Importance

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Abstract

A method provides for priority data transmission utilizing medium access control protocol with a fair cell-access scheme having a two-level priority for access in a local area network having a unidirectional looped bus and a plurality of network stations coupled to the bus for asynchronous cell transmissions from one network station to other network stations. A-head-of-bus is used to generate continuously time slots to the bus. Each of the time slots includes a busy bit, a high priority slot reserved bit, a low priority slot reserved bit, a high priority slot reservation bit, and a low priority slot reservation bit. The method further extends the two-level cell access to n-level cell access. Each of the time slots thus includes a busy bit, n priority slot reserved bits, and n priority slot reservation bits. The medium access control protocol makes use of the busy bit, the priority slot reserved bits, and the priority slot reservation bits so as to provide fair bandwidth sharing by all of the network stations connected to the bus.

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First Claim