| US 7,522,614 B1 | ||
| Multi-service access platform for telecommunications and data networks | ||
| Salvador Aguinaga, Chicago, Ill. (US); Dwight D. Dipert, Fox River Grove, Ill. (US); Richard Dynarski, Freehold, N.J. (US); Gerard T. Jankauskas, Bellingham, Mass. (US); Martin A. K. Schwan, Chicago, Ill. (US); and Brian Fitzpatrick, Arlington Heights, Ill. (US) | ||
| Assigned to 3Com Corporation, Marlborough, Mass. (US) | ||
| Filed on Feb. 28, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/376,930. | ||
| Int. Cl. H04L 12/28 (2006.01); H04L 12/56 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 370—401 | 43 Claims |
| 1. A system for sending signals between a first network and a second network, the system comprising:
network interface cards;
application cards; and
a switching fabric;
the network interface cards having (i) a first plurality of ports for exchanging the signals with the first network; and (ii)
a first plurality of point-to-point links for exchanging the signals with the application cards;
the application cards having a second plurality of point-to-point links connected to the switching fabric for exchanging the
signals between the application cards;
the switching fabric having a second plurality of ports for exchanging the signals with the second network;
at least one shelf controller card, the at least one shelf controller card being coupled to the network interface cards and
to the application cards by a third plurality of point-to-point links,
wherein the signals at the first plurality of ports are in a time-division multiplexed format and the signals at the second
plurality of ports are in a packetized format;
wherein the signals are transferable between the first network, the network interface cards, the application cards, and the
second network; and
wherein a network distribution bus switch coupled to the first plurality of links facilitates adjustment of a baud rate of
certain of the signals sent to a particular application card over a given link.
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