Patent · US Expired

Network protocol for integrating synchronous and asynchronous traffic on a common serial data bus

US4593282A · kind A · utility

82Cited by
7References
35Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 14, 1983
Grant dateJun 3, 1986
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 14, 2003

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L12/64
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Contention among a plurality of synchronous and asynchronous devices connected to a shared communication medium for access to time slots in a sequence of frames is resolved by assigning a unique priority word including a priority code prefix to each device and granting access to a given slot by comparing the values of the priority words assigned to competing devices. The priority code prefix is assigned as a joint function of whether synchronous or asynchronous communication is desired and whether synchronous communication is being initiated or continued. In each assignment protocol, synchronous communication is enabled by assuring any device that initially gains access to a particular time slot continued access to the same slot in succeeding frames. If desired, devices with synchronous access may relinquish unused time slots to asynchronous traffic, while reserving the ability to resume synchronous communication.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.