Appeal No. 1998-0706
Application 08/166,279
206 includes a table (Fig. 8) made up of 1's and 0's
indicating which of the two directions (i.e., left or right)
provides the shorter path to each of the processors located in
the other clusters (Specification at 30, ll. 8-12, and at 32,
ll. 10-24).
As correctly noted by the examiner in the Answer at 9,
Allen states that "[t]he network attempts to send the messages
over the shortest possible route" (col. 1, ll. 67-68). While 2
Allen fails to explain how the shortest direction is
determined, the examiner and appellants correctly agree that
the direction determination is made in the sending processors
rather than in the sending cluster modules as required to
satisfy the claim. Specifically, when data is to be sent from
a processor in one cluster to a processor in another cluster,
the processor issues a SEND instruction (col. 9, ll. 36-44).
Parameters supplied to the SEND instruction include, inter
alia, the identity of the direction in which the packet is to
be sent around the ring, the identity of the receiving cluster
module, and the identity of the receiving processor within the
2Appellants' opening brief does not address this passage
in Allen. Nor did they file a reply brief.
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