Patent ID: 7496099
Filing Date: 2009-02-24
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A device for communicating over a network by transmitting scheduled and unscheduled messages, the device comprising: a central processing unit (CPU) for producing messages to be transmitted; a media attachment unit (MAU) for connection to the network; and a communication controller connected between the CPU and the MAU for providing a time remaining value stored in a first hardware register representing the time remaining until a next scheduled message is to be transmitted, the time remaining value updated each time a first timer providing a first time value is incremented by subtracting the first time value from a next scheduled event time stored in a second hardware register, the communication controller further includes a second timer providing a second time value of lower resolution than the first time value, wherein the first timer is an Octet timer that produced Octet Time as the first time value and the second timer is a Node timer that provides Node Time as the second time value.