Communication network apparatus and method

• US 7,298,710 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lu, Xiaolin
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah; Chirag G.
• Application Number:
  US10/328,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20030142634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,793 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/62 Wavelength based optical switching H04Q11/0062

Abstract

A communication network apparatus and method for routing communication signals from a source device to a receiving device. The apparatus performs only local processing on communication signals to thereby increase the speed of processing the signals. A plurality of the processing nodes are combined into a plurality of sub-networks that comprise the network apparatus. Each processing node of a sub-network need only process address information pertaining to the node'"'"'s current layer, one layer above it, if any, and one layer below it, if any. Additionally, each processing node has associated communication signal frequencies/wavelengths that identify the processing node as the intended recipient of the communication signal. When a communication signal having a carrier signal with a frequency/wavelength corresponding to the processing node is received, the processing node demodulates the carrier signal and forwards the communication signal data to a processing module used to process address information to determine how to route the communication signal through the network. Communication signals may be assigned “express” frequencies/wavelengths, in which case, all of the processing nodes, except the destination processing node, of the network pass the communication signal without performing processing on the communication signal.

Claims

1. A method for routing communication signals in a network organized into layers of sub-networks, comprising:

receiving in a sub-network, a communication signal from another sub-network or a child device, wherein each sub-network of each layer in the network is comprised of at least one processing node, and wherein the communication signal is received by one of the at least one processing node in the sub-network;

selecting a carrier signal based on a destination address of the communication signal;

outputting the carrier signal to one of an above sub-network, a below sub-network, a same sub-network, or a child device;

extracting a first portion address from the destination address;

selecting a carrier signal corresponding to a first processing node of an above sub-network if the first portion address does not include an address of the first processing node of the above sub-network;

outputting the carrier signal to the first processing node;

extracting a second portion address from the destination address if the first portion address includes the address of the first processing node;

selecting a carrier signal having a frequency that corresponds to a third processing node of a same sub-network if the second portion address does not correspond to an address of a current processing node;

modulating the carrier signal with the communication signal; and

outputting the modulated carrier signal to the third processing node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if the second portion address does correspond to an address of a current processing node, the method further comprises:

extracting a third portion address from the destination address;

selecting a carrier signal having a frequency that corresponds to a fourth processing node if the third portion address does not correspond to the child device;

modulating the carrier signal with the communication signal; and

outputting the modulated carrier signal to the fourth processing node.