Switch with tandem ports and outlet assembly
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A switch comprising:
- a plurality of ports, wherein at least one port of the plurality of ports comprises a first group of conductors and a second group of conductors;
a first switching unit for switching data signals of a first data protocol to one or more of the plurality of ports;
a second switching unit for switching data signals of a second data protocol to one or more of the plurality of ports; and
one or more logic elements for performing steps comprising;
determining the protocol of data signals received on the first group of conductors,determining the protocol of data signals received on the second group of conductors,directing the data signals received on the first group of conductors to either the first switching unit or the second switching unit based on the determined protocol of the data signals received on the first group of conductors, anddirecting the data signals received on the second group of conductors to either the first switching unit or second switching unit based on the determined protocol of the data signals received on the first group of conductors.
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Abstract
A switch with tandem ports and an outlet assembly permit individual segments of cable to be used with multiple data link protocol standards. The multiple data link protocols can be used either one at a time, with each group of wires in the cable carrying the same data link protocol in different communication sessions, or can be used in tandem, with each group of wires in the cable simultaneously carrying a different data link protocol.
30 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A switch comprising:
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a plurality of ports, wherein at least one port of the plurality of ports comprises a first group of conductors and a second group of conductors; a first switching unit for switching data signals of a first data protocol to one or more of the plurality of ports; a second switching unit for switching data signals of a second data protocol to one or more of the plurality of ports; and one or more logic elements for performing steps comprising; determining the protocol of data signals received on the first group of conductors, determining the protocol of data signals received on the second group of conductors, directing the data signals received on the first group of conductors to either the first switching unit or the second switching unit based on the determined protocol of the data signals received on the first group of conductors, and directing the data signals received on the second group of conductors to either the first switching unit or second switching unit based on the determined protocol of the data signals received on the first group of conductors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. On a switch linking two or more segments of a computer network, the switch comprising a physical port coupled to a cable, the cable comprising a first group of conductors and a second group of conductors, the switch further comprising a plurality of protocol-specific switching units, a method for processing data signals transmitted over the cable, the method comprising:
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receiving data signals over the first group of conductors, the data signals being formatted according to a data link protocol; determining the data link protocol of the data signals received over the first group of conductors; receiving data signals over the second group of conductors, the data signals being formatted according to a data link protocol; determining the data link protocol of the data signals received over the second group of conductors; directing the signals received over the first group of conductors to a protocol-specific switching unit of the plurality based on which data link protocol the data signals received over the first group of conductors are determined to be; and directing the signals received over the second group of conductors to a protocol-specific switching unit of the plurality based on which data link protocol the data signals received over the second group of conductors are determined to be. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for processing multiple sets of data signals, the method comprising:
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receiving a cable into a first physical port of a switch, the first physical port being one of a plurality of physical ports of the switch, the cable comprising a first group and a second group of conductors, the first group of conductors carrying data signals formatted according to a first data protocol, the second group of conductors carrying data signals formatted according to a second data protocol; identifying the first data protocol; directing the data signals carried by the first group of conductors to a first switching unit, the first switching unit being configured to interpret at least parts of the first data protocol; identifying the second data protocol; and directing the data signals carried by the second group of conductors to a second switching unit, the second switching unit being configured to interpret at least parts of the second data protocol. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An apparatus for securing cable connectors, the apparatus comprising:
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a plate for mounting onto surface; a first physical port disposed within the plate, the first physical port comprising a first set of conductors, the first physical port having an opening that faces away from the plate and that is capable of receiving a data connector; a second physical port disposed within the plate, the second physical port comprising a second set of conductors, the second physical port having an opening that faces away from the plate and that is capable of receiving a data connector; and a cable disposed on the opposite side of the surface as the openings of the first and second physical ports, the cable comprising a first set of wires that are in electrical contact with the first set of conductors and a second set of wires that are in electrical contact with the second set of conductors. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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26. A system for switching data signals formatted according to first data link protocol and for switching data signals formatted according to a second data link protocol, the apparatus being capable of receiving a plurality of physical cables, the apparatus comprising:
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means for receiving the data signals of the first data link protocol and the signals of the second data link protocol over the same physical cable of the plurality of physical cables; means for distinguishing between the data signals of the first data link protocol from the data signals of the second data link protocol; means for processing the data signals detected to be of the first data link protocol; means for processing the data signals detected to be of the second data link protocol; a first computer network that communicates using the first data link protocol; and a second computer network that communicates using the second data link protocol, wherein the first and second computer networks are linked to the apparatus by the physical cable. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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30. A system comprising:
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a first computer network comprising one or more computers communicating via a first communication protocol over a first set of conductors of a cable; a second computer network comprising one or more computers communicating via a second communication protocol over a second set of conductors of the cable; and a switch comprising a port for receiving the cable, the port comprising; a first set of conductors for passing signals of the first computer network in the first communication protocol, and a second set of conductors for passing signals of the second computer network in the second communication protocol. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33)
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Specification