Patent · US Expired

Traffic flow control and call set-up in multi-hop broadband networks

US5128932A · kind A · utility

127Cited by
6References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateAug 27, 1990
Grant dateJul 7, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 27, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L2012/5629
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A methodology is disclosed for traffic control administered locally at each individual node in a packet network. Packet level controls at a node pertain to whether to admit a new packet into the network and whether to momentarily detain passing-through packets. The nodes apply the "back-pressure" of congestion on one another and thereby cooperate to smooth traffic and alleviate the accumulation of packets at any single node. The decision process in packet level control involves two basic operations. First, the address of the packet is translated into a binary word via a static routing table and then, secondly, the binary word and control data representative of dynamic traffic information are operated on logically; traffic control decisions, such as detain a passing-through packet or permit entry of a packet into the network, are based primarily on the result of the logical operation. In setting-up a real-time call, a stream, of scout packets representative of the real-time packets is screened for entry into the network as influx packets. If all scout packets are permitted to enter the network in a given time period, then the real-time data packets are cleared for propagation.

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