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Burst-switching communications system

  • US 4,698,803 A
  • Filed: 08/02/1985
  • Issued: 10/06/1987
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/02/1985
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A burst-switching communications system comprising:

  • (a) at least one hub switch;

    (b) at least one link switch;

    (c) at least one communications link, there being one such link between any two of said switches which have the ability to communicate with each other without the communication passing through an intermediary switch, each link being time-divided with a plurality of frames within each second of time, each frame having a plurality of channels, each channel having communications capacity for the transmission of one byte, a byte being a predetermined number of bits, a bit being one binary digit;

    (d) a plurality of ports, each port being a component of one of said switches, each port providing means for coupling with a control processor, an end-user instrument, or another communications system, said coupling being made via a port-interface circuit;

    (e) means for routing a burst through said system from an origin port to a destination port, a burst being a plurality of bytes including a destination-port address, an information portion, and a termination portion at the end of the burst, said routing means having processing capacity sufficient to support an effective transmission rate of at least 1.544 million information-bearing bits per second on each of said communications links, said routing means including;

    (i) means for routing a burst through a switch from an origin port of said switch to a destination port of said same switch;

    (ii) means for routing a burst through a switch from an origin port of said switch to a link of said switch leading toward the destination port;

    (iii) means for routing a burst through a switch from a link leading into said switch to a destination port of said switch; and

    (iv) means for routing a burst through a switch from a link leading into said switch to a link of said switch leading toward the destination port;

    (f) said means for routing from port to link and from link to link employing dynamic allocation of bursts to channels within links such that any channel is allocated only when a burst is being transmitted therein and said channel is otherwise avaiable for transmission of another burst, each switch in turn along a route after receiving the first byte of a burst and also determining that said burst will be transmited on a link of said switch leading toward the destination port then transmitting said first byte in the first available channel of a first frame of said link leading toward said destination port and assigning said channel to said burst, each switch in turn along said route after receiving the second or a successive byte of said burst then transmitting said second or successive byte in said assigned channel of the second or successive frame of said link, each switch in turn along said route after transmitting the last byte of said burst then releasing said assigned channel for possible allocation to another burst in the frame immediately following the transmission of the last byte of said burst.

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