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Packet data transmission with asynchronous bandwidth switching

  • US 5,467,344 A
  • Filed: 04/25/1994
  • Issued: 11/14/1995
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1994
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. An asynchronously reconfigurable packet network node for transmitting digital message data to a remote packet network node over an outgoing digital transmission path and receiving digital message data from said remote node over an incoming digital transmission path, each of said digital transmission paths comprising a plurality of time division multiplexed digital channels and each of said digital channels having active and inactive states in response to respective channel connect and disconnect requests, said reconfigurable node comprising:

  • means for assigning to a packet data channel n of said digital channels in said outgoing transmission path, where n is an integer equal to or greater than zero;

    means for detecting appearance of connect/disconnect requests for any of said digital channels in said outgoing transmission path;

    means for transmitting predetermined unique pad characters in any of said digital channels in said outgoing transmission path in response to detection of the appearance of respective connect/disconnect requests for such channels, where said pad characters are ignored by said remote node whenever received and the flow of data in said packet data channel continues without interruption;

    means for transmitting a channel reassignment initiation signal to said remote node over said outgoing transmission path;

    means for receiving a channel reassignment acknowledgment signal from said remote node over said incoming transmission path, said acknowledgment signal signaling completion at said remote node of the channel reassignment requested by said initiation signal; and

    means responsive to receipt of said channel reassignment acknowledgment signal for changing the bandwidth of said packet data channel by changing the assignment with respect to said packet data channel of any of said digital channels in said outgoing transmission path containing said pad characters, where the flow of data in said packet data channel continues without interruption through said bandwidth change even though said acknowledgment signal is received subsequent in time to channel reassignment at said remote node.

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