H04L 12/00 - Definition

Definition statement

This subclass covers:

Transfer of information having been supplied in digital form in data switching networks, e.g.

• Systems characterised by network topology;
• Systems in which paths are physically permanent during the communication, e.g. connection oriented communication, virtual circuits;
• Systems in which the path identification data is included in each information unit, e.g. connectionless communication, datagram;
• Hybrid switching systems;
• Arrangements for connecting networks having different types of switching systems;
• Topology management and discovery;
• Local area networks and interworking arrangements there between;
• Flow control and congestion control. Traffic scheduling and balancing;
• Routing, pathfinding;
• Access control and network resource allocation;
• Asynchronous transfer mode networks.

References relevant to classification in this subclass

This subclass does not cover:

Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units	G06F 13/00
Interprocessor communication using networks	G06F 15/173

Informative references

Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:

Communication control	H04L 29/02
Data transfer characterised by protocol	H04L 29/06
Multiplexing systems in general	H04J
Selecting equipment	H04Q
Conferences, e.g. video conferences	H04N 7/15
Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges	H04M 3/00
Manual exchanges	H04M 5/00
Telephony conferences arrangements	H04M 3/56
Computer aided management of electronic mail	G06Q 10/10

Glossary of terms

In this subclass, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:

Circuit switching	A system in which a communication path is physically permanent during the communication.
Packet switching	A system in which information is divided into discrete data units, characterised by a data payload and an address part known as a header part. The data units are able to travel over different communication paths to the destination.
Message switching systems	A system in which a message is sent into a network with the address of its destination added and it is routed to its destination through the network, e.g. electronic mail network systems.
Hybrid switching	Combinations of different switching systems (e.g. packet switching systems and circuit switching systems).
Gateway	Arrangements for connecting between networks having different types of switching systems.

Synonyms and Keywords

In patent documents the following terms "packet", "frame" and "cell" are often used as synonyms. Also, these terms can be used as keywords.