Methods of communication for expandable telecommunication system
First Claim
1. A method of transferring information between a plurality of nodes which are connected in communicating relationship by an inter-nodal network to form an expandable telecommunications system, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) transmitting a packet over said inter-nodal network from one of said nodes when said packet is not utilized by another node, said packet containing information identifying said transmitting node, wherein said packet either contains information which said transmitting node intends to transfer to one or more other nodes or having a capacity to carry information;
(b) receiving at one of said one or more other nodes said packet;
(c) determining if said received packet is an empty packet or full packet;
(d) transmitting information destined for said transmitting node via said packet from said receiving node when said received packet is an empty packet;
(e) receiving said information destined for said receiving node at said receiving node when said received packet is full; and
(f) repeating step (a) through (e) at each of said one or more other nodes.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A means for transferring circuit switched data (CSD) and packet switched data (PSD) in an open, high speed, high bandwidth, expandable telecommunications system having a plurality of switching and non-switching nodes. The network may carry any type of information present in the system including voice, data, video, multimedia, control, configuration and maintenance, and the bandwidth of the network may be divided or shared across various information types. The network provides each node with essentially direct access to information (e.g., circuit switched data, packet switched data, etc.) originating from any port associated with any node served by the network. Different packet structures are provided for communicating circuit switched data, packet switched data, maintenance and control information, and the like. In one method, each node transmits one or more packets, each having an "empty" payload, which is received by other nodes that determine the source of the received packet and the packet'"'"'s status. The receiving node inserts information (if any) it has for the transmitting node into the payload, after which it allows the packet to pass to the next node on the network. The packet traverses the complete network and returns with a "full" payload to the transmitting node, wherein the packet information is captured by the transmitting node. In this fashion, information of any type originating from any port served by any node may be transferred to any other port of the same or different node in the system. In another method, each node uses the network to transmit one or more packets, each of which has a "full" payload that contains information originating from the transmitting node. Each such packet is received by the other nodes, each of which determines the origin of the packet and whether any of the information contained therein is needed by the receiving node. If so, such information is captured from the payload before the packet passes to the next adjacent node. This process is repeated until each node on the network has transmitted one or more packets with a "full" payload and each such packet has traversed the complete network, thereby allowing each node access to the information originated by each other node. These two methods may be combined as well.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method of transferring information between a plurality of nodes which are connected in communicating relationship by an inter-nodal network to form an expandable telecommunications system, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) transmitting a packet over said inter-nodal network from one of said nodes when said packet is not utilized by another node, said packet containing information identifying said transmitting node, wherein said packet either contains information which said transmitting node intends to transfer to one or more other nodes or having a capacity to carry information; (b) receiving at one of said one or more other nodes said packet; (c) determining if said received packet is an empty packet or full packet; (d) transmitting information destined for said transmitting node via said packet from said receiving node when said received packet is an empty packet; (e) receiving said information destined for said receiving node at said receiving node when said received packet is full; and (f) repeating step (a) through (e) at each of said one or more other nodes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of transferring information between a plurality of nodes which are connected in communicating relationship by an inter-nodal network to form an expandable telecommunications system, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) transmitting a packet over said inter-nodal network from one of said nodes, said packet containing source address information and information, if any, which said transmitting node intends to transfer to each of the remaining nodes; (b) receiving said packet at a first one of said remaining nodes and selectively extracting any information destined for such receiving node; (c) repeating step (b) at each of said remaining nodes, in turn, until said packet returns to the transmitting node; and (d) repeating steps (a) through (c) until each of said nodes has received a packet from every other node. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of transferring information between a plurality of nodes which are connected in communicating relationship by an inter-nodal network to form an expandable telecommunications system, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) transmitting a packet over said inter-nodal network from one of said nodes, said packet containing information identifying said transmitting node and having a capacity to carry information; (b) receiving said packet at a node other than said transmitting node, said receiving node performing the steps of; (1) selectively inserting information destined for said transmitting node into said packet, and (2) after said step (b)(1), allowing said packet to continue along said inter-nodal network to another node; (c) repeating step (b) at each node other than said transmitting node, in turn, until said packet returns to said transmitting node; (d) at said transmitting node retrieving from said returned packet the information inserted therein by other nodes; and (e) repeating steps (a) through (d) until each of the plurality of nodes has transmitted a packet and received that returned packet containing information from other nodes. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification