Patent ID: 6931020

Claim:
A method for switching a plurality of packet-oriented signals, which comprises: a) supplying a respective signal having data packets to at least one port of a plurality of port units, each of the port units having a predetermined number of ports; b) connecting the signal from a port on one of said port units to another port on another one of said port units through a central switching unit coupled to the port units, and carrying out signal transmission between the port units and the central switching unit in steps by transmitting data blocks; c) ascertaining with each port unit an address information item for each data packet supplied to at least one port of each port unit and using the address information item to determine a receiving port unit to which the data packet will be transmitted, each port unit storing, in a buffer memory associated with the receiving port unit, the data packet as a whole or segmented into a plurality of cells; d) compiling with each port unit, at predetermined intervals of time, availability request information indicating to which of the other port units the at least one of cell and at least one data packet will be transmitted; e) transmitting using the port units the availability request information to the central switching unit; f) the central switching unit evaluating the availability request information and using a prescribed specification to ascertain authorization information indicating from which port units a respective data packet or cell can be transmitted to a different port unit in a next step or in a particular one of next steps without an occurrence of blocking; g) transmitting the authorization information at least to the relevant transmitting port units using the central switching unit; h) transmitting particular released data packets or cells using the transmitting port units to the central switching unit, and the central switching unit connecting necessary paths between the transmitting port units and the receiving port units and transmitting the data packets or cells to the respective receiving port units through the connected paths; and i) the receiving port units evaluating the address information in the received data packets or cells and assigning the data packets or cells to their respective ports, and, if necessary, recombining the cells received in a plurality of steps into data packets and outputting the data packets through the relevant ports.