Patent ID: 8767755

Claim:
A network router for connecting network nodes within a ring network for transferring frames of data comprising: a plurality of network ports comprising at least a first network port and a second network port, which provide a physical interface to at least two of the network nodes, wherein the first network port is connected to a first ring shaped sub-network, and wherein the second network port is connected to a second ring shaped sub-network; and a routing processor connected to the plurality of network ports, wherein the routing processor is configured for: receiving a first frame via one of the plurality of network ports, wherein the first frame comprises a plurality of payload sections in a first time slot; reading data of at least one of the plurality of payload sections included within the first frame; placing the data read from a first one of the plurality of the payload sections within a second frame and transmitting the second frame via the first network port; placing the data read from a second one of the plurality of the payload sections within a third frame and transmitting the third frame via the second network port; and wherein the data read from the first one of the plurality of the payload sections is different from the data read from the second one of the plurality of the payload sections.