Patent ID: 8797884

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a wired network including a plurality of network branches each having a common communication link; a plurality of network devices connected to the network branches; a plurality of time-slot communication schedules respectively stored and accessible by each of the network devices, the plurality of time-slot communication schedules designating time slots during which each network device is assigned to communicate over an associated one of the plurality of network branches; a central communication circuit having a central-communication schedule stored and accessible by the central communication circuit, data-coupling circuitry configured and arranged for communicatively coupling data between the central communication circuit and each of the plurality of network devices through respective ones of the plurality of network branches, and data-logic circuitry configured and arranged to receive a communication from one of the plurality of network devices connected to one of the network branches using a time slot assigned for the communication in the central-communication schedule, assess the received communication as being error-indicative or not error-indicative irrespective of an interpretation of payload carried by a received data, and in response thereto, either forward the received communications to the other network devices or block dissemination of further communications, which would use the time slot associated with the received communication assessed as being error-indicative while permitting communication using other time slots on the branch common to the error-indicative time slot.