The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 29, 1987
Filed:
Oct. 14, 1986
Bryan P Douros, Natick, MA (US);
Andrew Marcuvitz, Cambridge, MA (US);
Apollo Computer, Inc., Chelmsford, MA (US);
Abstract
In a ring communication system, data is received by and retransmitted by a plurality of network interface units spaced along the ring. Each network interface unit includes an elastic storage buffer which is preferably less than two bits in length. A feedback loop in each unit continuously controls the data transmitting rate from the network interface unit as a function of the average number of data bits in the elastic storage buffer. By thus controlling the transmitting rate, delay of data in the elastic storage buffer is controlled. Each network interface unit provides some of the delay required to cause the sum of all delays in the ring to become a multiple of 360 degrees. The entire network thus stabilizes at a substantially common frequency which provides the necessary phase delays throughout the network to provide a total phase shift of a multiple of 360 degrees.