LAN with dynamically selectable multiple operational capabilities
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A local area network or LAN, comprising:
- a plurality of at least three nodes;
a communication medium interconnecting all of the nodes as equal peers in a single network configuration;
common means associated with each of the nodes for communicating in accordance with a predetermined logical connectivity pattern between each node and all of the other ones of the nodes and for communicating frames containing data over the communication medium at a common operational capability; and
enhanced means additionally associated with the common means of each of at least two nodes, each node with which an enhanced means is associated being an enhanced node, each enhanced means communicating in accordance with a predetermined logical connectivity pattern between each enhanced node and all of the other ones of the enhanced nodes and communicating frames containing data over the medium at an enhanced operational capability, the enhanced operational capability achieving a substantially different form of data frame communication over the medium between enhanced nodes than the data frame communication over the medium achieved between nodes at the common operational capability.
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Reexamination
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Abstract
Multiple different operational capabilities, such as data transfer rates or communication protocols, are selectable for use on a single LAN. Enchanced nodes of the LAN have the capability of utilizing either an enhanced capability or a common capability in communicating with other nodes. Those basic nodes which are not of the enhanced variety have the capability of communicating utilizing the common capability. The enhanced nodes dynamically select the operational capability for the most efficient communication with other nodes.
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Citations
66 Claims
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1. A local area network or LAN, comprising:
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a plurality of at least three nodes; a communication medium interconnecting all of the nodes as equal peers in a single network configuration; common means associated with each of the nodes for communicating in accordance with a predetermined logical connectivity pattern between each node and all of the other ones of the nodes and for communicating frames containing data over the communication medium at a common operational capability; and enhanced means additionally associated with the common means of each of at least two nodes, each node with which an enhanced means is associated being an enhanced node, each enhanced means communicating in accordance with a predetermined logical connectivity pattern between each enhanced node and all of the other ones of the enhanced nodes and communicating frames containing data over the medium at an enhanced operational capability, the enhanced operational capability achieving a substantially different form of data frame communication over the medium between enhanced nodes than the data frame communication over the medium achieved between nodes at the common operational capability. - 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 method of communicating information frames between at least three nodes in a local area network or LAN, comprising:
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interconnecting all of the nodes as equal peers in a single network configuration; communicating frames containing data between all of the nodes at a common communication capability and in accordance with a predetermined logical connectivity pattern; communicating frames containing data between at least two nodes at an enhanced communication capability and in accordance with a predetermined logical connectivity pattern, the nodes between which frames are communicated at the enhanced capability each being an enhanced node; and achieving a substantially different form of data frame communication over the medium between enhanced nodes than the data frame communication over the medium achieved between nodes at the common operational capability. - 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 local area network or LAN of the token passing variety, comprising:
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a plurality of at least three nodes; a communication medium interconnecting all of the nodes as equal peers in a single network configuration; common means associated with each of the nodes for communicating in accordance with a predetermined logical connectivity pattern between each node and all of the other of the nodes at a common operational capability; and enhanced means additionally associated with the common means of each of at least two nodes, each node with which an enhanced means is associated being an enhanced node, each enhanced means communicating in accordance with a predetermined logical connectivity pattern between each enhanced node and all of the other ones of the enhanced nodes at an enhanced operational capability which is substantially different than the common operational capability;
each enhanced means further comprising;inserting means for inserting capability information in a token upon passing the token; extracting means for extracting any capability information from the tokens passed from each other node; determining means for determining if each other node is an enhanced node based on the capability information inserted in a token passed from said each other node; and selecting means operative in response to the determined capability information for selecting either the common capability or the enhanced capability for communicating with each other node. - View Dependent Claims (58)
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59. A local area network or LAN, comprising:
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a plurality of at least three nodes; a communication medium interconnecting all of the nodes as equal peers in a single network configuration; common means associated with each of the nodes for communicating in accordance with a predetermined logical connectivity pattern between each node and all of the other ones of the nodes at a common operational capability; and enhanced means additionally associated with the common means of each of at least two nodes, each node with which an enhanced means is associated being an enhanced node, each enhanced means communicating in accordance with a predetermined logical connectivity pattern between each enhanced node and all of the other ones of the enhanced nodes at an enhanced operational capability which is substantially different than the common operational capability;
each enhanced means further comprising;selecting means for selecting either the common capability or the enhanced capability for communicating with each other node, and determining means associated with each selecting means and operative for determining if each other node is an enhanced node; and
wherein;communicating between nodes includes sending a data packet from a source node to a destination node, said enhanced means associated with each enhanced source node and each enhanced destination node communicate with one another to establish the capability at which the data packet is to be sent as a part of the communication between enhanced nodes, and said determining means operatively makes the determination based on communications originating from the other node with which the communication occurs. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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65. A method of communicating information frames between at least three nodes in a local area network of the token passing varietey, comprising:
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interconnecting all of the nodes as equal peers in a single network configuration; communicating frames between all of the nodes at a common communication capability in accordance with a predetermined logical connectivity pattern; communicating frames between at least two nodes at an enhanced communication capability which is substantially different than the common communication capability in accordance with the predetermined logical connectivity pattern, the nodes between which frames are communicated at the enhanced capability each being an enhanced node; communicating capability information to the other enhanced nodes in at least some of the frames originating from each enhanced node, some of the frames being tokens; passing a token to communicate the capability information; inserting the capability information in the token upon passing the token from each enhanced node; extracting the capability information from at least some of the frames originating from each enhanced node; determining if the nodes between which a communication is to be directed are enhanced nodes by utilizing information contained in frames originating from each node to make the determination; and selecting either the common capability or the enhanced capability for communicating beteween the nodes based on the determination if the two nodes between which the communication is to be directed are enhanced nodes. - View Dependent Claims (66)
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Specification