Computer program product for use with a network node for performing anonymous time synchronization in a network
US5784421A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 24, 1996 |
| Grant date | Jul 21, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 24, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04J3/0664
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A computer program product, such as a floppy disk with pre-recorded software, is provided. The computer program product is for use with a computer or processing system which is to function as a node within a network. Synchronization of a local time maintained at the node with a reference time is facilitated through execution of the prerecorded software by the node. Bursts of synchronization messages containing reference time stamps are transmitted over the network, or over a communication link, according to a predetermined protocol. The node receives and time stamps the messages. Thus, times according to a first time scale and a second time scale are obtained. The protocol defines temporal relationships between certain ones of the times. In accordance with the protocol, the node determines a difference between a first time according to one of the time scales and a time related to second and third times according to the other time scale. The node then updates its local time based on the difference. This synchronization method provides a well-defined upper bound of synchronization error, and allows the node to synchronize its internal time based only on information contained in the r…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.