Importance

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Abstract

A gateway protocol wherein networks having differing transmission capabilities are linked through a common gateway. Data propagated by nodes on a lesser-capable network is considered base data while data transmissions on the more capable network are considered enhanced transmissions, wherein the enhanced data includes a base data component plus an enhanced data component. The gateway protocol in one embodiment processes communications between nodes on the differing networks. In a transmission going from the more-capable network to the lesser-capable network, the enhanced component of the data is stripped at the gateway while the base component is forwarded to the receiving node. In the opposite direction, a transmission from the lesser-capable network is processed at the gateway by having null data added to the base data where the enhanced data would be expected in the more-capable network protocol. In another embodiment nodes can be equipped with logic which identifies to what kind of network they are communicating. At the node end of a transaction in a more-capable network, the transmission's stream can be stripped to accommodate a receiving node on a lesser-capable network. Finally, applications software can be written to implement 'smart' object filters for breaking down data in a hierarchical manner.

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First Claim