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:
Jul. 13, 1999
Filed:
Sep. 10, 1996
Simon Davie Barber, Berks, GB;
Crispin Nicholas Dent-Young, Beaconsfield, GB;
Christopher Guy Sabey, Beaconsfield, GB;
Jonathan Curnyn, Bucks, GB;
David Andrew Pearce, Bucks, GB;
Trevor Warwick, Reading, GB;
Madge Networks Limited, Buckinghamshire, GB;
Abstract
A bridge device (4) for connecting a plurality of communication networks (1-3) around which data is transmitted in frames which include control information defining at least the identity of a destination for data in the frame, each network having at least one end station (8-12). The bridge device comprises a corresponding plurality of data coupling units (13,14) for connection to respective ones of the networks (1-3), each data coupling unit including receive (13) and transmit (14) interfaces for respectively receiving data from and transmitting data onto the connected network. A common store (17) is connected to all the data coupling units for receiving data being transmitted from one network to another. A controller (16,28) controls the routing of data through the bridge device (4) via the common store (17), the controller causing incoming data to be routed to a destination network before the data has been fully stored in the common store, if predetermined conditions are satisfied, the controller being adapted to monitor the amount of free space in the common storage means and to prevent the supply of data to the common store if the available free space is less than a predetermined amount.