Method and apparatus for converting data packets between a higher bandwidth network and a lower bandwidth network having multiple channels
First Claim
1. A method for converting a data stream comprising first data having a plurality of first data packets and idle bytes interposed therebetween received from a broadband network to another data stream, comprising second data having the plurality of second data packets for communication on a payload network having a narrower bandwidth than said broadband network, said payload network having two channels, method comprisingreceiving the first data from the broadband network;
- converting said first data into a serial data-stream;
identifying idle bytes and non-idle bytes in said serial data-stream;
removing said idle bytes from said first data thereby providing a reduced data;
providing said reduced data to one or another of said two channels of said payload network as follows;
writing said non-idle bytes into a first buffer if space is available therein;
writing said non-idle bytes into a second buffer if space is not available in said first buffer;
writing a place keeping flag into said first and second buffers in substitution of an idle byte omitted from the data stream stored therein;
outputting said non-idle bytes from each of said first and second buffers; and
converting said outputted non-idle bytes into respective said second data packets.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for converting packetized data received from a broadband network to a multi-channel payload network having a narrower bandwidth is disclosed. The method includes converting a packet received from the broadband network to a serial stream having first and second pluralities of bytes, the second plurality of bytes being idle; removing the idle bytes from the serial stream thereby providing a reduced data; demultiplexing sequentially occurring reduced data across plural channels of a narrower bandwidth payload network and converting each channels reduced data to corresponding second packets of the payload network. The method also includes receiving the respective second packets from the respective channels of the payload network; converting the packets to corresponding serial data streams and multiplexing the streams to restore an original sequence; inserting substitute idle bytes in substitution of the idle bytes removed from the first serial stream thereby providing a restored data; and converting the multiplexed and restored data to a third packet of the broadband network.
23 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A method for converting a data stream comprising first data having a plurality of first data packets and idle bytes interposed therebetween received from a broadband network to another data stream, comprising second data having the plurality of second data packets for communication on a payload network having a narrower bandwidth than said broadband network, said payload network having two channels, method comprising
receiving the first data from the broadband network; -
converting said first data into a serial data-stream; identifying idle bytes and non-idle bytes in said serial data-stream; removing said idle bytes from said first data thereby providing a reduced data; providing said reduced data to one or another of said two channels of said payload network as follows; writing said non-idle bytes into a first buffer if space is available therein; writing said non-idle bytes into a second buffer if space is not available in said first buffer; writing a place keeping flag into said first and second buffers in substitution of an idle byte omitted from the data stream stored therein; outputting said non-idle bytes from each of said first and second buffers; and converting said outputted non-idle bytes into respective said second data packets. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for converting a first data packet and a second data packet from a format of a first broadband network to a format of a payload network for transmission thereon and thereafter converting back to a format of the first broadband network, comprising
converting bytes of said first data packet to a first serial data stream; -
identifying idle bytes and non-idle bytes in said first serial data stream; sequentially writing said non-idle bytes of said first data stream into one of two buffers; inserting a place keeping flag into said one of two buffers at a location corresponding to a location of an idle byte next following said non-idle byte; converting bytes of said second data packet to a second serial data stream; identifying idle bytes and non-idle bytes in said second serial data stream; sequentially writing said non-idle bytes of said second serial data stream into another of two buffers; inserting a place keeping flag into said another of two buffers at a location corresponding to a location of an idle byte next following said icon-idle byte; inserting a switch flag into said one of two buffers; serially outputting a contents of each of said two buffers; converting said outputted contents to respective payload network packets; converting said payload network packets to respective payload network serial data streams; writing said payload network serial data streams to respective buffers; identifying said place keeping flags in each of said payload network serial data streams; replacing said place keeping flags with substitute idle bytes, thereby obtaining and resequencing said respective first and second serial data streams in relation to each other.
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15. A communication system for converting data packets of a broadband network, comprising non-idle bytes and idle bytes together forming first data into data packets of a narrower bandwidth payload network, comprising non-idle bytes, the system comprising:
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a receiver for receiving said first data; an idle bytes identifier in communication with said receiver; a demultiplexer connected to said idle bytes identifier; two buffers connected to said demultiplexer; a logic circuit connected to said idle bytes identifier and said two buffers for enabling and disabling writing of said first data into one or another of said two buffers, in response to a signal from said idle bytes identifier; and means for inserting a place keeping flag in one or another of said two buffers in substitution of said idle bytes when said logic circuit disables writing of said first data. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A communication system for converting data packets from a format of a payload network to a format of a broadband network having a wider bandwidth than said payload network, comprising
two channels for respectively carrying first and second data each of said first and second data having non-idle bytes and place keeping flags; -
first and second buffers for buffering said first and second data, respectively; a multiplexer connected to said first and second buffers; means for replacing said place keeping flags by substitute idle bytes, and a logic circuit for switching an input of said multiplexer from a first of said two buffers to another of said two buffers in response to a switch flag appended to one of said first and second data. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification