Appeal No. 95-5040
Application 07/781,422
This is a decision on appeal under 35 U.S.C. § 134 from the final rejection of claims 1-18, all
of the claims pending in the application.
The invention is directed to a method and apparatus for providing a fault-tolerant network
interface for a computer. The computer has first and second connecting devices that connect it to
the network. Normally, the data flows between the computer and the network through the first
connecting device. When a fault is detected, the first network connecting device is disabled and its
address is reassigned to the second connecting device. Thereafter, data flow is provided between the
computer and the network through the second connecting device.
Claim 1 is reproduced below.2
1. An apparatus for providing a fault-tolerant interface for a computer, comprising:
first and second means for connecting said computer to said network, said first and
second means for connecting being provided, respectively, with first and second identifiers
for uniquely identifying said first and second means for connecting said computer to said
network, said first means for connecting being initially enabled so as to allow data to flow
between the network and said computer through said first means for connecting;
means for periodically detecting whether a fault has occurred in said first means for
connecting, said means for detecting causing a first message to be sent through said first
means for connecting to be received by said second means for connecting, and causing a
second message to be sent through said second means for connecting to be received by said
first means for connecting;
means for disabling said first means for connecting when said fault is detected;
2
Note that the word "network" should be reinserted before the word "interface" in the
preamble to provide proper antecedent basis. The word "network" was deleted in the amendment
received March 7, 1994 (Paper No. 9).
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