Zhone Technologies, Inc.

Nec America, Inc.

Robert Wesley Brooks

Steven Scott Gorshe

A SONET network interface for interconnecting at least one high speed unit (HSU) with at least two low speed interface units (LSUs) to enable transmission of signals therebetween. The interface having: a common bus of predetermined bit width for interfacing the HSU unit with each of the LSU units to enable transmission of signals from each of the LSUs to the HSU, and reception of the signals from the HSU to each of the LSUs; a first partition bus of the predetermined bit width for interfacing the HSU to a predetermined number of the LSUs, the first partition bus being partitioned into a first bus for interfacing the HSU to a first subset of the LSUs and a second bus for interfacing the HSU to a second subset of the LSUs; and a second partition bus of the predetermined bit width for interfacing the HSU to a predetermined number of the LSU units.

Flexible SONET access and transmission system

A SONET network interface for interconnecting a high speed unit (HSU) with low speed interface units (LSUs) to enable transmission of signals therebetween. The interface including: a bus for interfacing the HSU with each of the LSU units to enable transmission of signals from each of LSUs to the HSU, and reception of the signals from the HSU to each of the LSUs; and a backplane connected to the bus and having at least two time slots for performing full time slot interchange between the at least two LSUs, wherein any of the at least two LSUs can read received data directly from one of the at least two time slots and can place its transmit data into any other of the at least two time slots for communication with another of the at least two LSUs without exchanging the received and/or transmit data with the at least one HSU. In other embodiments, the HSU, LSUs, and bus are contained in a main shelf and mixing means are provided for allowing STM and ATM services to be mixed in the main shelf or an expansion shelf is provided containing expansion LSUs and an expansion interface unit (ESI) connected to the HSU of the main shelf for exchanging data between the main shelf and the expansion shelf; wherein STM services are performed in either the main shelf or the expansion shelf and ATM services are performed in the other of the main shelf or the expansion shelf.

Flexible SONET access and transmission systems

A SONET network interface for interconnecting a high speed unit (HSU) with low speed interface units (LSUs) is provided for enabling transmission of signals therebetween. The interface includes: a bus for interfacing the HSU with each of the LSUs to enable transmission of signals from each of the LSUs to the HSU, and reception of the signals from the HSU to each of the LSUs, wherein the HSU, LSUs, and the bus are contained in a primary shelf. The network interface also has secondary shelves, each containing secondary LSUs and an intershelf ring interconnection (IRI) bus connecting the primary shelf and each of the secondary shelves in series for exchanging data between the HSU of the primary shelf and each of the secondary shelves. Wherein the IRI bus has full access to the bandwidth of each of the at least one secondary shelves and each series connection between shelves comprises a drop bus for transmitting data to the next shelf in the series and an add bus for receiving data from the next shelf in the series and accumulating the received data from each of the at least one secondary shelves for transmission through the series and to the primary shelf.

Growing community of inventors

Aloha, OR, United States of America

Robert Wesley Brooks