Burst-switching communications system
First Claim
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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Accused Products
Abstract
A distributed-control burst-switching communications system with fully integrated voice and data services, and with processing capacity sufficient to support T1 or higher transmission rates. The system may include a high-speed hub switch located at a point of high-traffic concentration in the network and a plurality of link switches. The switches are interconnected by time-division multiplexed communications links. Each switch includes one or more ports. Each port provides access to the system for a control processor, an end-user, or another communications system. Within each switch, there is switching intelligence for routing a burst toward its destination port. A burst is a variable-length sequence of bytes which represents, for example, a block of data or a spurt of voice energy as sensed by silence/voice detectors located at voice ports. Within a communications link, a burst is transmitted one byte at a time in an assigned channel of sequential frames of the time-division multiplexed link. The routing intelligence at each switch employs dynamic allocation of bursts to channels within communications links such that any channel of a communications link is allocated only when a burst is being transmitted therein and such channel is otherwise available for transmission of another burst.
40 Citations
78 Claims
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1. A burst-switching communications system comprising:
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(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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A burst-switching communications system comprising:
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(a) a plurality of link switches; (b) 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; (c) 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; (d) 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; (e) 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 available 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 transmitted 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. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. A burst-switching communications system comprising:
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(a) a link switch; (b) A plurality of ports, each port being a component of said link switch, 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; and (c) 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 including means for routing a burst through said link switch from an origin port of said link switch to a destination port of said link switch, said routing means having processing capacity sufficient to support an effective transmission rate of at least 1.544 million information-bearing bits per second through said link switch. - View Dependent Claims (58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78)
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Specification