Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 37
Claim 1
Independent Claim
185 words
A bandwidth management system, for managing a plurality of virtual data connections within a communications network, comprising: an input for receiving data cells, wherein each cell is associated with a particular one of the virtual connections; a cell pool, coupled to said input, for storing said cells; a first queue containing particular ones of the virtual connections, wherein a relative position of a virtual connection in said first queue is determined by an eligibility value that varies according to an anticipated data rate associated with the particular virtual connection and according to an amount of time that the particular virtual connection has been in said first queue; a second queue, coupled to said first queue and containing particular other ones of the virtual connections, wherein a relative position of a virtual connection in said second queue varies according to a predetermined quality of service that is assigned to each of the virtual connections; and an output, coupled to said second queue and said cell pool, for transmitting a cell from said cell pool corresponding to a virtual connection at the front of said second queue.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
185 words
A bandwidth management system, for managing a plurality of virtual data connections within a communications network, comprising: an input for receiving data cells, wherein each cell is associated with a particular one of the virtual connections; a cell pool, coupled to said input, for storing said cells; a first queue containing particular ones of the virtual connections, wherein a relative position of a virtual connection in said first queue is determined by an eligibility value that varies according to an anticipated data rate associated with the particular virtual connection and according to an amount of time that the particular virtual connection has been in said first queue; a second queue, coupled to said first queue and containing particular other ones of the virtual connections, wherein a relative position of a virtual connection in said second queue varies according to a predetermined quality of service that is assigned to each of the virtual connections; and an output, coupled to said second queue and said cell pool, for transmitting a cell from said cell pool corresponding to a virtual connection at the front of said second queue.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 1, wherein virtual connections having equal eligibility values are ordered in said first queue according to said predetermined quality of service.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 1, wherein virtual connections having equal quality of service values are ordered in said second queue according to a priority assigned to each of said virtual connections.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 3, wherein said priority varies according to one or more anticipated data rates of each of the virtual connections.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 3, wherein said priority varies according to one or more credit variables assigned to each of the virtual connections, said credit variables being indicative of allocated time slots provided to each of the virtual connections.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 3, wherein said priority varies according to a backlog of cells for each virtual connection that are awaiting transmission.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
68 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 3, wherein said priority varies according to one or more anticipated data rates of each of the virtual connections, one or more credit variables assigned to each of the virtual connections, said credit variables being indicative of allocated time slots provided to each of the virtual connections, and to a backlog of cells for each virtual connection that are awaiting transmission.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 7, wherein said data rates, said credit variables, and said backlog are weighted prior to determining said priority.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
58 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 1, wherein said system is one of: a pacing unit and an enforcement unit, wherein said pacing unit receives cells from a data source node and provides cells to a communication link, and wherein an enforcement unit receives data from a communication link and provides data to a data sink node.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
41 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 1, further comprising: means for establishing a virtual connection by specifying initial traffic parameters; and means for dropping cells that are received at a rate that exceeds that specified by said initial traffic parameters.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined quality of service has four possible values.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
34 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 11, wherein virtual connections having equal quality of service values are ordered in said second queue according to a priority assigned to each of said virtual connections.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
68 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 12, wherein said priority varies according to one or more anticipated data rates of each of the virtual connections, one or more credit variables assigned to each of the virtual connections, said credit variables being indicative of allocated time slots provided to each of the virtual connections, and to a backlog of cells for each virtual connection that are awaiting transmission.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 13, wherein said data rates, said credit variables, and said backlog are weighted prior to determining said priority.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
38 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 1, further comprising: a burst indicator for indicating whether a virtual connection associated with a cell that has been received by said input should be placed directly in said second queue.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
34 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 15, wherein virtual connections having equal quality of service values are ordered in said second queue according to a priority assigned to each of said virtual connections.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
68 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 16, wherein said priority varies according to one or more anticipated data rates of each of the virtual connections, one or more credit variables assigned to each of the virtual connections, said credit variables being indicative of allocated time slots provided to each of the virtual connections, and to a backlog of cells for each virtual connection that are awaiting transmission.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
25 words
A bandwidth management system, according to claim 17, wherein said data rates, said credit variables, and said backlog are weighted prior to determining said priority.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
170 words
A method of managing a plurality of virtual data connections within a communications network, comprising the steps of: receiving data cells, wherein each cell is associated with a particular one of the virtual connections; storing the received cells in a cell pool; providing a first queue containing particular ones of the virtual connections, wherein a relative position of a virtual connection in the first queue is determined by an eligibility value that varies according to an anticipated data rate associated with the particular virtual connection and according to an amount of time that the particular virtual connection has been in the first queue; providing a second queue, coupled to the first queue and containing particular other ones of the virtual connections, wherein a relative position of a virtual connection in the second queue varies according to a predetermined quality of service that is assigned to each of the virtual connections; and transmitting a cell from the cell pool corresponding to a virtual connection at the front of the second queue.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
170 words
A method of managing a plurality of virtual data connections within a communications network, comprising the steps of: receiving data cells, wherein each cell is associated with a particular one of the virtual connections; storing the received cells in a cell pool; providing a first queue containing particular ones of the virtual connections, wherein a relative position of a virtual connection in the first queue is determined by an eligibility value that varies according to an anticipated data rate associated with the particular virtual connection and according to an amount of time that the particular virtual connection has been in the first queue; providing a second queue, coupled to the first queue and containing particular other ones of the virtual connections, wherein a relative position of a virtual connection in the second queue varies according to a predetermined quality of service that is assigned to each of the virtual connections; and transmitting a cell from the cell pool corresponding to a virtual connection at the front of the second queue.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method, according to claim 19, further comprising the step of: ordering virtual connections having equal eligibility values in the first queue according to the predetermined quality of service.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method, according to claim 19, further comprising the step of: ordering virtual connections having equal quality of service values in the second queue according to a priority assigned to each of the virtual connections.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method, according to claim 21, further including the step of: varying the priority according to one or more anticipated data rates of each of the virtual connections.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
45 words
A method, according to claim 21, further including the step of: varying the priority according to one or more credit variables assigned to each of the virtual connections, wherein the credit variables are indicative of allocated time slots provided to each of the virtual connections.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method, according to claim 21, further including the step of: varying the priority according to a backlog of cells, for each virtual connection, that are awaiting transmission.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
72 words
A method, according to claim 21, further including the step of: varying the priority according to one or more anticipated data rates of each of the virtual connections, one or more credit variables assigned to each of the virtual connections, wherein the credit variables are indicative of allocated time slots provided to each of the virtual connections, and according to a backlog of cells, for each virtual connection, that are awaiting transmission.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method, according to claim 25, further including the step of: varying the priority according to weights assigned to the data rates, the credit variables, and the backlog.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method, according to claim 19, further comprising the steps of establishing a virtual connection by specifying initial traffic parameters; and dropping cells that are received at a rate that exceeds that specified by the initial traffic parameters.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method, according to claim 19, further including the step of: assigning one of four possible values the predetermined quality of service.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method, according to claim 28, further comprising the step of: ordering virtual connections having equal quality of service values in the second queue according to a priority assigned to each of the virtual connections.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
72 words
A method, according to claim 29, further including the step of: varying the priority according to one or more anticipated data rates of each of the virtual connections, one or more credit variables assigned to each of the virtual connections, wherein the credit variables are indicative of allocated time slots provided to each of the virtual connections, and according to a backlog of cells, for each virtual connection, that are awaiting transmission.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method, according to claim 30, further including the step of: varying the priority according to weights assigned to the data rates, the credit variables, and the backlog.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method, according to claim 19, further comprising the step of: placing a virtual connection associated with an admitted cell directly on the second queue in response to a burst indicator for the virtual connection being set.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method, according to claim 32, further comprising the step of: ordering virtual connections having equal quality of service values in the second queue according to a priority assigned to each of the virtual connections.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
72 words
A method, according to claim 33, further including the step of: varying the priority according to one or more anticipated data rates of each of the virtual connections, one or more credit variables assigned to each of the virtual connections, wherein the credit variables are indicative of allocated time slots provided to each of the virtual connections, and according to a backlog of cells, for each virtual connection, that are awaiting transmission.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method, according to claim 34, further including the step of: varying the priority according to weights assigned to the data rates, the credit variables, and the backlog.