Patent ID: 6101192
Filing Date: 2000-08-08
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A network router for transferring data between a plurality of communication networks, comprising:a network interface unit (NIU) bus including a plurality of signal lines for conveying signals;a memory unit operably coupled to the NIU bus and configured to store data, wherein the memory unit includes a plurality of memory partitions, and wherein each memory partition corresponds to one of the plurality of communication networks;a plurality of network interface units (NIUs), wherein each NIU corresponds to one of the plurality of communication networks, and wherein each NIU is adapted for coupling to a network transmission medium of the corresponding communication network, and wherein each NIU is coupled to the NIU bus, and wherein each NIU is configured to receive data from the network transmission medium and to store the received data within the corresponding memory partition of the memory unit, and wherein each NIU is configured to periodically poll each of the plurality of memory partitions for the presence of data to be transmitted.