Routing in a packet switched network
First Claim
1. A method of routing a data packet in a packet switched network, the method comprising the steps ofa) generating a data packet header containing at least the longitudes and latitudes of the source and destination routers of the data packet, the header also containing a direction indicator indicating the direction of transmission of the packet and a distance counter indicating one of the distance travelled by the packet in the indicated direction and the remaining distance in that direction;
- b) sending the data packet in the indicated direction to a neighboring router and updating the distance counter, c) examining the data packet header at the receiving router to determine whether the receiving router represents the destination router in the indicated direction;
d) sending the data packet in the indicated direction to a neighboring router and updating the distance counter if the router does not represent the destination router;
e) updating the direction indicator with an indicator orthogonal to the original indicator and calculating a new distance counter indicating one of the distance travelled by the packet in the new indicated direction and the remaining distance in that direction if the router represents the destination router, and f) repeating steps b) through d) until the receiving router represents the destination router in the indicated direction.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a packet switched network, an address is allocated to a user of the packet switched network. The address includes information identifying the geographical location of the user, such as longitude, lattitude, and altitude. The address is used to route data packets over the network from a remote location to the user, taking into account the geographic location of each router in relation to the location of the user. A method of allocating the address to the user includes determining the geographical location of the user using a Global Positioning System receiver and generating an address based on the determined geographical location.
63 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A method of routing a data packet in a packet switched network, the method comprising the steps of
a) generating a data packet header containing at least the longitudes and latitudes of the source and destination routers of the data packet, the header also containing a direction indicator indicating the direction of transmission of the packet and a distance counter indicating one of the distance travelled by the packet in the indicated direction and the remaining distance in that direction; -
b) sending the data packet in the indicated direction to a neighboring router and updating the distance counter, c) examining the data packet header at the receiving router to determine whether the receiving router represents the destination router in the indicated direction;
d) sending the data packet in the indicated direction to a neighboring router and updating the distance counter if the router does not represent the destination router;
e) updating the direction indicator with an indicator orthogonal to the original indicator and calculating a new distance counter indicating one of the distance travelled by the packet in the new indicated direction and the remaining distance in that direction if the router represents the destination router, and f) repeating steps b) through d) until the receiving router represents the destination router in the indicated direction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 10)
each router acts to change the indicated direction of the received data packet in the event that the distance counter indicates that the router is the destination router in the indicated direction, wherein the change in the indicated direction is one of switching from north/south to east/west, switching from east/west to north/south, and causing the received data packet to be sent to a user connected to the router.
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6. Apparatus for use in allocating an address to a user of a packet switched network, the apparatus comprising:
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input means for receiving a geographical location of the user; and
processing means for generating an address based on the received geographical location, wherein the processing means is arranged to generate a data packet header containing at least the longitudes and latitudes of the source and destination routers of the data packet, the header also containing a direction indicator indicating the direction of transmission of the packet and a distance counter indicating one of the distance travelled by the packet in the indicated direction and the remaining distance in that direction.
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7. A device for accessing a packet switched data network, the device comprising:
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position determining means for determining a geographical location of the device;
input means for receiving the geographical location of the device; and
processing means for generating an address based on the received geographical location, wherein the processing means is arranged to generate a data packet header containing at least the longitudes and latitudes of the source and destination routers of the data packet, the header also containing a direction indicator indicating the direction of transmission of the packet and a distance counter indicating one of the distance travelled by the packet in the indicated direction and the remaining distance in that direction.
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- 8. A packet switched data network comprising a plurality of interconnected routers, wherein each router has a knowledge of its own geographical location and the geographical location of each of its neighboring routers, each of the routers being arranged to route a received data packet to a neighboring router on the basis of its own location, the location of each of the neighboring routers, and the geographical destination and routing information contained in the data packet, wherein each router is arranged to examine a direction indicator contained in a received data packet to determine the current transmission direction of the received data packet, and each router examines a distance counter contained in the received data packet, the distance counter indicating one of a distance which the received data packet has travelled in an indicated direction and a distance which remains for the received data packet to travel in an indicated direction.
Specification