Bizarre Patents
A banana protective device for storing and transporting a banana carefully.
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of PatentStorm
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest patents by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Got questions? Ask a Patent Expert!
Registered users: Manage your profile, comments and alerts.
US Patent 5500860 - Router using multiple hop redirect messages to enable bridge like data forwarding
US Patent Issued on March 19, 1996
Estimated Patent Expiration Date:
March 19, 2013Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.
Estimated Patent Expiration Date:
March 19, 2013Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.AbstractAn apparatus for forwarding a data packet from a first link to a second link is disclosed. The apparatus is coupled with a plurality of computer networks through ports on the apparatus. The apparatus maintains a spanning tree list indicating which of the apparatus ports are active. The apparatus receives a packet, and determines if the packet was received from a port that is active. If the packet was received from a port that is not active, the packet is discarded. If the packet is not discarded, the data link source address of the packet is stored in a database within the apparatus for the computer network coupled with the port from which the packet was received. The apparatus then decides, responsive to a contents of a data link destination address field in the packet, whether to forward the packet as a bridge or to forward the packet as a router. If the apparatus forwards the packet as a router, the apparatus sends a redirect message to update the data link layer destination address used by the originating station to contain the data link layer address of the destination station where the destination station is on a link remote from the link of the originating station. For the subsequent packets the apparatus then behaves as a bridge by forwarding the subsequent packets based upon parsing of only the Data Link Header. For forwarding of subsequent packets, the apparatus is advantageously fast, in accordance with bridge operation.Other References
| InventorsAssigneeApplicationNo. 716027 filed on 06/14/1991US Classes:370/401Bridge or gateway between networksField of Search340/825.52AddressingExaminersPrimary: Olms, Douglas W.Assistant: Nguyen, Chau Attorney, Agent or FirmUS Patent ReferencesRe33426, 4621362, Routing architecture for a multi-ring local area networkIssued on: 11/04/1986 Inventor: Sy4707827, Bridging techniques for local area networks Issued on: 11/17/1987 Inventor: Bione , et al.4797881, Bridge system for connecting networks Issued on: 01/10/1989 Inventor: Ben-Artzi4809265, Method and apparatus for interfacing to a local area network Issued on: 02/28/1989 Inventor: Hart , et al.4811337, Distributed load sharing Issued on: 03/07/1989 Inventor: Hart4872162, Communication system Issued on: 10/03/1989 Inventor: Tanaka, et al.4890281, Switching element for self-routing multistage packet-switching interconnection networks Issued on: 12/26/1989 Inventor: Balboni, et al.4933937, Network adapter for connecting local area network to backbone network Issued on: 06/12/1990 Inventor: Konishi4933938, Group address translation through a network bridge Issued on: 06/12/1990 Inventor: Sheehy4941089, Input/output network for computer system Issued on: 07/10/1990 Inventor: Fischer4947390, Method for data transfer through a bridge to a network requiring source route information Issued on: 08/07/1990 Inventor: Sheehy5018137, Transparent load sharing for parallel networks Issued on: 05/21/1991 Inventor: Backes, et al.5088032, Method and apparatus for routing communications among computer networks Issued on: 02/11/1992 Inventor: Bosack5088090, Routing system to interconnect local area networks Issued on: 02/11/1992 Inventor: Yacoby5153876Communication protocol for statistical data multiplexers arranged in a wide area network Issued on: 10/06/1992 Inventor: Sin Foreign Patent References
International ClassesH04J 003/02H04J 003/24 |
