Patent ID: 6480510
Filing Date: 2002-11-12
Classification: H04B,H04L,H04M,Y10S

Abstract:
A local area network for data communication, sensing, and control comprising a plurality of serial intelligent cells interconnected exclusively by electrically-conducting media into at least one communicating pair, wherein:(a) each of said electrically-conducting media interconnects no more than two of said serial intelligent cells; (b) each of said at least one communicating pair includes one of said electrically-conducting media and exactly two of said serial intelligent cells; (c) each of said at least one communicating pair engages in a communication exclusively over said electrically-conducting media; and (d) each of said at least one communicating pair is operative to engage in said communication bidirectionally and independently of the communication of any other of said at least one communicating pair; the local area network functioning as a multiplexer, wherein at least one of said plurality of serial intelligent cells is connected to a high data rate connection whose bandwidth is multiplexed to at least one other of said plurality of serial intelligent cells.