Patent ID: 7013361

Claim:
A method of selectively connecting one of a plurality of input receiving wires and one of a plurality of output transmitting wires to one of a plurality of selectable connectors in a signal routing circuit, the method comprising: retrieving data representing a number of non-selectable input connectors and non-selectable output connectors and selectable input/output connectors from the circuit; receiving data through an interface from a user representing a number of desired input connectors each to be connected to an input receiving wire; comparing said number of desired input connectors to the sum of said non-selectable input connectors and a plurality of selectable input/output connectors; repeating said receiving and comparing until the sum of said non-selectable input connectors and the plurality of selectable input/output connectors equals or exceeds the number of said desired input connectors; calculating the number of available output connectors by adding the number of non-selectable input connectors, non-selectable output connectors, and selectable input/output connectors together and subtracting the number of desired input connectors therefrom; displaying the number of available output connectors and desired input connectors using a display mechanism; repeatedly connecting a selectable input/output connector to an input receiving wire until the sum of said non-selectable input connectors and the selectable input/output connectors connected to an input receiving wire equals the number of said desired input connectors; repeatedly connecting all selectable input/output connector not so connected to an input receiving wire to an output transmitting wire.