US 7,733,873 B2Granted

Coordination of calendar searches in a network scheduler

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsBryan K. Bullis, Darryl J. Rumph

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Abstract

A system that indicates which frame should next be removed by a scheduler from flow queues within a network device, such as a router, network processor, and like devices, is disclosed. The system includes a search engine that searches a set of calendars under the control of a Finite State Machine (FSM), a current pointer and input signals from array and a clock line providing current time. The results of the search are loaded into a Winner Valid array and a Winner Location array. A final decision logic circuit parses information in the Winner Valid array and Winner Location array to generate a final Winner Valid Signal, the identity of the winning calendar and the winning location. Winning is used to define the status of the calendar in the calendar status array selected as a result of a search process being executed on a plurality of calendars in the calendar status array.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system, comprising:

a calendar search engine;
an array of calendars with outputs operatively coupled to inputs of the search engine, wherein the array of calendars includes a first set of time based calendars in which a search zone over which the search engine searches is delineated by a Current Pointer (CP) and a Current Time (CT) and a second set of non-time based calendars which uses the CP to delineate the beginning of a search zone;
a Winner Valid array operatively coupled to the calendar search engine;
a Winning Location array operatively coupled to the calendar search engine;
and
a controller responsive to received signals configured to generate control signals which put the system in an initial state and causes the calendar search engine to, within a predefined time interval, search:
each of the first set of time based calendars based on the CP and the CT until a valid result is found;
if no valid result is found from the search of the first set of time based calendars, search the second set of non-time calendars based on the CP;
and
load search valid results into the Winner Valid Array and Winning Location Array.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/769,281Filed 27 Jun 2007 · continuation
Priority: 27 Sep 2001
Published: US 2008/0013543 A117 Jan 2008
Granted: 8 Jun 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification2 codes

G06Q 10/109
Office automation; Time management: time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
G06Q
Information and communication technology [ict] specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial

Family

Application60/325,501Us provisional application · filed 27 Sep 2001
Application10/255,861Parent of this continuation · filed 26 Sep 2002
US 2008/0013543 A1Pre-grant publication · published 17 Jan 2008
US 7,283,530 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2003/0058868 A1Published application
US 7,733,873 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.