Communication protocol converter and method of protocol conversion
US8271620B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 13, 2003 |
| Grant date | Sep 18, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 17, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L69/329
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention generally relates to a communication protocol converter to allow a legacy device utilizing IPv4 to operate across the network using IPv6. In a first embodiment of the invention, two modular Ethernet connectors are placed side-by-side. A first modular connector receives IPv4 Ethernet data which is converted to a raw data signal. The data is transmitted from the first modular connector to a second modular connector by a bidirectional data line. The second connector receives the raw data, and a raw data-to-Ethernet conversion is completed providing output at IPv6. The present invention utilizes the form factor structure of the Ethernet connectors, so that the entire electronic circuitry is contained within the connectors to complete the conversion. An alternate embodiment incorporates the connectors into a single housing and the conversion is completed internally by a microprocessor and embedded software. A method of IPv4 to IPv6 conversion is additionally disclosed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.