Automatic detection of network hardware connection
US5701411A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 4, 1994 |
| Grant date | Dec 23, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 4, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/4022
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A network communication device has plural different connectors, each connectable to a network, and is capable of automatically selecting between the different connectors for network communication. A selector responsive to a selection signal selects one of the plural connectors, and a plurality of detectors, each associated with a corresponding connector, detects whether its corresponding connector is connected to the network. A processor executes a selection process by outputting a selection signal so as to select, in turn, each of the plural different connectors starting with a first connector, maintaining the state of the selection signal in a case where the detector associated with the selected connector indicates connection to the network, cycling to the next connector in a case where the detector does not indicate connection to the network, and repeating the selection process in a case where said processor has cycled through all of said plural connectors.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.