Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to an article carrier (90) for packaging a plurality of articles and to a blank (10) for forming the article carrier. The article carrier comprises a plurality of primary panels (12,14,16,18) for forming a tubular structure and defining an interior thereof. The plurality of primary panels includes a first panel (12) and a second panel (14) opposing the first panel. The article carrier further comprises a partition structure for dividing the interior into two or more article-receiving cells. The carrier is formed form a blank comprising a partition-forming section (PS) which comprises a primary partition panel (22,24) and a secondary partition panel(40,44,36,46) formed from the primary partition panel and hingedly connected at one of the opposing ends thereof to the primary partition panel. The upper edge (E1) of the secondary partition panel is defined at least in part by a cutaway (R1) extending from a free end edge (E3) of the blank.

Abstract: An apparatus having a buffer store connected to an input line upon which ATM cells are received, and an output line upon which ATM cells are transmitted is provided. A control device receives, for each cell, a channel identifier and a path identifier from which a first signal is generated indicative of a maximum delay value which is applied to the buffer store and used to schedule the particular cell for transmission on a calendar controlling a sustainable cell rate. The control device generates a second signal indicative of a minimum delay value which is applied to the buffer and, in conjunction with the first signal, is used to schedule the particular cell for transmission on a calendar controlling the peak cell rate. The apparatus can also handle routing information, where a group of channel connections define a Route which share a peak cell rate for the Route and are scheduled on the peak cell rate calendar.

Abstract: An ATM communication system including an ATM switch having input and output ports is provided. Each input port is fed from an input port server and each of the output ports are arranged to feed an output port server. The input port servers include buffer stores, one for each of the output ports, to which data is transmitted through the switch. Each buffer store in the input port servers is arranged to interrogate the output ports server, with which it communicates before the transmission of data, to determine whether the output port server data handling capacity is available. The ATM communication system includes a transmitting devices for unicast traffic and multicast traffic. The transmitting device includes an output time slot control device and a scheduling device arranged to allocate a time slot for the transmission of each unicast traffic cell, and for calculating when a time slot is available for transmission of a multicast traffic cell.

Abstract: An ATM communication system has an ATM switch having a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports, each of the input ports being fed from an input port server and each of the output ports being arranged to feed an output port server. The input port servers each have a plurality of buffer stores, one for each of the output ports to which output port data is transmitted through the switch. Each buffer store in the input port servers is arranged to interrogate the output port server with which it communicates by a bandwidth request before the transmission of data. This determines whether output port server data handling capacity is available, whereby ATM switch operation during periods of peak traffic is facilitated. The system includes a queuing arrangement for bandwidth requests received during periods when there is no available bandwidth capacity, the arrangement being such that requests are released in a predetermined order when capacity becomes available.

Abstract: An ATM signal processor system for processing ATM data cells which in combination define a data package wherein the last cell of a package is characterized by an identifying code. The cells of different data packages are multiplexed to provide a serial data stream. A server and a buffer store via which the server is fed with the serial data stream are provided. The buffer store has a threshold capacity beyond which cells are discarded. A discarded cell identifier/rejecter serves to identify and store the identity of a data package with which a discarded cell is associated so as to be set thereafter to reject subsequently received cells with the same data package identity until being reset upon receipt of the last cell of the package as indicated by its characteristic identifying code.