Inter-related switching, activity compression and demand assignment
First Claim
1. In a time division multiple access demand assigned communication system including multiple digital exchange terminals linked for time division communication by a multiaccessible communication transmission facility, said exchange terminals serving to switchably link multiple space separated lines carrying digital data and digitalized voice telephone information traffic to time channels of said facility, said facility having fixed assigned order channels and demand assignable traffic channels in recurrent time division frames for respectively carrying supervisory information and line traffic information between said terminals, terminal apparatus comprising:
- means for utilizing information exchanged with other terminals through said order channels for demand assigning a variable number of said traffic channels to the respective terminal;
means containing multiple buffer storage locations for temporary storage of traffic information in transit between multiple lines of the respective terminal and traffic channels demand assigned to the respective terminal;
first selective switching mean operating in time coordination with said time division frames for passing traffic information between selected said storage locations and successive said assigned traffic channels in each frame; and
second selective switching means operating in time coordination with said first switching means for passing traffic information between said storage locations and lines variously paired with said locations.
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Abstract
Digital exchange terminals are linked by earth satellite in a privately coordinatable time division switching and communication network system serving multiple voice telephone and data communication lines. Terminals operate in each satellite time division frame to pass information switchably between variously paired lines and groups of n buffer stores, and between up to m (less than n) stores of each group (addressed in predetermined time order as internal time division channels termed virtual channels) and associated time-ordered groups of up to m external (satellite) channels. The selective switching between internal and external channels is termed activity compression handling. The external channels are adaptively appropriated to the terminals by demand assignment. Demand information exchanged between terminals at all network nodes is processed through a predetermined and pretimed reassignment computation process executed at all terminals. The terminals then exchange information representing proposed (bid) reassignments of external channels. In the absence of conflict the bid assignments are instituted. The activity compresssion acts as an intrinsic limiting factor on demand when more than m virtual channels are occupied.
87 Citations
18 Claims
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1. In a time division multiple access demand assigned communication system including multiple digital exchange terminals linked for time division communication by a multiaccessible communication transmission facility, said exchange terminals serving to switchably link multiple space separated lines carrying digital data and digitalized voice telephone information traffic to time channels of said facility, said facility having fixed assigned order channels and demand assignable traffic channels in recurrent time division frames for respectively carrying supervisory information and line traffic information between said terminals, terminal apparatus comprising:
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means for utilizing information exchanged with other terminals through said order channels for demand assigning a variable number of said traffic channels to the respective terminal; means containing multiple buffer storage locations for temporary storage of traffic information in transit between multiple lines of the respective terminal and traffic channels demand assigned to the respective terminal; first selective switching mean operating in time coordination with said time division frames for passing traffic information between selected said storage locations and successive said assigned traffic channels in each frame; and second selective switching means operating in time coordination with said first switching means for passing traffic information between said storage locations and lines variously paired with said locations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method of using a time division multiple access communication system having multiple access nodes, multiple time division order channels fixed assigned to respective said nodes, said multiple time division traffic channels variably assignable to said nodes on demand;
- said method comprising;
demand assigning said traffic channels to said nodes; storing digital data and digitalized voice telephone information at each node, in randomly accessible buffer storage, in transit between said respectively assigned traffic channels and multiple space separated lines served by the respective node; switchably pairing said respective lines with various addresses of said buffer storage for routing information variously between said buffer storage and said lines; recurrently linking variously selected said addresses in predetermined groups of said addresses in predetermined time order with successive said demand assigned traffic channels in ordered groups of said traffic channels;
thereby virtually connecting each said address-paired line with a remotely paired line, through said traffic channels and a remote said node, but actually connecting only selected said lines through said traffic channels in each time division frame of said system. - View Dependent Claims (6)
- said method comprising;
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7. Apparatus for multiplex switching to provide selective access to a time division multiple access communication facility having both fixed assigned time division channels and demand assignable time division channels comprising:
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means utilizing communications via said fixed assigned channels for appropriating said demand assignable channels variously at an access node of said facility in coordination with appropriation processes at other nodes; means containing randomly accessible buffer storage locations representing virtual channels of communication linkable to demand assignable channels of said facility; means for communicatively linking selected said virtual channels with successive said appropriated channels in each time division frame of said facility; means for switchably linking individual said virtual channels with individual lines for voice telephone and data communication; means for adaptively passing voice and data information traffic in digital signal form between said lines and said appropriated channels via respective said virtual channels. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of communication relative to a time division multiple access communication facility having both reserved and demand assignable time division channels comprising:
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exchanging information through said reserved channels of said facility; assigning said demand assignable channels to access nodes of said facility based upon said information; establishing adaptively variable virtual connection paths at each node between multiple input/output ports usable by separate voice telephone and data circuits and said demand assigned channels; passing voice and data traffic in digital signal form between said ports and said demand assigned channels utilizing said virtual connection paths. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of using an access node of a time division multiple access communication facility comprising:
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establishing virtual time division connection links through m time division traffic channels of said facility serving up to n (greater than m) separate data and voice telephone lines concurrently; performing activity compression in each time division frame of communication of said facility to link only up to m selected active said lines with said m traffic channels; and varying the number m of traffic channels assigned to said node using information communicated over said facility denoting the distribution of idle said channels and unfulfilled demand for establishment of connection links;
said unfulfilled demand being intrinsically restricted by said activity compression.
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Specification