Parallel bridging
US5315592A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 23, 1992 |
| Grant date | May 24, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 23, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L12/462
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A network with parallel bridges transmits information packets over parallel paths between first and second terminals in a network having other terminals while maintaining conformity with a protocol that precludes establishing loops formed by links between terminals that allow information packets to recirculate indefinitely. There is a first pair of bridges with each bridge connected to a respective one of the first and second terminals and interconnected by a first link. There is a second pair of bridges each connected to a respective one of the first and second terminals and interconnected by a second link. At least one bridge in each of the first pair of bridges and the second pair of bridges is designatable as a master bridge and has a forwarding/filtering module for forwarding and filtering information packet transfer between the first and second terminals, a topology recognition/traffic assignment module for sensing the existence of parallel transmission paths between the first and second terminals and assigning information packets to respective ones of the parallel transmission paths for transfer between the first and second terminals, and a spanning tree module for providing…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.