Patent ID: 6105084
Filing Date: 2000-08-15
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
Access control method to control access to a communication channel (UDATABP) of a plurality of units (LIM0BP/LIMmBP) coupled to it, each of said units having a first own priority assigned to it, said method including a step of comparing said first own priorities of said units with each other, whereby a unit withdraws from said communication channel if said first own priority of said unit relates to said first own priorities of said units in accordance with a first predetermined comparison criterion,characterised in that said method is to control access in a direction from users to a network central office or switch, that said channel is for bidirectional communication between said users and said network central office or switch, that each unit of said plurality has a second own priority assigned to it, in that for these units that have not withdrawn from said communication channel after said first mentioned step, said method includes a further step of comparing said second own priorities of said these units with each other, whereby a specific unit of said these units, withdraws from said communication channel if said second own priority of said specific unit relates to said second own priorities of said these units in accordance with a second predetermined comparison criterion, said method including a final step of granting access to said communication channel to a remaining unit which has not withdrawn from said communication channel,wherein said first, respectively said second, own priorities are represented by first, respectively second, own priority words, in that said step, respectively said further step, of comparing and withdrawing, with respect to said first, respectively said second, own priorities, is performed by a bit comparison step, on at least one bit from said first, respectively said second, own priority words, in a first, respectively a second, predetermined sequence, whereby said unit, respectively said specific unit, withdraws from said communication channel in case the result of said bit comparison step on said at least one bit from said first, respectively said second, own priority word of said unit, respectively said specific unit, is in accordance with a first, respectively a second, predetermined bit comparison criterion, related to said first, respectively said second predetermined comparison criterion, and whereby, in case the result of said bit comparison step on said at least one bit from said first, respectively said second, own priority word, is not in accordance with said first, respectively said second, bit comparison criterion, said bit comparison step is repeated on the values of at least one other distinct bit from said first, respectively said second own priority words, until all bits of said first, respectively said second own priority word are compared.