Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for deriving addresses from stored address information for use in identifying devices during communication

US5371868A · kind A · utility

12Cited by
7References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 21, 1994
Grant dateDec 6, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 21, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L12/4625
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A plurality of physical addresses are derived from address information stored in an address memory of a bridge or other multi-port communication device, wherein the stored address information does not directly specify all the addresses. In a first embodiment, the stored addressing information specifies a single address value from a first block of preferably consecutive address values. A processor uses the first address value to derive a second address value from a second, different block of preferably consecutive address values, and then assigns both as, e.g., port addresses. In a second embodiment of the invention, the address memory stores address information which specifies a range of preferably consecutive address values, for instance, the first and last address values of the range. A processor fetches these address values from the address memory, identifies all address values within the range, and assigns them as, e.g., port addresses.

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