Appeal No. 1998-0706
Application 08/166,279
claims 8, 12, 16, 17, 20, 26, 27 and 30-39 and objected to
dependent claims 18, 19, 21, 28, 29, 40, and 41 as depending
on rejected claims (Answer at 2).
We affirm-in-part and reverse-in-part.
A. The invention
The invention relates to communication between processors
in a multiprocessor system which is made up of a plurality of
groups of processors, the groups being connected in a ring
configuration.
B. The claims
There are six independent claims before us, of which
claims 16 and 17 are representative:
16. Apparatus for communicating messages between at
least three multiprocessor groups, each of the multiprocessor
groups including a plurality of processor units coupled to one
another for interprocessor communication by an interprocessor
bus, the messages including information identifying a one of
the plurality of processor units of a one of the
multiprocessor groups as a destination processor unit for
receiving the message, the apparatus comprising:
each of the multiprocessor groups including interface
means coupled to the interprocessor bus of that multiprocessor
group for receiving messages communicated thereon by a
processor unit of that multiprocessor group to the destination
processor unit;
link means intercoupling the interface means of each
multiprocessor group in a ring configuration for communicating
data thereon;
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