COMMUNICATION NETWORK APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20080025335A1
• Filed: 10/05/2007
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xiaolin Lu
• Original Assignee: Xiaolin Lu
• Inventors: LU, XIAOLIN
• Granted Patent: US 8,174,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/62 Wavelength based optical switching H04Q11/0062

Abstract

A communication network apparatus and method for routing communication signals from a source device to-a receiving device. The apparatus performs only local processing on communication signals to thereby increase the speed of processing the signals. A plurality of the processing nodes are combined into a plurality of sub-networks that comprise the network apparatus. Each processing node of a sub-network need only process address information pertaining to the node'"'"'s current layer, one layer above it, if any, and one layer below it, if any. Additionally, each processing node has associated communication signal frequencies/wavelengths that identify the processing node as the intended recipient of the communication signal. When a communication signal having a carrier signal with a frequency/wavelength corresponding to the processing node is received, the processing node demodulates the carrier signal and forwards the communication signal data to a processing module used to process address information to determine how to route the communication signal through the network. Communication signals may be assigned “express” frequencies/wavelengths, in which case, all of the processing nodes, except the destination processing node, of the network pass the communication signal without performing processing on the communication signal.

Claims

1. A medium interface, comprising:

a filter;

at least three input ports; and

at least three output ports, wherein a signal is received through one of the at least three input ports and the filter directs the signal to one of the at least three output ports based on a frequency or wavelength of the signal.

2. The medium interface of claim 1, wherein the filter directs signals of a first frequency or wavelength to a first output port, signals of a second frequency or wavelength to a second output port and signals of a third frequency or wavelength to a third output port.

3. The medium interface of claim 2, wherein the first output port corresponds to a processing module of a first processing node, the second output port corresponds to an interface with processing nodes of a same sub-network, and the third output port corresponds to an interface with processing nodes of an above sub-network.

4. The medium interface of claim 1, wherein the filter includes one of a digital filter and an optical filter.

5. The medium interface of claim 1, wherein the filter includes at least one of a band pass filter, a low pass filter and a high pass filter.

6. The medium interface of claim 1, wherein the filter includes at least one of a dichroic mirror, a prism and an optical switch.

7. The medium interface of claim 1, wherein the filter directs the signal based on whether the frequency or wavelength of the signal identifies the signal to be an express signal or a non-express signal.