US 5,845,287 AGranted

Apparatus for managing relationships between objects

AssigneeAlcatel

InventorMichel Henrion

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Abstract

For any pair of two distinct objects (i, j) and for each relationship that may exist between said two objects, the management apparatus includes a memory element RMP(i,j) for storing either the existence or the non-existence of said relationship. This memory element includes an input corresponding to a first object (i) and an input corresponding to a second object (j), which inputs are connected to two individual buses (CC(j), LC(i)) corresponding respectively to said two objects. These two inputs must receive two respective control signals simultaneously in order to write information in said element indicating either the existence or the non-existence of a relationship between these two objects. In a preferred embodiment, the input corresponding to the first object must receive a read signal for the memory element to restore said information on an output corresponding to the second object; and the input corresponding to the second input must receive a read signal for the memory element to restore said information on an output corresponding to the first object. These memory elements are organized in a triangular array (TN') if the relationship is symmetrical. The apparatus is applicable to asynchronous transfer mode telecommunications switching systems.

Claims36

Dependent claims

An apparatus for managing relationships between individually identifiable objects in a finite address field, wherein for each pair of two distinct objects including a first object X and a respective second object Y, a particular relationship may operably exist to associate said first object X and said second object Y, the apparatus comprising:

an array of relationship memory elements for storing relationship information indicating the existence or the non-existence of said relationship between respective pairs of first objects X and second objects Y,
said array having at least two dimensions and formed by a plurality of buses capable of conveying object selection signals and operation control signals, and wherein a relationship memory element is situated at a cross-point between two individual buses, that are orthogonal to each other among said plurality of buses making up said array, each individual bus corresponding to a respective object and operable to convey at least one selection signal for selecting said respective object;
each said relationship memory element includes a logic circuit operable to receive at least one selection signal and operable to receive at least one operation control signal to write or read relationship information in said relationship memory element;
and
a logic means coupled to bus access points to supply the buses with said object selection signals, and to receive from the buses relationship information read from the relationship memory elements.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.