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:
Oct. 04, 1994
Filed:
Apr. 14, 1993
Michael W Patrick, Assonet, MA (US);
James A Daly, Chelsea, MA (US);
Digital Equipment Corporation, Maynard, MA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for controlling configuration of a communications network includes an internal ring segment for interconnecting a trunk circuit with lobe circuits of the network. The apparatus is provided with lobe ports for connecting to the lobe circuits, a ring input port for connecting to an upstream ring segment of the trunk, and an output port for connecting to a downstream ring segment, of the trunk. A plurality of trunk coupling units (TCUs) are provided, one for each port, for connecting a corresponding ports to the internal ring segment. Each of the TCUs has an inserted state to provide signaling continuity for the communications signals between a port and the ring segments, and each TCU has a wrapped state to provide signaling isolation between a port and the ring segments. A controller, responsive to the communications signals switches the TCUs between the wrapped and inserted states.