Method and apparatus for communications of frame relay data

Claim 2

A frame relay data communication apparatus for connecting a frame relay network to an ATM network, comprising: a congestion detector for receiving frame data transmitted from a frame relay network and detecting congestion from said received frame data; an ATM network information receiver for receiving information from said ATM network; a service class extractor for controlling so as to save priority order information of data used in ATM network, received by said ATM network information receiver and extract the priority order information of said received frame data thereby to decide a service class of said received frame data according to said priority order information of said ATM network and said priority order information of said frame data so that said received frame data is transferred from said congestion detector to a memory for saving frames by service class according to said decided service class; a controller for cell assembly process for controlling so as to read frame data from said memory for storing frames by service class in order of service classes and transmitting read frame data to a cell assembly unit; and a cell assembly unit for assembling frame data into cells and transmitting assembled cells to said ATM network, wherein said congestion detector, when detecting a congestion of frame data, notifies said service class extractor of said detected congestion so that frames of low service classes are discarded under the control thereof.

Claim 3

A frame relay data communication apparatus for connecting a frame relay network to an ATM network, comprising: a frame receiver unit for receiving frame data transmitted from a frame relay network; a cell assembly unit for assembling said received frame data into ATM cells and transmitting assembled cells to said ATM network; and a controller for controlling said frame receiver unit and said cell assembly unit so as to extract priority order information from received frame data and receive priority order information of data used in ATM networks from an ATM network and decide a service class of the received data to assemble the received frame data into cells according to the decided service class, wherein said frame receiver unit includes a congestion detector for detecting frame data congestion, said congestion detector notifies said controller of each detected congestion, and said controller controls said frame receiver unit when notified of a congestion so as to discard frames of low service classes.

Claim 4

A frame relay data communication apparatus for connecting a frame relay network to an ATM network, comprising: a frame receiver unit for receiving frame data transmitted from a frame relay network; a cell assembly unit for assembling said received frame data into ATM cells and transmitting assembled cells to said ATM network; and a controller for controlling said frame receiver unit and said cell assembly unit so as to extract priority order information from received frame data and receive priority order information of data used in ATM networks from an ATM network and decide a service class of the received data to assemble the received frame data into cells according to the decided service class, wherein said frame receiver unit includes a congestion detector for detecting frame data congestion, said congestion detector notifies said controller of each detected congestion, and said controller controls said frame receiver unit when notified of a congestion so as to discard frames of low service classes.

Claim 5

The frame relay data communication apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said congestion detector includes a counter for counting the number of detected congestions and a timer to be started when the value of said counter reaches a predetermined value so as to discard frame data of low services classes, received for a fixed time.

Claim 6

The frame relay data communication apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said congestion detector notifies said ATM network information receiver of each detected congestion and said ATM network information receiver, when receiving said congestion notice, requests an object ATM network for priority order information of data used in said ATM network and notifies said service class extractor of said received priority order information, said service class extractor decides service classes of frame data to be discarded according to said priority order information of ATM network obtained after said congestion is detected, and said congestion detector discards frame data under the control of said service class extractor.

Claim 7

A frame relay data communication apparatus for connecting a frame relay network to an ATM network, comprising: a frame receiver unit for receiving frame data transmitted from a frame relay network; a cell assembly unit for assembling said received frame data into ATM cells and transmitting assembled cells to said ATM network; and; a controller for controlling said frame receiver unit and said cell assembly unit so as to extract priority order information from received frame data and receive priority order information of data used in ATM networks from an ATM network and decide a service class of the received data to assemble the received frame data into cells according to the decided service class, wherein said controller, when receiving notice of congestion from an ATM network, controls the frame receiver unit so as to discard frames of low service classes.

Claim 8

A frame relay data communication apparatus for connecting a frame relay network to an ATM network, comprising: a frame receiver unit for receiving frame data transmitted from a frame relay network; a cell assembly unit for assembling said received frame data into ATM cells and transmitting assembled cells to said ATM network; and; a controller for controlling said frame receiver unit and said cell assembly unit so as to extract priority order information from received frame data and receive priority order information of data used in ATM networks from an ATM network and decide a service class of the received data to assemble the received frame data into cells according to the decided service class, wherein said controller, when receiving notice of congestion from an ATM network, controls the frame receiver unit so as to discard frames of low service classes.

Claim 9

A frame relay data communication apparatus for connecting a frame relay network to an ATM network, comprising: a data receiver unit for receiving frame data from a frame relay network; an ATM network information receiver for receiving priority order information used in ATM networks from an ATM network; a service class extractor for controlling so as to store priority order information and extract priority order information from received frame data, as well as decide a service class of said received frame data by comparing priority order information of said ATM network and transfer said received data from said frame receiver unit to a memory for storing frames by service class according to said decided service class; a controller for cell assembly process for controlling so as to read frame data from said memory for storing frames by service class in order of service classes and transmit read frame data to said ATM network; and a cell assembly unit for assembling frame data into ATM cells and transferring assembled cells to said ATM network, wherein said ATM network information receiver, when receiving a notice of congestion notifies said service class extractor of occurrence of said congestion, and said service class extractor controls said memory for storing frames by service class so as to discard frames of low service classes.

Claim 10

A frame relay data communication apparatus for connecting a frame relay network to an ATM network, comprising: a data receiver unit for receiving frame data from a frame relay network; an ATM network information receiver for receiving priority order information used in ATM networks from an ATM network; a service class extractor for controlling so as to store priority order information and extract priority order information from received frame data, as well as decide a service class of said received frame data by comparing priority order information of said ATM network and transfer said received data from said frame receiver unit to a memory for storing frames by service class according to said decided service class; a controller for cell assembly process for controlling so as to read frame data from said memory for storing frames by service class in order of service classes and transmit read frame data to said ATM network; and a cell assembly unit for assembling frame data into ATM cells and transferring assembled cells to said ATM network, wherein said ATM network information receiver, when receiving a notice of congestion notifies said service class extractor of occurrence of said congestion, and said service class extractor controls said memory for storing frames by service class so as to discard frames of low service classes.

Claim 11

A frame relay data communication apparatus for connecting a frame relay network to an ATM network, comprising: a congestion detector for detecting congestions of frame data received from said frame relay network; an ATM network information receiver for receiving information from said ATM network; a service class extractor for controlling said memory for storing frames by service class so as to save priority order information of data used in ATM networks, received by said ATM network information receiver and extract the priority order information of said received frame data thereby to decide a service class of said received frame data according to said priority order information of said ATM network and the priority order information of said frame data so that said received frame data is transferred from said congestion detector to a memory for saving frames by service class according to said decided service class; a controller for cell assembly process for controlling so as to read frame data from said memory for storing frames by service class in order of their service classes according to said service class and transmit read frame data to a cell assembly unit; a cell assembly unit for assembling frame data into ATM cells and transmitting assembled cells to said ATM network; and an analyzer for analyzing a control terminal and information entered from said control terminal, wherein said analyzer, when receiving a transmission rate of frames of each service class from said control terminal, analyzes said transmission rate of frames and notifies said congestion detector of the result, and said congestion detector discards received frame data according to said transmission rate of frames.

Claim 12

A frame relay data communication apparatus for connecting a frame relay network to an ATM network, comprising: a congestion detector for detecting congestions of frame data received from said frame relay network; an ATM network information receiver for receiving information from said ATM network; a service class extractor for controlling said memory for storing frames by service class so as to save priority order information of data used in ATM networks, received by said ATM network information receiver and extract the priority order information of said received frame data thereby to decide a service class of said received frame data according to said priority order information of said ATM network and the priority order information of said frame data so that said received frame data is transferred from said congestion detector to a memory for saving frames by service class according to said decided service class; a controller for cell assembly process for controlling so as to read frame data from said memory for storing frames by service class in order of their service classes according to said service class and transmit read frame data to a cell assembly unit; a cell assembly unit for assembling frame data into ATM cells and transmitting assembled cells to said ATM network; and an analyzer for analyzing a control terminal and information entered from said control terminal, wherein said analyzer, when receiving a transmission rate of frames of each service class from said control terminal, analyzes said transmission rate of frames and notifies said congestion detector of the result, and said congestion detector discards received frame data according to said transmission rate of frames.

Claim 13

A frame relay data communication method for assembling frame data received from a frame relay network into ATM cells and disassembling cells received from said ATM network to frame data, comprising steps of receiving priority order information of data used in ATM networks from an ATM network; extracting priority order information of received frame data upon receiving frame data from a frame relay network so as to decide a service class of received frame data according to priority order information of said ATM network and priority order information of said received frame data; discarding frame data of low service classes when a congestion of frame data is detected; storing rest frame data by service class; and reading frame data in order of service classes and assembling said frame data into cells and transmit assembled cells to said ATM network.

Claim 14

A frame relay data communication method for assembling frame data received from a frame relay network into ATM cells and disassembling cells received from said ATM network to frame data, comprising steps of receiving priority order information of data used in ATM networks from an ATM network; extracting priority order information of received frame data upon receiving frame data from a frame relay network so as to decide a service class of received frame data according to priority order information of said ATM network and priority order information of said received frame data; discarding frame data of low service classes when a congestion of frame data is detected; storing rest frame data by service class; and reading frame data in order of service classes and assembling said frame data into cells and transmit assembled cells to said ATM network.

Claim 15

A frame relay data communication method according to claim 8 , wherein received frame data of low service classes is discarded upon receiving a notice of congestion from an ATM network.

Claim 16

A frame relay data communication method for assembling frame data received from a frame relay network into ATM cells and disassembling cells received from an ATM network to frame data, comprising steps of: receiving priority order information of data used in ATM networks from an ATM network; extracting priority order information from received frame data upon receiving said frame data from a frame relay network so as to decide a service class of said received frame data according to priority order information of said ATM network and priority order information of said received frame data, and storing said received frame data by service class according to said decided service class, discarding said stored frame data of low service classes upon receiving a congestion notice from said ATM network, and reading rest frame data from said memory in order of service classes so as to assemble said rest frame data into cells and transmit assembled cells to said ATM network.

Claim 17

A frame relay data communication method for assembling frame data received from a frame relay network into ATM cells and disassembling cells received from an ATM network to frame data, comprising steps of: receiving priority order information of data used in ATM networks from an ATM network; extracting priority order information from received frame data upon receiving said frame data from a frame relay network so as to decide a service class of said received frame data according to priority order information of said ATM network and priority order information of said received frame data, and storing said received frame data by service class according to said decided service class, discarding said stored frame data of low service classes upon receiving a congestion notice from said ATM network, and reading rest frame data from said memory in order of service classes so as to assemble said rest frame data into cells and transmit assembled cells to said ATM network.

Claim 18

A frame relay data communication method for assembling frame data received from a frame relay network into ATM cells and disassembling cells received from an ATM network to frame data, comprising steps of: receiving priority order information of data used in ATM networks from an ATM network; extracting priority order information from said frame data upon receiving said frame data from a frame relay network so as to decide a service class of said received frame data according to priority order information of said ATM network and priority order information of said received frame data; discarding frame data received over a frame transmission rate for each service class, according to a frame transmission rate by service class entered from external; storing rest frame data of high service classes in corresponding memories by service class, and reading said stored frame data of said high service classes in order of service classes so as to assemble said frame data into cells and transmit assembled cells to said ATM network.

Claim 19

A frame relay data communication method for assembling frame data received from a frame relay network into ATM cells and disassembling cells received from an ATM network to frame data, comprising steps of: receiving priority order information of data used in ATM networks from an ATM network; extracting priority order information from said frame data upon receiving said frame data from a frame relay network so as to decide a service class of said received frame data according to priority order information of said ATM network and priority order information of said received frame data; discarding frame data received over a frame transmission rate for each service class, according to a frame transmission rate by service class entered from external; storing rest frame data of high service classes in corresponding memories by service class, and reading said stored frame data of said high service classes in order of service classes so as to assemble said frame data into cells and transmit assembled cells to said ATM network.