Non-blocking copy network for multicast packet switching

Abstract From the Canadian patent

A copy network capable of packet replication is disclosed. An encoding process transforms the set of copy numbers, specified in the headers of incoming packets into a set of monotone address intervals which form new packet headers. This process is carried out by a running adder network and a set of dummy address encoders. A broadcast banyan network performs the packet replication according to a Boolean Interval Splitting Algorithm. Finally trunk number translators determine the destinations of individual copies. The copy network is self-routing, non-blocking and has a constant packet latency.