Patent ID: 6333932
Filing Date: 2001-12-25
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
A switching system provided in a connectionless communications system for converting a message assigned a destination address into one or more packets, storing the destination in a beginning-of-message (BOM) packet of the packets, and transferring the packets assigned a common message identifier, said system comprising:determining means for referring to the destination address stored in the BOM packet upon receipt of the BOM packet and determining whether or not the destination of the message refers to a terminal unit accommodated in the switching system which has received the BOM packet;a first table for retrieving routing information stored in the BOM packet when the destination of the message refers to the terminal unit accommodated in the switching system which has received the BOM packet, and for storing the message identifier set in the BOM packet in association with the routing information;routing information retrieving means for retrieving the routing information from said first table according to a message identifier set in a continuation-of-message (COM) packet or an end-of-message (EOM) packet in said one or more packets when the COM packet or EOM packet is received;switching means for switching the COM packet or EOM packet according to the routing information retrieved by said routing information retrieving means;a second table for storing information designating an output line group having one or more output lines for each switching system provided in said connectionless communications system;output line determining means for determining an output line group by searching said second table according to the destination address stored in the BOM packet as a key when the destination of the message does not refer to the terminal unit accommodated in the switching system which has received the BOM packet;a third table for storing the output line group determined by said output line determining means in association with the message identifier of the BOM packet; andoutput means for retrieving output line group information from said third table according to a message identifier set in the COM packet or EOM packet in said one or more packets when the COM packet or EOM packet is received, and then outputting the COM packet or EOM packet to a predetermined output line which belongs to the output line group.