Guaranteed reliable broadcast network
First Claim
1. In a method of providing guaranteed reliable data communications over a digital communications network, including the following steps:
- (a) monitoring said network for digital messages with an arbitrator node coupled to said network;
(b) reserving network message slots for exclusive use by said arbitrator node; and
(c) transmitting arbitrator messages identifying said messages monitored by said monitoring step (a) during said reserved message slots.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This system guarantees reliable data transmission for one-to-one, one-to-many and/or many-to-many communications among data processing stations over a communications network. A general solution is presented, and a new concept (the arbitrator node) is discussed in detail. Special logical nodes and a new communications protocol are used so that a message is guaranteed to be received if a receiver(s) wants to receive the message even though a receiver(s) may be busy, slow or temporarily powered off. An optional management station controls orderly start and stop of group communications or conferences, and may also handle secure, confidential communications. This guaranteed, reliable, one-to-one, one-to-many or many-to-many system can be applied to overcome previously unsolved problems.
164 Citations
53 Claims
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1. In a method of providing guaranteed reliable data communications over a digital communications network, including the following steps:
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(a) monitoring said network for digital messages with an arbitrator node coupled to said network; (b) reserving network message slots for exclusive use by said arbitrator node; and (c) transmitting arbitrator messages identifying said messages monitored by said monitoring step (a) during said reserved message slots. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of providing guaranteed reliable data communications over a digital communications network, including the following steps:
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(a) monitoring said network for digital messages with an arbitrator node coupled to said network; (b) transmitting arbitrator messages identifying said messages monitored by said monitoring step (a); (c) receiving said digital messages and said arbitrator message with a further node connected to said network; (d) comparing, at said further node, messages received by said further node with messages identified by said arbitrator message; and (e) retransmitting selected ones of said digital messages in response to the results of said comparison. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. In a method of providing guaranteed reliable data communications over a digital communications network, including the following steps:
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(a) monitoring said network for digital messages with an arbitrator node coupled to said network; (b) reserving network time intervals for transmission by said arbitrator node; and (c) transmitting arbitrator messages identifying said messages monitored by said monitoring step (a) during said reserved time intervals. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. In a method of providing guaranteed reliable data communications over a digital communications network, comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving digital messages from said network with an arbitrator node coupled to said network; and (b) transmitting an arbitrator message identifying said messages received by said receiving step (a) upon any of;
(i) receipt of a predetermined number of said messages by said receiving step (a), and (ii) the occurrence of a reference point in time if less than said predetermined number of messages have been received upon said occurrence. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. In a method of providing guaranteed reliable data communications over a digital communications network, comprising the steps of:
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(a) transmitting plural digital messages over said network during corresponding message transmission periods; (b) inhibiting said transmitting step (a) during recurring message transmission periods reserved for use by an arbitrator node coupled to said network; (c) receiving said plural messages transmitted by said transmitting step (a) with said arbitrator node; and (d) during said reserved message transmission periods, transmitting, with said arbitrator node, arbitrator messages identifying said plural messages received by said receiving step (c) since the last time an arbitrator message was transmitted. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. In a method of providing guaranteed reliable data communications to plural nodes connected to a digital communications network, comprising the steps of:
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(a) transmitting plural digital messages over said network in a sequence; (b) receiving said plural messages transmitted by said transmitting step (a) with an arbitrator node coupled to said network; (c) generating an arbitrator message in response to said plural messages received by said receiving step (b) after m messages (m an integer) have been received by said arbitrator node or upon occurrence of a reference point in time if less than m messages have been received upon occurrence of said reference point in time, said arbitrator message identifying said plural messages received by said receiving step (b); and (d) transmitting said arbitrator message over said network.
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22. A method of providing guaranteed reliable data communications between first, second and third nodes connected to a digital communications network, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) transmitting a first digital message from said first node over said network during a first message slot; (b) transmitting a second digital message from said second node over said network during a second message slot different than said first message slot; (c) receiving said first message and said second message with said third node; (d) storing within said third node at least an identification of said first and second messages received by said receiving step (c); (e) receiving said first message and said second message with an arbitrator node also coupled to said network; (f) generating an arbitrator message identifying said messages received by said receiving step (e); (g) transmitting said arbitrator message over said network during a further message slot; (h) receiving said arbitrator message with said third node; (i) comparing the contents of said arbitrator message with said identifications stored by said storing step (d); and (j) originating a retransmission request message with said third node if said comparing step (i) reveals a discrepancy between the messages received by said receiving step (c) and the messages identified by said arbitrator message. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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26. In a method of providing guaranteed reliable data communications over a digital communications network, including the following steps:
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(a) monitoring said network for digital messages with an arbitrator node coupled to said network; (b) transmitting an arbitrator message identifying said messages monitored by said monitoring step (a); and (c) specifying within said arbitrator message a future message slot reserved for said arbitrator node. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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30. In a method of providing guaranteed reliable data communications over a digital communications network, including the following steps:
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(a) monitoring said network for digital messages with an arbitrator node coupled to said network; (b) transmitting an arbitrator message identifying said messages monitored by said monitoring step (a); (c) specifying in said arbitrator message a future time interval; (d) repeating said monitoring step (a) subsequent to said transmitting step (b); and (e) repeating said transmitting step (b) within said future time interval. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33)
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34. A method of improving the performance of a digital communications network, said method including the following steps:
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(a) monitoring said network for digital messages with an arbitrator node coupled to said network; (b) specifying future message slots for use by other nodes in response to said digital messages; and (c) transmitting an arbitrator message identifying said reserved future message slots. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. In a method of providing guaranteed reliable one-to-one data communication over a digital communications network, including the following steps:
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(a) transmitting a digital message from a first node to a second node over said network; (b) receiving said digital message with said second node; (c) also receiving said digital message with an arbitrator node over said network; and (d) transmitting, over said network with said arbitrator node, an arbitrator message identifying reception of said digital message. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. In a method of providing reliable data communications based on message priority over a digital communications network, including the following steps:
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(a) assigning a message priority for digital messages that are transmitted over said network; (b) reserving future message slots in response to said message priority assignment with an arbitrator node coupled to said network; and (c) transmitting at least one arbitrator message with said arbitrator node identifying said reserved future message slots. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A method of providing guaranteed reliable broadcast data communication to plural digital signal processing stations connected to a digital signal communications network, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) originating a digital signal message; (b) transmitting said message to a retransmission station; (c) assigning a global identifier to said message by said retransmission station; (d) retransmitting said message together with said assigned global identifier to all said plural digital signal processing stations; (e) testing said message by each said plural station to determine whether the said message has been received before by said station; (f) retransmitting said message to each of said data processing stations if said testing step (e) reveals said message has not been received before; (g) repeating said testing step (e) and retransmitting steps (f) until all said plural stations receive the said message.
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51. In a method of providing guaranteed reliable communications over a communications network of the type having plural nodes, including at least a first node, coupled thereto, said network communicating a stream of messages, including the following steps:
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(a) providing, at said first node, a message to be communicated over said network; (b) generating a global message sequence identifier; (c) communicating said global message sequence identifier to said first node; and (d) broadcasting said message from said first node over said network in a sequence, with respect to said stream of messages, which is responsive to said communicated global message sequence identifier. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53)
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Specification