Method, apparatus and computer program for determining the transmission rate and coding configuration of remote terminals

Claim 2

In a data communication system wherein a computer is timeshared through a line adapter with a plurality of remote terminals, which remote terminals are configured to transmit and receive data having a variety of known bit rates and codes, a machine implemented method for determining the particular bit rate and code for which one remote terminal in said plurality of remote terminals is configured, said method comprising the steps of: establishing electrical communication between said one remote terminal and said line adapter; receiving a standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal to said line adapter; decoding said standard character to determine for which of said variety of known bit rates and codes said one remote terminal is configured; and establishing data communication between said one remote terminal and said computer in response to the decoding of said standard character.

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 wherein said steps of decoding said standard character and establishing data communication together, include the steps of: selectively timing the advance of said standard character into a first buffer at the highest of said known bit rates, parallel decoding said standard character advanced into said first buffer to determine which one of said variety of known bit rates and codes characterizes said standard character, selectively timing the advance of subsequent data characters into said first buffer at the bit rate found to characterize said standard character, and sequentially transferring said standard character and said subsequent data characters from said first buffer into a second buffer for examination by said computer.

Claim 4

In a data communication system wherein a computer is time-shared through a line adapter with a plurality of remote terminals, which remote terminals are configured to transmit and receive data having a variety of known bit rates and codes, a machine implemented method for determining the particular bit rate and code for which one remote terminal in said plurality of remote terminals is configured, said method comprising the steps of: establishing electrical communication between said one remote terminal and said line adapter; receiving a first character portion of a standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal to said line adapter; decoding the first character portion of said standard character to initially determine for which of said variety of known bit rates and codes said one remote terminal is configured; receiving a second character portion of said standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal to said line adapter; decoding the second character portion of said standard character to positively determine for which of said variety of known bit rates and codes said one remote terminal is configured; and establishing data communication between said one remote terminal and said computer in response to the decoding of the first and second portions of said standard character.

Claim 5

In a data communication system wherein a computer is time-shared through a line adapter with a plurality of remote terminals, which remote terminals are configured to transmit and receive data having a variety of known bit rates and codes, a machine implemented method for determining the particular bit rate and code for which one remote terminal in said plurality of remote terminals is configured, said method comprising the steps of: establishing electrical communication between said one remote terminal and said line adapter; receiving a first character portion of a standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal to said line adapter; decoding the first character portion of said standard character to initially determine for which of said variety of known bit rates and codes said one remote terminal is configured; receiving a second character portion of said standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal to said line adapter; decoding the second character portion of said standard character to positively determine for which of said variety of known bit rates and codes said one remote terminal is configured; and establishing data communication between said one remote terminal and said computer in response to the decoding of the first and second portions of said standard character.

Claim 6

In a data communication system wherein a computer is time-shared through a line adapter with a plurality of remote terminals, which remote terminals are configured to transmit and receive data having a variety of known bit rates and codes, a machine implemented method for determining the particular bit rate and code for which one remote terminal in said plurality of remote terminals is configured, said method comprising the steps of: establishing electrical communication between said one remote terminal and said line adapter; receiving a first character portion of a standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal to said line adapter; selectively timing the advance of the first character portion of said standard character into a first buffer at the highest of said known bit rates; parallel decoding the first character portion of said standard character advanced into said first buffer to determine which one of said variety of known bit rates and codes characterizes the first character portion of said standard character; receiving a second character portion of said standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal to said line adapter; selectively timing the advance of the second character portion of said standard character into said first buffer at the highest of said known bit rates; parallel decoding the second character portion of said standard character advanced into said first buffer to determine which one of said variety of known bit rates and codes characterizes the second character portion of said standard character; selectively timing the advance of subsequent data characters into said first buffer at the bit rate found to characterize both the first and second character portions of said standard character; and sequentially transferring the first and second character portions of said standard character and said subsequent data characters from said first buffer into a second buffer for examination by said computer.

Claim 7

In a data communication system wherein a computer is time-shared through a line adapter with a plurality of remote terminals, which remote terminals are configured to transmit and receive data having a variety of known bit rates and codes, a machine implemented method for determining the particular bit rate and code for which one remote terminal in said plurality of remote terminals is configured, said method comprising the steps of: establishing electrical communication between said one remote terminal and said line adapter; receiving a first character portion of a standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal to said line adapter; selectively timing the advance of the first character portion of said standard character into a first buffer at the highest of said known bit rates; parallel decoding the first character portion of said standard character advanced into said first buffer to determine which one of said variety of known bit rates and codes characterizes the first character portion of said standard character; receiving a second character portion of said standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal to said line adapter; selectively timing the advance of the second character portion of said standard character into said first buffer at the highest of said known bit rates; parallel decoding the second character portion of said standard character advanced into said first buffer to determine which one of said variety of known bit rates and codes characterizes the second character portion of said standard character; selectively timing the advance of subsequent data characters into said first buffer at the bit rate found to characterize both the first and second character portions of said standard character; and sequentially transferring the first and second character portions of said standard character and said subsequent data characters from said first buffer into a second buffer for examination by said computer.

Claim 8

In a data communication system wherein a computer is time-shared through a line adapter with a plurality of remote terminals, which remote terminals are configured to transmit and receive data having a variety of known bit rates and codes, apparatus for determining the particular bit rate and code for which one remote terminal in said plurality of remote terminals is configured, said apparatus comprising in combination: means for establishing electrical communication between said one remote terminal and said line adapter; means for receiving a standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal to said line adapter; means for decoding said standard character to determine for which of said variety of known bit rates and codes said one remote terminal is configured; and means for establishing data communication between said one remote terminal and said computer in response to the decoding of said standard character.

Claim 9

In a data communication system wherein a computer is time-shared through a line adapter with a plurality of remote terminals, which remote terminals are configured to transmit and receive data having a variety of known bit rates and codes, apparatus for determining the particular bit rate and code for which one remote terminal in said plurality of remote terminals is configured, said apparatus comprising in combination: means for establishing electrical communication between said one remote terminal and said line adapter; means for receiving a standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal to said line adapter; means for decoding said standard character to determine for which of said variety of known bit rates and codes said one remote terminal is configured; and means for establishing data communication between said one remote terminal and said computer in response to the decoding of said standard character.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said means for decoding and said means for establishing data communications include: selective timing means for advancing said standard character into a first buffer at the highest of said known bit rates and for advancing any subsequent data characters into said first buffer at their characteristic bit rate, parallel decode means for determining which one of said variety of known bit rates and codes characterize the standard character advanced into said first buffer, synchronization means, responsive to said parallel decode means, for controlling at which of said of known bit rates said selective timing means will advance said data characters into said first buffer, and transfer means for sequentially parallel loading said standard character and said subsequent data characters from said first buffer into a second buffer for examination by said computer.

Claim 11

In a data communication system wherein a computer is time-shared through a line adapter with a plurality of remote terminals, which remote terminals are configured to transmit and receive data having a variety of known bit rates and codes, a method comprising the steps of: detecting the presence of an electrical signal indicating that a one of said plurality of remote terminals is attempting to communicate with said computer; configuring said line adapter to receive data characters at the highest of said known bit rates; detecting the reception by said line adapter of a standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal; decoding said standard character to determine for which of said variety of known bit rates and codes said one remote terminal is configured; and establishing data communication between said one remote terminal and said computer in response To the decoding of said standard character.

Claim 12

In a data communication system wherein a computer is time-shared through a line adapter with a plurality of remote terminals, which remote terminals are configured to transmit and receive data having a variety of known bit rates and codes, a method comprising the steps of: detecting the presence of an electrical signal indicating that a one of said plurality of remote terminals is attempting to communicate with said computer; configuring said line adapter to receive data characters at the highest of said known bit rates; detecting the reception by said line adapter of a standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal; decoding said standard character to determine for which of said variety of known bit rates and codes said one remote terminal is configured; and establishing data communication between said one remote terminal and said computer in response To the decoding of said standard character.

Claim 13

In a data communication system wherein a computer is time-shared through a line adapter with a plurality of remote terminals, which remote terminals are configured to transmit and receive data having a variety of known bit rates and codes, a method comprising the steps of: detecting the presence of an electrical signal indicating that a one of said plurality of remote terminals is attempting to communicate with said computer; configuring said line adapter to receive and transmit characters at the highest of said known bit rates; detecting the reception by said line adapter of a first character portion of a standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal; decoding a first character portion of said standard character to initially determine for which of said variety of known bit rates and codes said one remote terminal is configured; detecting the reception by said line adapter of a second character portion of said standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal; decoding the second character portion of said standard character to positively determine for which of said variety of known bit rates and codes said one remote terminal is configured; and establishing data communication between said one remote terminal and said computer in response to the decoding of the first and second character portions of said standard character.

Claim 14

In a data communication system wherein a computer is time-shared through a line adapter with a plurality of remote terminals, which remote terminals are configured to transmit and receive data having a variety of known bit rates and codes, a method comprising the steps of: detecting the presence of an electrical signal indicating that a one of said plurality of remote terminals is attempting to communicate with said computer; configuring said line adapter to receive and transmit characters at the highest of said known bit rates; detecting the reception by said line adapter of a first character portion of a standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal; decoding a first character portion of said standard character to initially determine for which of said variety of known bit rates and codes said one remote terminal is configured; detecting the reception by said line adapter of a second character portion of said standard character transmitted from said one remote terminal; decoding the second character portion of said standard character to positively determine for which of said variety of known bit rates and codes said one remote terminal is configured; and establishing data communication between said one remote terminal and said computer in response to the decoding of the first and second character portions of said standard character.

Claim 15

The method of claim 8 including the additional step of: terminating data communication between said one remote terminal and said computer upon the detection of a signal indicating that said one remote terminal has completed its communication with said computer.

Claim 16

The method of claim 8 wherein the establishing step includes the steps of: configuring said line adapter to receive and transmit characters at the bit rate found to characterize said one remote terminal; and terminating data communication between said one remote terminal and said computer upon the detection of a signal indicating that said one remote terminal has completed its communication with said computer.