WO1998034379B1

WO1998034379B1 - Distributed ethernet hub

Info

Publication number: WO1998034379B1
Application number: PCT/US1998/001914
Authority: WO
Filing date: 1998-02-03
Publication date: 1998-10-08
Anticipated expiration: 1999-08-03

Abstract

A technique for multiplexing high speed computer data with digitized voice signals onto a fiber optic cable (58) for transfer to a local central office (20). The data packets of a number of computers (10) are networked by way of a distributed hub (50, 56) that extend to residences, offices, apartments, etc. The data packets are switched outside the switching fabric (24) of a local central office (20) and routed to the internet or elsewhere. Command signals that are for accessing the internet are transmitted and received as 10 MHz Ethernet data packets on the distributed hub (50, 56).

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS[received by the International Bureau on 24 August 1998 (24.08.98); original claims 1, 3, 6-9, 11 and 18-23 amended; remaining claims unchanged (6 pages)]

1. A distributed network hub. comprising: at least a pair of I/O ports defined as a first I/O port and a second I/O port, each said first and second I/O port being adapted for coupling data to and from a respective first and second computer; a third I/O port adapted for coupling data to and from a remote location; a circuit coupled to said first and second I/O ports for receiving data transmitted from said first computer and for echoing the received data to said second computer to thereby network said computers together, said circuit echoing the received data to said third I/O port to thereby network the remote location with said first and second computers and said circuit for detecting and avoiding collisions of data attempted to be transmitted by said first and second computers via said first and second I/O ports; and a buffer memory for temporarily storing data received from the first, second and third I/O ports to prevent loss of the data in the event a data collision is detected.

2. The distributed network hub of Claim 1 , wherein said common I/O port is coupled to a fiber optic line.

3. The distributed network hub of Claim 1 , further including a plurality of data lines, each data line coupled between one said computer and a respective I/O port, at least one said data line being greater than about 800 feet in length and not interrupted by a bridge circuit.

4. The distributed network hub of Claim 1, wherein said common I/O port includes a data transmitter and a data receiver for allowing a simultaneous bidirectional transport of data.

5. The distributed network hub of Claim 1, further including in combination a computer equipped with an Ethernet LAN card for transmitting and receiving data via one said I/O port of said pair without using a modem.

6. A distributed network hub system of Claim 1 , further including a plurality of said distributed network hubs defining a first level of networking, and further including a second level of networking defined by a second network hub coupled by a communication line to one said common I/O port of each said hub of said plurality of distributed network hubs, and said second network hub includes a collision detection and avoidance circuit.

7. The distributed network hub system of Claim 6, wherein said third I/O port is coupled to an optical fiber.

8. The distributed network hub system of Claim 6, wherein said third I/O port is coupled to a DS1 line.

9. The distributed network hub system of Claim 6, wherein said second network hub is located at a distance greater than about 500 feet from a computer connected to one I/O port of said pair of I/O ports.

10. The distributed network hub of Claim 1, wherein said computers are connected to respective said I/O ports with twisted pair wires.

11. A method of carrying out a distributed hub function, comprising the steps of; coupling a first plurality of computers to ports of a first network hub circuit providing data collision detection and avoidance functions, whereby said computers are networked together so that transmissions of data from one said computer are coupled via said first network hub to the other computers; coupling a second plurality of computers to ports of a second network hub circuit providing data collision detection and avoidance functions, whereby said second plurality of computers are networked together so that transmissions of data from one said computer are coupled via said second network hub to the other computers of said second plurality; coupling data between each said network hub circuit via a respective I/O port thereof, and providing collision detection and avoidance functions with respect to data carried by said I/O ports; and coupling a host digital hub to said first and second network hub circuits via said I/O ports, said host digital hub providing collision detection and avoidance functions and networking data between said first and second network hub circuits.

12. The method of Claim 11, further including coupling said first and second network hub circuits to said host digital hub with a respective digital line having a length greater than about 500 feet.

13. The method of Claim 11, further including coupling said host digital hub to a high speed transmission line for accessing the Internet.

14. The method of Claim 11, further including transmitting Ethernet data packets between said host digital hub and said first and second network hub circuits.

15. The method of Claim 14, further including coupling said computers to said respective first and second network hub circuits by respective twisted pair lines.

16. The method of Claim 15, further including transmitting the data packets with at least a lOMbit/s data rate.

17. The method of Claim 11, further including receiving signals from a telephone line coupled to said network hub circuits, digitizing the signals and coupling the digitized signals to an output portion of said I O port.

18. The method of Claim 11, further including dedicating ports of said first and second network hub circuits for use with telephones, and dedicating other ports of said first and second network hub circuits for use with computers.

19. The method of Claim 18, further including coupling said signals associated with the telephones to a switching fabric of a central office switching system, and preventing data signals associated with said computers from being passed through said switching fabric.

20. The method of Claim 11 , further including receiving signals by said first network hub circuit from at least one said port thereof, and receiving signals from a line coupled to said I/O port, and temporarily buffering in a memory said signals received via the port and I/O port of said first network hub circuit.

21. The method of Claim 20, further including maintaining a first count of frames of data received via said one computer, and maintaining a second count of frames of data received via said I/O port of said first network hub.

22. The method of Claim 21 , further including reading said memory and transmitting the data read therefrom to the I/O port of said first network hub circuit, and in response thereto decrementing said first count.

23. A distributed network hub, comprising: at least one optical network unit, including a network hub having a first set of ports coupled to telephone lines adapted for carrying voice signals, conversion circuits for converting the voice signals to PCM signals, and a second set of ports coupled to respective computers for receiving data from one computer of said computers and echoing the data from said one computer back to other computers of said computers; an interface for converting the PCM signals and the computer data to corresponding optical signals; collision avoidance circuits for detecting and avoiding collisions of data transmitted between said computers; an optical transmission line coupled to said interface; and an optical channel unit coupled to a respective said optical transmission line associated with each said optical network unit, said optical channel unit having circuits for receiving the data from said one computer and echoing said data to each of the other computers via said optical transmission line.

24. The distributed network hub of Claim 23, wherein said optical channel unit comprises a first optical channel unit, and further including a second optical channel unit, and a data transmit/receive bus coupling said first and second optical channel units together, and further including a data collision detection and avoidance circuit in said first and second optical channel units for controlling a transfer of data on said transmit/receive bus.

25. The distributed network hub of Claim 23, wherein said optical transmission line has a length greater than about 500 feet.

26. The distributed network hub of Claim 25, further including in combination at least one computer equipped with an Ethernet LAN interface card and software for supporting Ethernet LAN connections.

27. The distributed network hub of Claim 23, further including circuits in said optical channel unit for separating the PCM signals from said computer data, and for routing only the PCM signals through a switching fabric of a switching system.

28. The distributed network hub of Claim 23, wherein said computers transmit 10 Base T data packet signals to said network hub.

63

STATEMENT UNDER PCT ARTICLE 19(1)

The local area network disclosed in the Irvine-Halliday et al. reference is of a type different from the invention of Claim 1. In the reference, each hub includes different data transmission and data receiving lines coupled to each node. In Fig. 2 the hub has plural data transmitter buses and plural data receive buses, each independent of each other. According to the architecture of the reference, data collisions do not occur due to the attempted simultaneous transmission of data on the same bus, but due to the simultaneous transmission on different buses to the same local area network hub. Because the hub can only process and transfer data received from one node at a time, if another node is simultaneously transmitting data, then the hub must store the data received from the second node as it is processing and transferring the data received from the first node. Importantly, the hub of the reference transmits data to a node on one bus and receives data from the same node on a different bus, much like that shown by the prior art structure of Fig. 1 of the reference.

It is noted that by the express description of the reference, the standard carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA-CD) technique is inefficient, and the structure and operation of the Irvine-Halliday invention is superior (see col. 1 , lines 53-68). By the very structure utilized in the reference, collisions of data transmissions are avoided, and thus there is no need for collision detection circuits (col. 6, lines 10-13). More particularly, it is stated at column 10, lines 32-35, that no collisions of data can occur in the Irvine-Halliday local area network. Hence, if no collisions of data are possible in the system disclosed in the reference, no circuits are required for detecting the same. Indeed, no collision detection circuits are suggested or described in the Irvine-Halliday et al. reference.

The Aranguren reference does not disclose the claimed structure and thus even if the teachings thereof are combined with the Irvine-Halliday reference, a prima facie case of obviousness has not been established. With regard to Fig. 2 of the Aranguren reference, there is no disclosure or suggestion for dedicating various ports to telephone use and dedicating other ports to use with computers, as claimed. Rather, the work station, for example work station 411, multiplexes the telephone signals and the personal computer signals together for transfer on the bus 482. At the closet equipment, the multiplexed signals on the bus 482 are demultiplexed and coupled to either the centralized Ethernet hub 463 or the TDM bus controller 461. There is no dedication of ports in the manner claimed.

As specifically shown in Fig. 2 of the Aranguren reference, both the Ethernet and TDM signals which are coupled to the conventional telephone system switch 449 are necessarily switched through the fabric thereof. 64

Although the Aranguren reference discloses the use of Ethernet signals in combination with the ISDN B-channels, such teachings are not readily combined with those of the Irvine- Halliday reference. In the Irvine-Halliday reference, the system specifically does not use the CSMA-CD protocol. Thus, to force the utilization of the Ethernet CSMA-CD protocol in the Irvine-Halliday system, would be contrary to the teachings thereof.