Communication system and methodology for sending a designator for at least one of a set of time-division multiplexed channels forwarded across a locally synchronized bus

Abstract

A communication system, network interface and communication port is provided that includes a media local bus. The local bus is connected between a controller and one or more multimedia devices located within a node of the communication system. The controller periodically broadcasts sync signals to the source device, or devices, to synchronize data transmission partitioned into time slots. Each time slot represents is dedicated to a particular data type. Thus, time slot 1 can accommodate packetized data, time slot 2 can accommodate synchronous data, time slot 3 can accommodate control data, and time slot 4 can accommodate isochronous data. Various combinations and variations of those time slots can occur where fewer than four data types can be present within a frame or all four data types can be present. The local bus includes a signal line and one or more data lines. The data lines are used to send the time slots of data and the signal line is used to send the sync signal as well as one or more command signals per frame. The command signal corresponds to the beginning of a time slot and is used to signify a start of packet or a continuation of a packet for packetized data corresponding to that time slot. The sync signal and/or command signal can be as small as a single bit pulse, where the sync byte and command byte are contained within data information if, for example, the local bus uses multiple data conductors.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.