Patent ID: 6965933

Claim:
A method of arbitrating access to a shared channel of a token-based network communication system including a number, N, of nodes, wherein a token-possessing one of the N nodes is permitted to transmit on the shared channel, and wherein each of a number, L, of the N nodes includes a number, M, of counters, each of the M counters is associated with a respective one of M nodes of the N nodes, and M≦L≦N, the method comprising: a) in each of the L nodes, assigning a priority level to each of the M counters, wherein the assigned priority level for a respective one of the M counters among all of the L nodes is the same, and at least two of the M counters are assigned a different priority level; b) assigning a corresponding initial count value to each of the M counters; c) identifying by the token-possessing one of the N nodes one of a remaining number of other nodes of the N nodes for receiving the token based, at least in part, on at least one of relative count values of the M counters in the token possessing node and the assigned priority levels of the M counters in the token possessing node; d) explicitly or implicitly transferring the token to the identified node; e) in each of the L nodes, adjusting the count value of the counters associated with each of the M nodes each time the token is transferred; and f) repeating steps c) through e).