Fiber optic voice/data network
First Claim
1. In a communications network for transmitting packets of information between nodes attached to a common communications path, the improvement for permitting a plurality of nodes to transmit and recieve voice, video, and other forms of real-time traffic between one another over one local area network comprising:
- a plurality of interfacing units operably connecting respective ones of the nodes to the communications path, each interfacing unit comprising,(a) transmitter means for transmitting onto the communications path;
(b) receiver means for removing transmissions from the communications path;
(c) a non-fixed length, expandable, elastic FIFO transmitting buffer connected to receive continuous real-time transmissions from its associated node;
(d) a non-fixed length, expandable, elastic FIFO receiving buffer connected to receive transmissions from said receiver means;
(e) transmitting logic means for removing said real-time transmissions from said transmitting buffer, for dividing said real-time transmissions into a sequence of packets, and for using said transmitter means to transmit said packets onto the communications path; and
,(f) receiving logic means for receiving said packets from said receiver means, for storing said packets into said receiving buffer, and for removing said packets from said receiving buffer and transmitting them to the associated node in contiguous form to reconstruct said real-time transmissions.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An asynchronous, high-speed, fiber optic local area network originally developed for tactical environments with additional benefits for other environments such as spacecraft, and the like. The network supports ordinary data packet traffic simultaneously with synchronous T1 voice traffic over a common token ring channel; however, the techniques and apparatus of this invention can be applied to any deterministic class of packet data networks, including multitier backbones, that must transport stream data (e.g., video, SAR, sensors) as well as data. A voice interface module parses, buffers, and resynchronizes the voice data to the packet network employing elastic buffers on both the sending and receiving ends. Voice call setup and switching functions are performed external to the network with ordinary PABX equipment. Clock information is passed across network boundaries in a token passing ring by preceeding the token with an idle period of non-transmission which allows the token to be used to re-establish a clock synchronized to the data. Provision is made to monitor and compensate the elastic receiving buffers so as to prevent them from overflowing or going empty.
297 Citations
17 Claims
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1. In a communications network for transmitting packets of information between nodes attached to a common communications path, the improvement for permitting a plurality of nodes to transmit and recieve voice, video, and other forms of real-time traffic between one another over one local area network comprising:
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a plurality of interfacing units operably connecting respective ones of the nodes to the communications path, each interfacing unit comprising, (a) transmitter means for transmitting onto the communications path; (b) receiver means for removing transmissions from the communications path; (c) a non-fixed length, expandable, elastic FIFO transmitting buffer connected to receive continuous real-time transmissions from its associated node; (d) a non-fixed length, expandable, elastic FIFO receiving buffer connected to receive transmissions from said receiver means; (e) transmitting logic means for removing said real-time transmissions from said transmitting buffer, for dividing said real-time transmissions into a sequence of packets, and for using said transmitter means to transmit said packets onto the communications path; and
,(f) receiving logic means for receiving said packets from said receiver means, for storing said packets into said receiving buffer, and for removing said packets from said receiving buffer and transmitting them to the associated node in contiguous form to reconstruct said real-time transmissions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A local area communications network for permitting a plurality of nodes to transmit and receive voice, video, and other forms of real-time traffic between one another comprising:
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(a) a communications medium disposed along a path between the nodes; (b) a plurality of interfacing units operably connecting respective ones of the nodes to said communications medium, each interfacing unit comprising, (b1) transmitter means for transmitting onto said communications medium; (b2) receiver means for removing transmissions from said communications medium; (b3) a non-fixed length, expandable, elastic FIFO transmitting buffer connected to receive continuous real-time transmissions from is associated node; (b4) a non-fixed length, expandable, elastic FIFO receiving buffer connected to receive transmissions from said receiver means; (b5) transmitting logic means for removing said real-time transmissions from said transmitting buffer, for dividing said real-time transmissions into a sequence of packets, and for using said transmitter means to transmit said packets onto said communications medium; and
,(b6) receiving logic means for receiving said packets from said receiver means, for storing said packets into said receiving buffer, and for removing said packets form said receiving buffer and transmitting them to the associated node in contiguous form to reconstruct said real-time transmissions. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. The method of operating a local area communications network to permit a plurality of nodes to transmit and receive voice, video, and other forms of real-time traffic between one another comprising the steps of:
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(a) disposing a communications medium along a path between the nodes; (b) employing a plurality of interfacing units to operably connect respective ones of the nodes to the communications medium; (c) inputting real-time communications traffic from a transmitting node into a non-fixed length, expandable, elastic FIFO transmitting buffer; (d) removing stored traffic from the transmitting buffer in fixed length packets and transmitting the packets sequentially onto the communications medium; (e) inputting the packets sequentially from the communications medium into a non-fixed length, expandable, elastic FIFO receiving buffer at a receiving node; and
,(f) removing the packets from the receiving buffer and transmitting them to the associated receiving node in contiguous form to reconstruct the original real-time transmission. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification