Message routing system for shared communication media networks

In a plurality of disparate communication networks systems communicating with each other through the use of different physical media protocols, each of said systems having at least one input and one output, a message routing system for coupling any one system input to any other system output using a message format that is structure independent of the location of said other system output, said routing system comprising:

• at least a first signal receiver/transmitter device coupled to said one system input and having a first identification code for transmission to said any one system input, said first code being unique, fixed and unchangeable at any location of said first device within said systems;
• at least a second signal receiver/transmitter device coupled to said any other system output and having a second identification code for transmission to said any other system output, said second code being unique, fixed and unchangeable at any location of said second device within said systems;
• a multiplicity of connected message routing centers, each of said routing centers being assigned a unique network address;
• means for forwarding said first and second unique identification codes from said one system input and said any other system output to all routing centers in said system for storage;
• means for enabling said first receiver/transmitter device to transmit said message format with said second unique fixed identification code of said second receiver/transmitter device to said any one system input;
• and
• each routing center, in succession, beginning with said any one system input, forwarding the message to the nearest routing center from which it earlier received the forwarded unique fixed identification code of said second receiver/transmitter device thereby establishing a communication path between the source and the receiver, said path being determined only by the fixed, unique identification codes of the first and second receiver/transmitter devices and the addresses of the forwarding message routing centers.

A method of communication betwen at least one source and one receiver coupled to a plurality of interconnected communication networks, at least two of which have different physical media protocols, said networks being formed of a plurality of interconnected information handling nodes comprising the steps of:

• assigning a unique, fixed identification code to each of said source and receiver which is unchanged regardless of the location of the source and receiver within the plurality of networks;
• assigning a unique network address to each of said nodes;
• transmitting said unique identification code of said source to at least one network node;
• transmitting said unique identification code of said receiver to at least one network node;
• forwarding said unique identification codes of said source and receiver from said network node to all other interconnected network nodes;
• each network node remembering the network address of the node forwarding the unique identification codes to it;
• transmitting a message from said source to a given node for said receiver at an unknown location in said communication network;
• and
• each network node in succession, beginning with the given node, forwarding the message to the nearest node from which it earlier received the forwarded unique identification code of said receiver thereby establishing a communication path through said interconnected networks between the source and the receiver.

A message routing apparatus for use in a communication system having a plurality of interconnected information networks, at least two of which have different physical media protocols, said system having an information source for transmitting a data message to an information receiver at an unknown physical location in said system comprising:

• a first unique, fixed and unchangeable code identifying said source wherever said source may be located in said system;
• a second unique, fixed and unchangeable code identifying said receiver wherever said receiver may be located in said system;
• a plurality of network message routing devices connected to each other for forwarding to each other sequentially, both of said first and second unique codes, each network routing device having means for storing each of said first and second unique codes when received and the address of each other network routing device from which the codes were received;
• and
• one of said network routing devices receiving a data message from said source and routing said message to said receiver at said unknown location in said system;
• said route through said plurality of network routing devices being determined solely in accordance with said stored first and second unique identification codes and said stored addresses of said network routing devices;
• said message having a data format that is receiver-location structure independent with no receiver location code and network routing code therein;
• said routing devices further comprised of a plurality of message handling network nodes forming multipath system connections between said source and said receiver;
• a first one of said plurality of nodes communicating with said source and a second one of said nodes communicating with said receiver;
• means in first node for receiving said first unique code from said source and means in said second node for receiving said second unique code from said receiver, both said first and second nodes respectively forwarding said first and second unique codes to all network nodes directly connected to them for storage;
• and all of said directly connected to them for storage;
• and all of said directly connected network nodes storing said first and second codes and the addresses of the forwarding nodes and further forwarding said first and second codes to all other network nodes directly connected to them as designations within the system until all network nodes in the system have stored the first and second unique codes and the address of the directly connected forwarding nodes in source and destination index tables to enable each network node, beginning with the first node, to transmit a message to the nearest directly connected network node from which it earlier received the second unique code identifying the receiver thereby creating a communication path coupling the message from the source to the receiver;
• and
• means for a arithmetically compressing said first code to generate a respective address index that uniquely identifies a succeeding destination node address stored in said tables.

A message routing apparatus for use in a communication system having a plurality of interconnected information networks, at least two of which have different physical media protocols, said system having an information source for transmitting a data message to an information receiver at an unknown physical location in said system comprising:

• a first unique, fixed and unchangeable code identifying said source wherever said source may be located in said system;
• a second unique, fixed and unchangeable code identifying said receiver wherever said receiver may be located in said system;
• a plurality of network message routing devices connected to each other for forwarding to each other sequentially, both of said first and second unique codes, each network routing device having means for storing each of said first and second unique codes when received and the address of each other network routing device from which the codes were received;
• and
• one of said network routing devices receiving a data message from said source and routing said message to said receiver at said unknown location in said system;
• said route through said plurality of network routing devices being determined solely in accordance with said stored first and second unique identification codes and said stored addresses of said network routing devices;
• said message having a data format that is receiver-location structure independent with no receiver location code and network routing code therein;
• said routing devices further including a plurality of message handling network nodes forming multipath system connections between said source and said receivers;
• a first one of said plurality of nodes communicating with said source and a second one of said nodes communicating with said receiver;
• means in said first node for receiving said first unique code from said source and means in said second node for receiving said second unique code from said receiver, both said first and second nodes respectively forwarding said first and second unique codes to all network nodes directly connected to them for storage;
• and all of said directly connected network nodes storing said first and second codes and the addresses of the forwarding nodes and further forwarding said first and second codes to all other network nodes directly connected to them as destinations within the system until all network nodes in the system have stored the first and second unique codes and the address of the directly connected forwarding nodes to enable each network node, beginning with the first node, to transmit a message to the nearest directly connected network node from which is earlier received the second unique code identifying the receiver thereby creating a communication path coupling the message from the source to the receiver;
• each node further including a forwarding node address storage table and a destination node address table;
• and routing logic connected to said forwarding node and destination node address storage tables for determining the shortest node route to the said second node communicating with the receiver;
• and
• means for indicating when the node destination is a single node, when it is a group of nodes, and when it is all possible nodes;
• and means in said routing logic responsive to said indicating means for routing said data messages to those nodes necessary to reach said indicating node destination.

A communication system of interconnected information networks in which data messages are routed between networks based on a non-hierarchical destination address for a receiver of the data message that does not change when the receiver changes networks, the system comprising:

• a plurality of information networks;
• a source of, and a receiver for, a data message;
• the data message including a unique, fixed and unchangeable destination address identifying the receiver to all of the information networks;
• each information network in the plurality of information networks having a message handling node;
• the message handling nodes interconnected for routing the data message received by one message handling node from the source to another message handling node in communication with the receiver;
• and
• each message handling node including means for compressing the destination code's value to an index for a memory storing a record of information with which to route the data message to a connected message handling node for eventual routing to the receiver.