Time-scheduled and time-reservation packet switching

• US 20050058149A1
• Filed: 09/22/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Wayne Richard Howe
• Original Assignee: Wayne Richard Howe
• Inventors: Howe, Wayne Richard
• Application Number:
  US10/947,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20050058149A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/428
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0638 Clock or time synchronisation among nodes; Internode synchronisation synchronization for ring networks H04L12/422; data switching networks with synchronous transmission H04L12/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0682 by delay compensation, e.g. by compensation of propagation delay or variations thereof, by ranging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5601 Transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/17 Interaction among intermediate nodes, e.g. hop by hop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/205 Quality of Service based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3018 Input queuing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3027 Output queuing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/602 Multilayer or multiprotocol switching, e.g. IP switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

Systems, methods, devices, processes, procedures, algorithms, networks, and network elements are described for time-scheduled and/or time-reserved dat networks. Invention provides capabilities for synchronizing data networks and/or data network links; for establishing time-schedules, time-reservations, time-schedule reservations, and/or reservation time-slots for packets, cells, frames, and/or datagrams; and for transferring, transmitting, switching, routing, and/or receiving time-sensitive, high-reliability, urgent, and/or other time-scheduled, time-reserved, time-allocated, and/or time-scheduled-reservation packets, cells, frames, and/or datagrams, such as real-time and high-priority messages over these networks. The invention(s) enables packet-, cell-, datagram- and/or frame-based networks to thereby efficiently, reliably, and in guaranteed real-time, to switch and/or route data such as voice, video, streaming, and other real-time, high-priority, high-reliability, and/or expedited data with guaranteed delivery and guaranteed quality of service. Networks may be fixed, point-to-point, mobile, ad-hoc, optical, electrical, and/or wireless.

Claims

1. A method for switching information through one or more of network elements, comprising the steps of:

receiving one or more particular priority datagrams;

determining one or more special identifiers associated with said particular priority datagrams;

assigning one or more reserved times in one or more time-reservation schedules for said particular priority datagrams in accordance with said one or more special identifiers;

transmitting said one or more particular priority datagrams with said one or more special identifiers at said one or more reserved times according to said one or more time-reservation schedules.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein, if a datagram which is not of said one or more particular priority datagrams is received, then place said datagram which is not of said one or more particular priority datagrams in a first-in-first-out queue to be transmitted after said one or more particular priority datagrams have been transmitted.

3. A method for transferring information through one or more network elements, comprising the steps of:

synchronizing said one or more network elements;

scheduling one or more scheduled transfer times for one or more datagrams from said one or more network elements;

transferring said one or more datagrams from said one or more network elements in accordance with said one or more scheduled transfer times.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said information comprises data selected from the group consisting of real-time data, high-priority data, and time sensitive data.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said information comprises data selected from the group consisting of cell-oriented, frame-oriented, and packet-oriented data.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said step of synchronizing comprises associating one or more clocks in said one or more network elements.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said one or more clocks associated with each of said network elements is synchronized in accordance with a master clock.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said master clock is one or more global positioning systems.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein one or more of said one or more network elements is a store-and-forward network element.

10. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of resetting said one or more scheduled transfer times in said one or more network elements.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of resetting said one or more scheduled transfer times is initiated by a non-final-destination network element.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of resetting said one or more scheduled transfer times is initiated by a final destination network element.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of resetting said one or more scheduled transfer times is initiated by a network management control system.

14. A network element for transferring data comprising:

one or more first-in-first-out buffers associated with non-time-reserved data;

one or more buffers associated with time-reserved data;

circuitry for transferring data wherein said circuitry transfers said time-reserved data from said one or more buffers associated with said time-reserved data before transferring said non-time-reserved data from said one or more first-in-first-out buffers associated with said non-time-reserved data.

15. The network element of claim 14, wherein said circuitry for transferring data transfers said time-reserved data at previously scheduled times.

16. The network element of claim 15, wherein said previously scheduled times comprise time slots.

17. The network element of claim 16, wherein said time slots comprise time slots selected from the group consisting of fixed size time slots, variable size time slots, and dynamically variable time slots.

18. The network element of claim 14 wherein said one or more first-in-first-out buffers associated with non-time-reserved data is integrated with said one or more buffers associated with said time-reserved data.

19. The network element of claim 14 wherein said one or more buffers are selected from the group consisting of input buffers and output buffers.

20. The network element of claim 14 wherein said data is selected from the group consisting of cell-oriented data, frame-oriented data, packet-oriented data, time sensitive data, and time insensitive data.