Patents Represented by Attorney Steubing McGuinness & Manaras LLP
  • Patent number: 7047015
    Abstract: The performance and ease of management of wireless communications environments is improved by a mechanism that enables access points (APs) to perform automatic channel selection. A wireless network can therefore include multiple APs, each of which will automatically choose a channel such that channel usage is optimized. Furthermore, APs can perform automatic power adjustment so that multiple APs can operate on the same channel while minimizing interference with each other. Wireless stations are load balanced across APs so that user bandwidth is optimized. A movement detection scheme provides seamless roaming of stations between APs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Autocell Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: William Hawe
  • Patent number: 7043277
    Abstract: A system for providing automatically populated display regions showing discovered access points and stations in a user interface representing a wireless communication network deployed in a physical environment. A generated user interface includes a first display region in which access point representations are displayed as corresponding access points are automatically discovered within the wireless network, and a second display region in which station representations are displayed as corresponding stations are automatically discovered within the wireless network. The first and second display regions are provided external to another display region, referred to as the “physical space” display region, in which is shown a representation of the physical space in which the wireless network is deployed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Autocell Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Roger Pfister
  • Patent number: 7033629
    Abstract: The invention relates to methods for preparing nutritional frozen desserts having palatable characteristics. The invention also includes the nutritious frozen desserts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Nutricopia Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald Koss, Arnold Koss
  • Patent number: 7031437
    Abstract: In one example of the invention, a notification system is coupled to a plurality of message services including a voice mail server, an email server and an information server in an office. Messages left for a user (e.g. voice mail, email, CRM event, etc.) are deposited in folders maintained by the messaging services. The notification system detects additions to the user's folders and when a new message arrives, the notification system sends an alert to a Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) enabled device (e.g. cell phone) configured for the user. The alert includes the total number of messages of each type received for the user, along with an indication of the most recently received message. Message information associated with the alerts are also archived by the notification system so that a user can remotely access the information so as to learn more about the messages received from the plurality of message services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventors: Eric W. Parsons, Steven M. Armstrong, Helene Saint-Amour
  • Patent number: 7013302
    Abstract: A bit field direct manipulation device which processes data packets using a multi-threaded pipelined machine, wherein no instruction depends on a preceding instruction because each instruction in the pipeline is executed for a different thread. The multi-thread packet processor transfers a data packet from a flexible data input buffer to a packet task manager, dispatches the data packet from the packet task manager to a multi-threaded pipelined analysis machine, classifies the data packet in the analysis machine, modifies and forwards the data packet in a packet manipulator. The multi-thread packet processor includes an analysis machine having multiple pipelines, wherein one pipeline is dedicated to directly manipulating individual data bits of a bit field, a packet task manager, a packet manipulator, a global access bus including a master request bus and a slave request bus separated from each other and pipelined, an external memory engine, and a hash engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventors: Richard P. Modelski, Michael J. Craren
  • Patent number: 7007151
    Abstract: In a system, device, and method for controlling access to a memory, a memory interface device is used to coordinate access to a memory device by a number of host applications. The memory interface device is situated between the number of host applications and the memory device. The memory interface device received memory access requests from the number of host applications, interacts with the memory device for servicing the memory access requests, and provides result/status information to the number of host applications. The memory interface device maintains a separate context for each memory access request in order to correlate each memory access request with the host application that issued the memory access request and the result/status information generated for the memory access request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventors: Richard J. Ely, Stanley Chmielecki
  • Patent number: 7007100
    Abstract: A multicast network device, such as a route may support a plurality of multicast routing protocols. A single multicast routing table may be provided to store the multicast routes for each multicast routing protocol and a selected set of unicast routes from a unicast routing table. In order to synchronize route changes in the multicast routing table with the plurality of multicast routing protocols, a route ID value is assigned to each route in the multicast routing table. Each multicast routing protocol is assigned a bookmark in a route change queue, where the bookmark is assigned the route ID value of the last route processed by the multicast routing protocol. When a route is changed, the route is assigned a new route ID value and stored in the route change queue. A multicast routing protocol may determine if a route change has occurred by comparing its bookmark to the highest route ID value in the route change queue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventors: Janet Doong, Richard Crump
  • Patent number: 6999454
    Abstract: An information routing system and apparatus includes separate control and forwarding planes. The control plane is split into box management control functions and routing control functions. The box management control functions are isolated to a single processing card, while the routing control functions are distributed across multiple processing cards. The routing table is also distributed across multiple processing cards. The multiple processing cards are interconnected via a high-speed backplane bus for control plane traffic and by a fabric for forwarding plane traffic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventor: Richard H. Crump
  • Patent number: 7000026
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for transferring data segments of a data stream across multi-channel links in a high-capacity network, so that the segments are equitably smeared across the channels of each multi-channel link, are described. The high-capacity network comprises a multiplicity of distributed high-capacity edge nodes interconnected by multi-channel links to a plurality of core nodes. Each edge node comprises a source node and a sink node which may share memory and control. A path from a source node of a first edge node to a sink node of a second edge node traverses two links, a first link from the source node to a selected core node and a second link from the selected core node to the destination sink node. Tandem switching through an intermediate edge node is not required, even for data streams of very low bit rate. Two types of core nodes are described. A core node of a first type is constructed as a high-capacity single-plane switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventors: Maged E. Beshai, Ernst A. Munter, Richard Vickers
  • Patent number: 6996085
    Abstract: The protocol layers of a wireless communication protocol (such as Bluetooth) are divided between an access point device and a back end device such that the access point device implements a lower protocol layer of the wireless communication protocol and the back end device implements upper protocol layers of the wireless communication protocol. This allows the access point device to be small, simple, and inexpensive. The back end device implements various state-based functions that are processor and memory intensive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventors: Franco Travostino, Robert L. Myers
  • Patent number: 6993138
    Abstract: A system, method, and program code are given for secure communication. Multiple geographic cells are arranged in a hierarchical tree having a root node and internal nodes. The root node and each internal node in the tree have an associated node cryptographic key for secure communication with lower nodes in the tree. Each cell is associated with a leaf node of the tree and a cell cryptographic key for secure communications with devices located within the cell. A key management center is at the root node for determining an anticipated cell path of a mobile device from a current cell to a destination cell. The key management center distributes to the mobile device a set of cryptographic keys from the tree. This set contains a minimum number of cryptographic keys necessary to permit secure communications for the mobile device within each cell along the anticipated cell path, but no other cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2006
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventor: Thomas Hardjono
  • Patent number: 6987727
    Abstract: A computer network has a plurality of routers that deliver data packets to the network via a plurality of links. At least one router provides automatic protection switching in the event of a link failure. The at least one router includes a plurality of data interfaces for streams of data packets to enter and exit the at least one router; and a backup controller. The backup controller includes a backup path manager, a link monitor, and a backup packet processor. For at least one link of the routing node, the backup path manager identifies a backup routing path for forwarding affected data packets in the event of a failure of the at least one link. The link monitor monitors the plurality of links to determine when a link fails. When a link which has a backup routing path fails, the backup packet processor attaches backup routing path instructions to affected data packets routed over the failed link, and forwards the affected data packets via the backup routing path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventors: Andre N. Fredette, Loa Andersson, Naganand Doraswamy, Anoop Ghanwani
  • Patent number: 6987777
    Abstract: In a technique for priority forwarding, an upper layer protocol that requires priority forwarding includes a priority function that is invoked by a lower layer protocol in order to obtain the priority for a message. The upper layer protocol provides the priority function to the lower layer protocol when the upper layer protocol is installed in the protocol stack. The lower layer protocol invokes the priority function before passing a message to the upper layer protocol in order to determine a priority for the message. The lower layer protocol places the message in the appropriate queue based upon the priority indicator obtained from the upper layer protocol's priority function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Ltd
    Inventors: Bradley Cain, Larry DiBurro, William A. Miller, Mike Berger, Robert Lee
  • Patent number: 6981077
    Abstract: Global access bus architecture includes a master request bus and a slave request bus separated from each other and pipelined. The global access bus architecture includes packet input global access bus software code for flow of data packet information from a flexible input data buffer to an analysis machine, packet data global access bus software code for flow of packet data between a flexible data input bus and a packet manipulator, statistics data global access bus software code for connection of an analysis machine to a packet manipulator, private data global access bus software code for connection of an analysis machine to an internal memory engine, lookup global access bus software code for connection of an analysis machine to an internal memory engine, results global access bus software code for providing flexible access to an external memory, and results global access bus software code for providing flexible access to an external memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventors: Richard P. Modelski, Michael J. Craren
  • Patent number: 6980646
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for echo cancellation that detects and tracks the active regions of the echo channel impulse response rather than the entire echo channel impulse response and uses this sparse model to cancel the echo component of the received signal. Two sets of filter coefficients are used, one to remove and track the active regions and one to detect the active regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventors: Levent Demirekler, Aleksandar Purkovic
  • Patent number: 6975587
    Abstract: In a router, externally received messages addressed to an active line card are bridged to a protection line card. Each line card in the router is programmed to respond to such externally received messages by directing them to the protection line card associated with the active line card as well as to the active line card. The protection line card is configured with inbound and outbound path tables that are the clones of the inbound and outbound path tables of its corresponding active line card. Bridging is accomplished by revising descriptors stored in a plurality of line cards to indicate an association between an active one of the line cards and its protection line card. Received messages are addressed using the revised descriptors to the active line card and also to its protection line card. Upon failure of an active line card, its physical interface can be disabled once its protection line card has clones of the inbound and outbound path tables and bridging has been set up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventors: Dan Adamski, David Benson, Bilel Jamoussi, Yunzhou Li, Jagannath Shantigram
  • Patent number: 6975592
    Abstract: A system and method for data flow classification based on a configurable rule-engine, is presented herein. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the system includes a data flow managing mechanism configured to identify, track, and manage the data flows and a rule set, which includes a plurality of rules for comparing information contained within data flow with pre-specified values. The system also includes a configurable classification rule engine for classifying the data flows into one of a plurality of traffic classes based on results of the comparisons. The configurable classification rule engine is configured via a configuration file that specifies and allows for the modification and reconfiguration of the pre-specified values and information regarding the data flows, the rule set, and the traffic classes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventors: Nabil N. Seddigh, Biswajit B. Nandy, Don W. Bennett, Yajun Liu, Dabin Wang, Carl F. Cao
  • Patent number: 6970906
    Abstract: A notification system for providing unified alerts about messages left for a user in a communication system is coupled to a voice mail service in an office. When voice mail messages are left for a user, the voice mail service sends header information about the new message to the notification system. The notification system sends a notification of the new messages to a wireless device configured and selected by the user for receiving message notifications. Depending on the type of wireless device, the notification may include a link to a dialer application with which the wireless device can be connected to the voice mail service for selectively listening to the messages of interest. From the new message, the notification system may further extract information about the message sender, and use it to attempt to retrieve the sender's name from the user's personal contact list, for example. This information can then be included in the message header information sent to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventors: Eric W. Parsons, Steven M. Armstrong, Sylvain S. Huppe
  • Patent number: 6971058
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for searching for a character pattern within a data stream. A checksum is computed for one or more patterns for which the data stream will be searched. The patterns may be of the same length or they may be of different lengths. A shift register is used to sequentially parse through the data stream and compute the checksum of a series of bytes in the data stream. If the checksum of the bytes in the data stream that have been shifted into the register matches the checksum from one of the character patterns, then the character pattern corresponding to the checksum has been found. The system may search multiple character patterns simultaneously by using multiple checksum generators in parallel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventors: David J. Evans, John F. Pillar
  • Patent number: 6970653
    Abstract: A fiber optic system for communicating between a central office and a downstream station is described. The central office has a TX unit, an RX unit and a continuous wave (“CW”) laser. Each station has an RX unit and a tunable filter coupling the RX unit to the central office. During downstream transmission, the station's tunable filter is tuned to the central office TX wavelength so that the signal transmitted by the central office will pass through the filter and be received by the station's RX unit. During upstream transmission, the station's tunable filter is selectively tuned to a wavelength different than the CW laser wavelength, allowing selective reflection of light from the CW laser back to the central office. The tunable filter can thus be used to modulate the reflected light to effectively create an upstream transmission from the downstream station to the central office.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Inventor: Thomas J. Dudley