System and method for controlling access to a shared channel for cell transmission in shared media networks
US5648958A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 5, 1995 |
| Grant date | Jul 15, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 5, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L2012/5679
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method for controlling access to a shared channel for cell transmission in a shared medium network, wherein the shared medium distribution portion of said network extends from a node to a plurality of terminals within a community, having a tree-and-branch bus topology, has a downstream broadcast channel from said node to all terminals on said distribution network; a shared upstream channel from all of said terminals to said node; and a network controller at said node for central control of access of media transmissions from said terminals over said upstream channel. Media access control protocols reside in said controller and in said terminals. An asynchronous transmission mode (ATM) network element with said controller has ATM shared channel protocols to provide dynamic bandwidth allocation of said upstream channel. The system grants access to said shared upstream channel to any of said terminals utilizing a plurality of multiplexing modes of operation. A media access control cell with protocol control information is periodically inserted within broadcasts by said ATM network element on said downstream channel of said distribution portion of said network to said termi…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.