Method for transmitting data in multiple access data communications networks

A method for transmitting application data between a plurality of communication nodes each having a unique identifier, said nodes being interconnected via a communications channel to form a network, the method comprising:

• designating a first node as a control node defined as a node having control of said channel;
• transmitting reservation requests during a predetermined time period from nodes desiring to transmit over said channel;
• transmitting network control data, specifying a second node to subsequently become the control node and derived from said reservation requests, from said first node;
• transmitting application data from said control node;
• designating said second node as the control node;
• and
• storing in all nodes a data structure determining the order in which nodes will obtain control of said channel;
• wherein said step of transmitting network control data from said first node includes the step of transmitting a signal identifying the node specified to next obtain control of said channel.

A method for transmitting application data between a plurality of communication nodes each having a unique identifier, said nodes being interconnected via a communications channel to form a network, the method comprising:

• designating a first node as a control node defined as a node having control of said channel;
• transmitting reservation requests during a predetermined time period from nodes desiring to transmit over said channel;
• transmitting network control data from said first node, said network control data being derived from said reservation requests, and said network control data including reservation confirmations consisting of the identifiers of nodes from which reservation requests have been successfully received by said first node during said predetermined time period, and an identifier associated with a second node specified to next obtain control of the channel;
• transmitting application data from said control node;
• designating said second node as the control node;
• and
• storing said reservation confirmations in queues of all of said nodes, said queues being arranged in the order in which nodes associated with aid queued identifiers will obtain control of said channel, thereby determining the order in which nodes will obtain control of said channel.

A method for transmitting data between a plurality of communication nodes each having an identifier and interconnected via a communications channel, the method comprising:

• initiating reservation request transmissions during one of a plurality of contention time periods after the completion of data transmission from a first node, the reservation request transmissions being initiated by each node desiring to generate a data transmission over the channel;
• maintaining in each of the nodes a pending transmission queue specifying the order of transmission of nodes desiring to generate a data transmission over the channel;
• monitoring the channel, by the node specified by the pending transmission queue to next generate a data transmission over the channel, to receive the reservation request transmissions;
• transmitting network control data containing reservation confirmations consisting of the identifiers of nodes from which reservation request transmissions were received;
• storing the transmitted identifiers in the pending transmission queue of each node;
• and
• transmitting data from the node specified by the pending transmission queue to next generate a data transmission over the channel.

A method for transmitting application data between a plurality of communication nodes, the nodes being interconnected via at least one communication channel to form a network, wherein a transmission from one of the nodes is supplied simultaneously to others of the nodes, the method comprising:

• designating one of the nodes as a control node defined as a node having control of said channel;
• transmitting reservation requests from a plurality of the nodes during a first period, the reservation requests each comprising a signal identifying a node desiring to transmit application data over the network, and the first period comprising a predetermined period of time during which simultaneous transmissions from a plurality of the nodes are permitted to occur on the network;
• receiving the reservation requests in the control node;
• deriving network control information from reservation requests received in the control node, the network control information including information specifying the order in which nodes will become the control node;
• and
• transmitting the network control data from the control data over the network a second period in which simultaneous transmissions on the network from a plurality of the nodes are not permitted.