Patent ID: 6574242
Filing Date: 2003-06-03
Classification: H04L,H04M

Abstract:
In a local area network (LAN) adapted for packet switching using standard Ethernet packets transmitted between a plurality of user terminal equipment devices, said LAN being further arranged to include a plurality of user terminal equipment (UTE) adapters connectable to said devices and at least one Communication Switching Module (CSM), said UTE adapters and said CSM having respective network ports and user ports connected together through a plurality of LAN segments and identified by Media Access Control (MAC) addresses, said UTE adapters and said CSM each having SAR means for segmentation and reassembly of Ethernet packets received by or transmitted from the network ports and user ports, said SAR means being adapted to segment received data of a first delay-sensitive data type and received data of a second non-delay sensitive data type, to encapsulate the segmented data into master Ethernet packets at fixed locations in said packets according to data type, to extract segments of the first and second data types from said packets, and to re-assemble the extracted segments into the first and second data types, and to transmit said master Ethernet packets at a selected constant rate, wherein selected first and second devices each providing data of said first data type are connected respectively to said first and second UTE adapters and require a permanent switched connection for exchange of signaling and control information, the method of servicing devices connected to the UTE adapters, said method comprising:receiving a first master Ethernet packet at the CSM from a first UTE adapter; extracting data of the first data type from the first master Ethernet packet using the SAR means; processing the extracted data; inserting said extracted data of the first data type into a second master Ethernet packet using the SAR means; transmitting the second master Ethernet packet to a second UTE adapter, and including the additional steps of exchanging master Ethernet packets at said constant rate over the LAN segments between the CSM and the first and second UTE adapters; establishing a full duplex permanent virtual connection (PVC) between each of said UTE adapters and the CSM over a constant bit rate (CBR) variable band width channel for data of the first data type; and supplying signaling and control information in said master Ethernet packets.