Patent ID: 6539023
Filing Date: 2003-03-25
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
An apparatus for buffering maintenance messages in an extended superframe T1 telephone circuit having HDLC equipment and a host controller, said apparatus comprising:a) a FIFO buffer having an input and an output, said input of said FIFO buffer being coupled to a maintenance message output of the HDLC equipment, said output of said FIFO buffer being coupled to a maintenance message input of the host controller; b) a counter coupled to the maintenance message output of the HDLC equipment and having a count output; c) a message length storage means for storing length indications, said message length storage means coupled to said count output and having a read output coupled to a message length input of the host controller, wherein the HDLC equipment places maintenance messages in said FIFO buffer, said counter counts the length of each maintenance message placed in said FIFO buffer and stores an associated length indication in said message length storage means, and the host controller reads the contents of said message length storage means to determine the starting and ending locations of maintenance messages in said FIFO buffer.