Multipath hierarchical network
US4952930A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 18, 1988 |
| Grant date | Aug 28, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 18, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L49/254
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A hierarchy of multipath networks selectively provides connections between a plurality of sources and a plurality of destinations in a communications system. The hierarchy comprises a first multipath network without buffering which consists of two or more stages and constituting a fast path for connecting a source to a destination. At least a second multipath network with buffering and comprising a plurality of stages constitutes an alternate, slower path for connecting a source to a destination in the event that a connection between the source and the destination is blocked in the fast path. The address field of a message from a source is examined at each stage to select an appropriate connection to the next stage and, if the connection is available, the message, stripped of the address field, is propagated to the second stage, but if the next stage is blocked, the message is stopped and a negative acknowledgment is returned to the source. Retransmission of the message through the second network of the hierarchy is initiated upon the receipt of a negative acknowledgment at the source. The concept may be extended to multiple levels, with only the last stage providing buffering.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.