1-28. (canceled)
29. An apparatus, comprising:
n electrical communication channels;
m optical communication media interfaces; and
a plurality of muxes configured to:
receive an information stream, the information stream carried over the n electrical communication channels and the m optical communication media interfaces; and
transform the information stream from v virtual lanes, each virtual lane comprising a plurality of data blocks from the information stream and an alignment block, wherein at least two virtual lanes are communicated on one electrical communication channel.
30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising a buffer, wherein the v virtual lanes are stored in the buffer.
31. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising:
identifying, in the buffer, the alignment block associated with the virtual lane; and
recreating an original data stream using, at least in part, the alignment block.
32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein each of the electrical communication channels comprises a SerDes interface operating at at least 5 Gigabits per second.
33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein v is a positive integer multiple of the least common multiple of m and n, v being greater than n and n being greater than m.
34. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein n is at least ten and m is less than ten.
35. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein each of the m optical communication media interfaces is configured to receive a different stream of information over a single optical fiber.
36. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising one or more decoding modules for decoding the information stream into the plurality of data blocks using 64B66B encoding.
37. A method, comprising:
receiving an information stream, the information stream carried over n electrical communication channels and m optical communication media interfaces; and
transforming the information stream from v virtual lanes, each virtual lane comprising a plurality of data blocks from the information stream and an alignment block, wherein at least two virtual lanes are communicated on one electrical communication channel.
38. The method of claim 37, wherein the v virtual lanes are stored in a buffer.
39. The method of claim 38, further comprising:
identifying, in the buffer, the alignment block associated with the virtual lane; and
recreating an original data stream using, at least in part, the alignment block.
40. The method of claim 37, wherein each of the electrical communication channels comprises a SerDes interface operating at at least 5 Gigabits per second.
41. The method of claim 37, wherein v is a positive integer multiple of the least common multiple of m and n, v being greater than n and n being greater than m.
42. The method of claim 37, wherein n is at least ten and m is less than ten.
43. The method of claim 37, wherein each of the m optical communication media interfaces is configured to receive a different stream of information over a single optical fiber.
44. The method of claim 37, further comprising decoding the information stream into the plurality of data blocks using 64B66B encoding.
45. A system, comprising:
means for receiving an information stream, the information stream carried over n electrical communication channels and m optical communication media interfaces; and
means for transforming the information stream from v virtual lanes, each virtual lane comprising a plurality of data blocks from the information stream and an alignment block, wherein at least two virtual lanes are communicated on one electrical communication channel.
46. The system of claim 45, wherein the v virtual lanes are stored in a buffer.
47. The system of claim 46, further comprising:
means for identifying, in the buffer, the alignment block associated with the virtual lane; and
means for recreating an original data stream using, at least in part, the alignment block.
48. The system of claim 45, wherein v is a positive integer multiple of the least common multiple of m and n, v being greater than n and n being greater than m.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A reinforced lightweight foam building block for construction of a housing structure, the building block comprising:
a block outer body constructed of at least a first rigid foam member and at least a second rigid foam member; and
at least one cross-member assembly comprising a rigid reinforcing material sandwiched between two rigid foam cross-member sections, wherein said rigid reinforcing material of said at least one cross-member assembly has a first end embedded within and affixed to said at least first rigid foam member and a second end embedded within and affixed to said at least second rigid foam member,
wherein the building block is preformed and has a size and shape that allows it to be connected to another building block for construction of the housing structure.
2. The building block of claim 1, wherein said rigid reinforcing material has a high compressive strength.
3. The building block of claim 1, wherein said at least one cross-member assembly includes a plurality of cross-member assemblies.
4. The building block of claim 3, wherein said plurality of cross-member assemblies have at least one cavity formed therebetween.
5. The building block of claim 4, wherein said plurality of cross-member assemblies are disposed substantially parallel to each other and transverse to each of said at least first rigid foam member and said at least second rigid foam member of said block outer body, and wherein an adjacent pair of said plurality of cross-member assemblies are spaced apart by one or more of said at least one cavity.
6. The building block of claim 1, wherein said at least one cross-member assembly has a rectangular shape or a cylindrical shape.
7. The building block of claim 1, further comprising a compressive strength at failure of greater than 8,330 pounds per square inch.
8. The building block of claim 1, wherein said block outer body further comprises a pair of opposing sides that are tapered for conjunctive association with an attachment to other said lightweight building blocks to form a housing structure.
9. The building block of claim 1, further comprising a tongue and groove connector that is partially defined by a portion extending from said at least one cross-member assembly.
10. The building block of claim 1, wherein said at least one cross-member assembly has a height, a width and a thickness, and wherein said height and width are substantially greater than said thickness.
11. The building block of claim 1, wherein said block outer body and said two rigid foam cross-member sections are a polystyrene having a high thermal insulation value.
12. The building block of claim 11, wherein said block outer body and said two rigid foam cross-member sections are affixed to said rigid reinforcing material by an adhesive.
13. The building block of claim 1, wherein said rigid reinforcing material is a polycarbonate.
14. The building block of claim 5, wherein said rigid reinforcing material comprises a sheet of polycarbonate reinforcing material, and wherein said sheet is connected to each of said at least first rigid foam member and said at least second rigid foam member of the block outer body by a plurality of parallel slots formed in each of said at least first rigid foam member and said at least second rigid foam member of said block outer body to accommodate ends of said sheet that protrude from said two rigid foam cross-member sections.
15. The building block of claim 1, wherein said block outer body has six sides made of a lightweight rigid foam, and
wherein said rigid reinforcing material that is sandwiched between said two rigid foam cross-member sections prevents displacement of said two rigid foam cross-member sections when the reinforced lightweight foam building block is exposed to pressure.
16. A lightweight building block for construction of a housing structure, the building block comprising:
a lightweight first portion of a rigid foam material having a six sided body; and
a rigid second portion of lightweight material having a high compressive strength, said rigid second portion being integrated within said lightweight first portion and affixed thereto to reinforce the structural integrity of the building block, said rigid second portion being disposed between a first cross-section member and a second cross-section member, each of said first cross-section member and said second cross-section member being of said rigid foam material of said lightweight first portion,
wherein the building block has a size and shape that allows it to be connected to another of the building blocks for construction of the housing structure, and
wherein the building block is preformed and has a weight of less than about 3 pounds.
17. The building block of claim 16, wherein said rigid second portion is a plurality of rigid second portions each being disposed between first cross-section members and second cross-section members, and wherein said plurality of rigid second portions are disposed transverse to a top and a bottom of the lightweight first portion.
18. The building block of claim 17, wherein said lightweight first portion has at least one cavity formed therethrough and said plurality of rigid second portions are disposed substantially parallel to each other on opposite sides of said at least one cavity, and wherein a pair of said plurality of second portions are spaced apart by one or more of said at least one cavity.
19. The building block of claim 16, wherein said rigid second portion has a rectangular shape or a cylindrical shape, wherein said rigid second portion has a height, a width and a wall thickness, and wherein said height and width are substantially greater than said wall thickness.
20. The building block of claim 16, wherein said lightweight first portion is made from a polystyrene having a high thermal insulation value, and wherein said rigid second portion is made from a polycarbonate.
21. The building block of claim 16, further comprising a compressive strength at failure of greater than about 8,330 pounds per square inch.