US5875314A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Configurable connection fabric for providing serial backplanes with adaptive port/module bandwidth
Assignee: Avaya Inc
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Filing: 1996-11-01
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Granted: 1999-02-23
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Expires: 2016-11-01
Abstract
Abstract A configurable connection fabric between a switching fabric and a backplane allows any of the ports of the backplane to be connected to any of the ports of the switching fabric. The connection fabric receives bandwidth load requirements from modules connected to the backplane and uses these load requirements to determine the number of ports required to make a particular connection.
Inventors
- 👤 Philip K. Edholm
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 09:06
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04Q; H04Q11/00; H04Q11/04; H04Q11/0428; H04Q11/0478; H04L; H04L49/00; H04L49/25; H04L49/253; H04L49/40; H04L49/10; H04L49/101; H04L49/102
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
122 words
A configurable connection subsystem to connect first ports coupled to a switching fabric and second ports connected to a digital system, the connection subsystem comprising: configurable switch means for connecting the first ports to the second ports in response to configuration control signals; and control means, coupled to the configurable switch means, for creating and sending configuration control signals to the switch means to configure the switch means to connect each of a selected number of the second ports to corresponding ones of the first ports, the control means including means for receiving bandwidth requirements indicating a need for the selected number of ports, and configuration means for determining a configuration of the switch means based upon the selected number of ports.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
122 words
A configurable connection subsystem to connect first ports coupled to a switching fabric and second ports connected to a digital system, the connection subsystem comprising: configurable switch means for connecting the first ports to the second ports in response to configuration control signals; and control means, coupled to the configurable switch means, for creating and sending configuration control signals to the switch means to configure the switch means to connect each of a selected number of the second ports to corresponding ones of the first ports, the control means including means for receiving bandwidth requirements indicating a need for the selected number of ports, and configuration means for determining a configuration of the switch means based upon the selected number of ports.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
The connection subsystem of claim 1, wherein the configurable switch means includes a programmable crossbar switch.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The connection subsystem of claim 1, wherein the control means includes a processor coupled to the crossbar switch by a control bus.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
The connection subsystem of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth requirements indicate the number of ports required, and wherein the configuration means includes means for determining the total number of second ports required using the bandwidth requirements.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
172 words
A switching system comprising a switching fabric including first data ports transmitting data, and dynamic interconnection circuitry for routing the data between the first data ports; a digital system including a plurality of modules, and second data ports coupled to the modules; and a configurable connection fabric, coupled to the switching fabric and the digital system, including first switching ports coupled to the first data ports, second switching ports coupled to the second data ports, configurable switch means for connecting the first ports to the second ports in response to configuration control signals; and control means, coupled to the configurable switch means, for creating and sending configuration control signals to the switch means to configure the switch means to connect each of a selected number of the second ports to corresponding ones of the first ports, the control means including means for receiving bandwidth requirements indicating a need for the selected number of ports, and configuration means for determining a configuration of the switch means based upon the selected number of ports.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
172 words
A switching system comprising a switching fabric including first data ports transmitting data, and dynamic interconnection circuitry for routing the data between the first data ports; a digital system including a plurality of modules, and second data ports coupled to the modules; and a configurable connection fabric, coupled to the switching fabric and the digital system, including first switching ports coupled to the first data ports, second switching ports coupled to the second data ports, configurable switch means for connecting the first ports to the second ports in response to configuration control signals; and control means, coupled to the configurable switch means, for creating and sending configuration control signals to the switch means to configure the switch means to connect each of a selected number of the second ports to corresponding ones of the first ports, the control means including means for receiving bandwidth requirements indicating a need for the selected number of ports, and configuration means for determining a configuration of the switch means based upon the selected number of ports.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The switching system of claim 5, wherein the configurable switch means includes a programmable crossbar switch.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The switching system of claim 5, wherein the control means includes a processor coupled to the crossbar switch by a control bus.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
The switching system of claim 5, wherein the switching fabric includes means, coupled to the control means, for controlling the dynamic interconnection circuitry.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The switching system of claim 5, wherein the modules include means for generating the bandwidth requirements.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
22 words
The switching system of claim 5, wherein the digital system includes a backplane connected between the modules and the second data ports.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
45 words
The switching system of claim 5, wherein the bandwidth requirements indicate the number of second switching ports required for at least one of the modules, and wherein the configuration means includes means for determining the total number of second ports required using the bandwidth requirements.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
63 words
A method of connecting first ports coupled to a switching fabric and second ports coupled to a digital system comprising the steps of: receiving bandwidth requirements indicating a need for a selected number of ports; determining a switching configuration based upon the bandwidth requirements; generating configuration control signals to implement the switching configuration; and sending the configuration control signals to a configurable switch.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
63 words
A method of connecting first ports coupled to a switching fabric and second ports coupled to a digital system comprising the steps of: receiving bandwidth requirements indicating a need for a selected number of ports; determining a switching configuration based upon the bandwidth requirements; generating configuration control signals to implement the switching configuration; and sending the configuration control signals to a configurable switch.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 12, further including the step of configuring the configurable switch fabric in response to the configuration control signals.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-02-22 | 2002-08-24 | 2003-02-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-02-22 | 2006-08-24 | 2007-02-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-02-22 | 2010-08-24 | 2011-02-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |