface controller, and the plurality of lower layer protocal controllers are modularly constructed respectively and each of the upper layer, common interface and lower layer controllers has a module connection processor for storing module connection information indicating the top address of a control processing program thereof and has a common module connection manager for receiving and storing the module connection information from the module connection processor of each controller for connecting the controllers to each other.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
A multi-protocol communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the common interface controller furthermore has means for specifying a kind of upper layer protocol for the common interface controller of another multi-protocol communication control apparatus.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
97 words
A multi-protocol communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of kinds of upper layer protocol controllers, the common interface controller, and the plurality of lower layer protocol controllers are modularly constructed respectively and each of the upper layer, common interface and lower layer controllers has a module connection processor for storing module connection information indicating the top address of a control processing program thereof and has a common module connection manager for receiving and storing the module connection information from the module connection processor of each controller for connecting the controllers to each other.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
57 words
A multi-protocol communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper layer protocol controllers and the lower layer protocol controllers have buffers for storing data respectively and the common interface controller has a buffer manager for transferring data between the buffers of the upper layer protocol controllers and the buffers of the lower layer protocol controllers.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
A multi-protocol communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the lower layer protocal controllers has identification means for identifying the kind of lower layer protocol for the received communication data.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1999-04-16 | 1999-10-16 | 2000-04-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-04-16 | 2003-10-16 | 2004-04-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-04-16 | 2007-10-16 | 2008-04-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |