Multiplex communications – Communication techniques for information carried in plural... – Adaptive
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-07
2004-08-03
Patel, Ajit (Department: 2664)
Multiplex communications
Communication techniques for information carried in plural...
Adaptive
C370S395100, C370S410000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06771658
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for setting up or releasing a connection between a first terminal connected to a local area network and a second terminal connected to an asynchronous time division multiplexing network, hereafter abbreviated by and referred to as ATM-network, both networks being intercoupled by means of a network termination apparatus, as is further described in the non-characteristic part of claims
1
,
2
and
8
, whereby these respective claims refer to the method either being initiated from the network termination apparatus, or from a terminal connected to the local area network or the ATM network.
The present invention also relates to a first terminal for being connected to a local area network as is described by the non-characteristic part of claim
13
, to a predetermined terminal for being connected to a local area network as is referred to by the non-characteristic part of claim
14
and to a network termination apparatus for being coupled between this ATM network and this local area network, as is further described in the non-characteristic part of claims
23
and
26
, for realising the respective above mentioned variants of the method.
Such a method, as well as such a network termination apparatus, are already known in the art, e.g. from the “U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,590: ATM-UNI-LAN Communication method and apparatus”. Therein, a method of communication between an ATM-UNI ATM network and a local area network, abbreviated by LAN, is presented, whereby in case of data transmission from the LAN side towards the ATM-UNI, reference is made in column 1, line 35 to a connection request generated upon arrival of a data frame from a LAN terminal, requesting a controller within a communication apparatus for a connection. This prior art communication apparatus corresponds to the network termination apparatus referred to in the introductory part of claims
1
,
2
,
8
,
13
,
14
and
23
and
26
of this invention. Although not explicitly mentioned in the prior art document, this connection request is generated within the communication apparatus, since it is based upon incoming data frames transmitted from a LAN terminal to that communication apparatus. For prior art connections to be set up from a terminal connected to the ATM network to a terminal connected to the LAN network, in the prior art document a call set-up request from the ATM-UNI network is transmitted towards this communication apparatus and as well applied to the controller of this communication apparatus as is mentioned in column 1, lines 41-42. The prior art communication apparatus, includes, besides the controller, also a control unit, which operate in association with each other, to perform call processing, as stated in column
5
, lines 55-60. This means that they perform the necessary signalling function for setting up the connection with the terminal connected to the ATM network. In either case, for connections to be set up from the LAN side towards the ATM or vice-versa, the prior art communication apparatus, corresponding to the network termination apparatus referenced to in the introductory part of claims
1
,
2
,
8
,
13
,
14
,
23
and
26
, thus needs to include the necessary processing devices for terminating an ATM signalling protocol. Similarly, for releasing a connection between a terminal connected to the LAN network and a terminal connected to the ATM network, the communication apparatus of the prior art, corresponding to the network termination apparatus, also needs to perform the ATM signalling protocol for releasing this connection.
Since such a network termination apparatus is physically located at the customer's premise, cost and maintenance are important, which in case of the prior art solution, might become an issue. Therefore a method is needed whereby the complexity and consequently the cost and maintenance cost, of the network termination apparatus is reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a method for setting up or respectively releasing a connection between a terminal connected to one network type, local area or ATM, and another terminal connected to the other network type, as well as a network termination apparatus intercoupling both networks, of the above known type, but whereby the complexity of this network termination apparatus is significantly reduced with respect to the prior art solution.
According to the invention, this object is achieved due to the fact that said method is further realised as is described in the characteristic parts of respective claims
1
,
2
and
8
, that a predetermined terminal coupled to said local area network, is further adapted in accordance to claim
14
, that the network termination apparatus is further adapted in accordance to claims
23
and
26
and that, for the method initiated from the local area network side as is described in claim
2
, a first terminal coupled to said local area network is further adapted in accordance to claim
13
.
In this way, a connection set-up request message or a connection release request message, generated by said network termination apparatus for requesting to set up or to release a connection between a first terminal connected to the local area network and a second terminal connected to the ATM network, is now no longer directed towards a controller within the network termination apparatus, but towards a predetermined terminal, connected to the local area network and which is adapted to terminate an ATM signalling protocol, as is explained in claims
1
and
23
. As a result, the complexity and consequently, the cost of the network termination apparatus is significantly reduced.
In a variant of the method, the first terminal is itself adapted to generate this request for setting up or for releasing this connection, and to transmit its own generated LAN connection set-up or release request message towards said predetermined terminal, as is explained in claims
2
and
13
. Again in this case the network termination apparatus can be kept simple.
Similarly, signalling protocol messages, transmitted from the ATM network for setting up or releasing a connection between a second terminal connected to the ATM network and a first terminal connected to the local area network, are no longer terminated within the network termination apparatus, but are merely converted in this apparatus into corresponding local area network messages which are then consecutively transferred towards the predetermined terminal connected to the local area network, adapted for terminating the some ATM signalling protocol, as is explained in method claim
8
and network termination arrangement claim
26
. Upon receipt of these local area network messages consisting of converted ATM signalling protocol messages, this predetermined terminal will in its turn send adequate ATM messages for performing the signalling protocol, back to the network termination apparatus.
In each case, the ATM signalling protocol termination is performed in this predetermined terminal at the local area network side, as is stated in claim
14
, thereby omitting the necessary processing devices for terminating an ATM signalling protocol in the network termination apparatus, thus seriously reducing the complexity of this apparatus, and consequently the cost and maintenance of it. A second conversion means for converting back and forth between ATM messages and local area network message, and for distinguishing between incoming ATM messages these ATM messages pertaining to an ATM signalling protocol, was already included and described in the prior art network adaptation apparatus. Therefore an extra functionality required in the network adaptation apparatus with respect to the prior art, is the conversion of these distinguished ATM signalling protocol messages into corresponding local area network messages, for further transmission towards the predetermined terminal, as is stated by claim
26
. This added functional step hardly requires extra hardware or processing pow
Heyninck Geert
Verbesselt Ivan
Alcatel
Patel Ajit
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
LandOfFree
Signalling between ATM and local area networks does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Signalling between ATM and local area networks, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Signalling between ATM and local area networks will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3329418