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:
Nov. 09, 1993
Filed:
Jul. 19, 1991
Paul Vinel, Velizy, FR;
Alcatel Cit, Paris, FR;
Abstract
An apparatus for evaluating data rates of virtual circuits occupying an asynchronous time-multiplexed transmission path includes a memory in which each virtual circuit is allocated space containing a context defining conditions for evaluating the data rate of the virtual circuit. This context contains a starting time which was the current time as recorded on receiving an earlier cell in the virtual circuit under consideration. Each time a cell is received, the context of the virtual circuit to which the cell belongs is read, and the starting time is subtracted from the new current time, with the time difference established in this way constituting the basis on which the data rate is evaluated, and with repressive countermeasures being initiated in the event of the data rate being excessive. The apparatus further includes device for cyclically scanning the contexts and for incrementing a scan cycle counter in each context during the cyclic scanning, the scan cycle counter having an initial position. The apparatus is also responsive to the arrival of a cell to read the scan cycle counter, to observe its relative position relative to its initial position, and when the observed relative position corresponds to a given number of scan cycles, to inhibit any repressive countermeasures.