Patents Examined by Douglas W. Olms
  • Patent number: 6172988
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for supplying arbitrary types of information in a digital signal conformant to the structures defined in ISO standard ISO/IEC 13818-1, known generally as MPEG2 Systems. The method extends Program Stream and Transport Stream structures by application of principles developed for standardization of bidirectional data communications protocols to define a universal messaging syntax applicable to all types of information, including Internet data streams, VBI data streams, other types of data streams, as well as MPEG2 video, audio, and control; to define a multiplexing structure that is independent of the details of the MPEG2 signal structure; and to define a scheme for addressing such enhanced MPEG2 signals, or portions of signals, to individual decoders or to groups of decoders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Tiernan Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: James C. Tiernan, Christopher J. Bennett
  • Patent number: 6172977
    Abstract: The invention is an ATM system to route DS0 traffic from T1 Extended Superframe (ESF) or Superframne (SF) systems that use robbed bit signaling. The invention is able to route the call selecting the ATM VPI/VCI that routes the call within the ATM system. DS0s with robbed bit signaling are transported transparently by the ATM system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Sprint Communications Company, L. P.
    Inventors: Joseph Michael Christie, Albert Daniel Duree, Michael Joseph Gardner, Mark Sucharczuk, William Lyle Wiley
  • Patent number: 6172963
    Abstract: A method and a device for, preferably in ATM-traffic and in a switch with input and output buffers and with a so-called “credit based solution” for flow control, using a very short time interval between the requests from the input ports to send cells through the switch core to the output ports and where the degree of fullness of the output buffers is accurately supervised and taken into the calculations together with the number of cells in the input buffers when determined how many cells should be allowed to be sent to each output port during the next time interval. A certain over-allocation of cells to each output port is permitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
    Inventors: Berndt Larsson, Magnus Buhrgard, Krzysztof Kaminski
  • Patent number: 6172979
    Abstract: A CDV-reducing algorithm circuit self-monitoring system is operative for detecting a non-data cell contained in a cell flow and arriving at a predictable time, executing a CDV-reducing algorithm operation on the detected non-data cell using self-monitoring parameters, comparing the result of the reduced CDV algorithm operation and an estimated value, and determining, when the two compared data are equal, that the CDV-reducing algorithm is normal, while making, when the two compared data fail to be equal, a determination that the CDV-reducing algorithm is abnormal and also notification of an alarm to a function control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Rie Kozakai
  • Patent number: 6172966
    Abstract: An n-tuple defines an envelope of a variable over a time interval. An input memory receives blocks of measurements made at known points of the network and converts them into initial n-tuples. In a base memory, a functional model comprises a list of components, (Lv), and the designation (Df, Dg) of at least one particular function of the measurements (Lp). Management will, repetitively, (a) match together available initial n-tuples, and at least one model applicable to them, (b) through computations on n-tuples, with the function designation (Df, Dg) of the model, and these n-tuples, obtain at least one result n-tuple (Nf, Ng), (c) apply the result n-tuple (Nf, Ng) to test for a standard expression, and (d) associate the output from the test with the list of components (Lv) of the model. Decision logic analyzes various outputs from the test, with a view to determining one or more defective components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Dassault Electronique
    Inventors: Patrick Taillibert, Etienne Loiez
  • Patent number: 6169725
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for the restoration of internal connections of consumer electronic devices in a home audio/video network. The present invention automatically maintains and manages the internal connections for each of the devices on the network. In the currently preferred embodiment, each internal connection is labeled according to its status (e.g., active or inactive) and/or condition (e.g., network compliancy). Whenever a new device is added to or an old device is removed from the network, a network reset is initiated. The network reset causes a device control module to terminate its normal mode of operation and enter into a “restore” mode of operation. During the restore mode, the device control module accepts connection information sent by the various stream managers of those devices currently coupled to the network. Based on this information, the device control module updates the label data for each of the internal connections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignees: Sony Corporation of Japan, Sony Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Simon J. Gibbs, Feng Zou, Rodger J. Lea
  • Patent number: 6169750
    Abstract: A voice packet multiplexer with a voice transit switching function, which is connected to a PBX in an office. It detects an originating logical channel according to digits sent from the PBX, and sets, when transmitting a signal packet or voice packet, the detected originating logical channel in its address field. It also stores an originating logical channel while receiving a packet from a packet communication network. It further extracts an office number from a received packet containing the digit information, makes a decision whether the office number is the number of its own office or of another office, and retrieves, if it is of the another office, a terminating logical channel for establishing connection with that office. To carry out the voice transit switching after determining the terminating logical channel, it transmits a packet after translating its address field into the terminating logical channel or into the originating logical channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: Logic Corporation
    Inventors: Takamasa Tomono, Nobuki Sato, Shuhei Kokubun, Makoto Aoki, Junichi Kii
  • Patent number: 6169741
    Abstract: A bridge (62) capable of reducing unwanted WAN multicast packet traffic in a LAN and an associated method and an associated LAN is disclosed. The bridge examines the contents of WAN multicast query and report packets and WAN multicast router-to-router discovery packets and includes this information in its filtering database (88). The bridge designates ports on which query packets or MRRDPs are received as router ports. When there is no WAN router generating multicast query packets into the LAN, the bridge simulates the behavior of a WAN router and generates WAN multicast query packets so as to cause report packet generation by end systems. A timeout interval for undesignating router ports and a method for determining an appropriate timeout for a port is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: 3Com Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas LeMaire, Floyd Backes, Cyndi Jung
  • Patent number: 6169730
    Abstract: A method for implementing a time division multiple access protocol for digital communications between a radio transceiver and a repeater or another radio transceiver has the steps of dividing a radio communication into a plurality of frames having a predetermined length of time; dividing each frame into: a plurality of downlink slots, each downlink slot containing a transmission from the repeater to the transceiver; and a plurality of uplink slots, each uplink slot containing a transmission from the transceiver to the repeater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
    Inventors: William Edward Jacklin, Scott Alan Stratmoen
  • Patent number: 6169748
    Abstract: A system and method for providing QoS levels to received data units, such as ATM cells and/or Frame Relay Frames. A QoS level associated with a virtual connection is supported through allocation and management of resources used to process data units received over the connection. Resources used to support QoS levels are assigned to groups of connections referred to as “QoS groups”. Resources used to support one group of connections may be isolated from resources supporting other connections. When a connection is established, if a QoS group exists having the QoS level of the new connection, the connection may be added to that QoS group. Similarly, where the QoS levels for multiple connections must be modified, if those connections are within a single QoS group, then modification of the QoS level for that group would advantageously result in modification of the QoS for each virtual connection within the QoS group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignees: Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc., Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Steve N. Barbas, Michael J. Homberg
  • Patent number: 6169728
    Abstract: The apparatus (101) and method for spectrum management in a multipoint communication system controls upstream channel usage for secondary stations (110) transmitting information to a primary station (101) and downstream channel usage for secondary stations (110) receiving information from a primary station (101). The preferred apparatus (101) embodiment includes a processor arrangement (120) having a master controller (121) and a plurality of processors (130), with the processor arrangement connected to a channel interface (125). The apparatus (101) and method controls channel load balancing, channel congestion, and channel assignment in a multipoint communication system, and controls upstream channels independently from downstream channels. Factors and parameters utilized in such channel control and allocation include error parameters, channel noise parameters, transmit and receive loading factors, and congestion parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: Motorola Inc.
    Inventors: John A. Perreault, Dennis J. Picker, Sunil K. Menon
  • Patent number: 6167051
    Abstract: A mechanism for performing multicast packet transfer when a certain one of the destination nodes participating in the multicast communication requires resource reservation for a certain packet flow specified among the packet flows to that destination node. A system may transfer multicast packets using a plurality of virtual connections based on which flow the packets to be transferred belong to, so that each node receives the packets without duplication. Alternatively, a system may selectively discard received packets to avoid processing duplicated packets, although duplicated packets are received at each node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kenichi Nagami, Hisako Tanaka, Yasuhiro Katsube
  • Patent number: 6167046
    Abstract: In a communication network in which a plurality of equipments each having a function implementing unit having a plurality of functions and a communication control unit having communication function communicating with each other, the communication control unit includes a recording medium and stores on the recording medium in advance a plurality of pieces of function information related to at least one function held by the corresponding function implementing unit, and inquires function information of each of other equipments at the time of communication. Therefore, management of various equipments and function information of various equipments in correspondence with each other becomes unnecessary, load in processing including communication is relieved and functions of respective equipments can be controlled efficiently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Terada, Toru Ueda, Hirohisa Wakai, Takashi Nishimura
  • Patent number: 6167039
    Abstract: Mobile stations using antenna diversity are described. Techniques for combining CDMA signals received over plural antennas at a mobile unit are provided which suppress interference from undesired base stations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolget LM Ericsson
    Inventors: Jonas Karlsson, Bjorn Gudmundson, Ulf Forssen, Sara Mazur
  • Patent number: 6167049
    Abstract: A scheduler in accord with the invention schedules available bit rate (ABR) traffic over an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) link in such a manner as to provide circuits having the ABR traffic service a minimum cell rate (MCR) that may be greater than zero. The scheduler uses static scheduling information to schedule traffic for high priority services, such as constant bit rate service. The static information also specifies transmit opportunities for an ABR circuit, in a manner analogous to that for CBR traffic. The statically scheduled transmit opportunities provide a negotiated minimum cell rate that is greater than zero, for the ABR circuit. The scheduler maintains dynamic scheduling information, which it uses to schedule traffic in otherwise available transmit times. For example, the scheduler may use the dynamic information to create a work list of virtual circuit connections for ABR service. During any cell transmit time that is not used by a higher priority service (e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignees: Cabletron Systems, Inc., Kabushiki Kaisya Toshiba
    Inventors: Tong-Bi Pei, Kohei Abe, Robert E. Thomas
  • Patent number: 6163539
    Abstract: A datapath packet transmission controller which includes a central processing unit (CPU), a transmit FIFO buffer operative to receive and temporarily store data packets, and a disposition FIFO buffer coupled to said CPU for holding packet disposition commands received from said CPU. The CPU controls reception and storage of data packets in the transmit FIFO buffer, accesses data in data packets in the transmit FIFO buffer, provides disposition commands which control the disposition of packets after storage in the transmit FIFO buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: PMC-Sierra Ltd.
    Inventors: Thomas Alexander, Bradley H. Smith, Alexander D. Rekow
  • Patent number: 6163531
    Abstract: The present invention is a method of throttling connections to a multipoint controller in a loosely-coupled conference. The loosely-coupled conference includes at least one receiver terminal and a H.323 panel having a multipoint controller and one or more H.323 terminals coupled to the multipoint controller and each to transmit and receive media streams on a multicast address. The method includes the steps of receiving a callable address of a receiver terminal on the multicast address, determining whether sufficient resources are available to allow the receiver terminal to join the panel, and connecting to the receiver terminal using the callable address and allowing the receiver terminal to join the H.323 panel and transmit and receive media streams on the multicast address if sufficient resources are available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Vineet Kumar
  • Patent number: 6163543
    Abstract: A port aggregation protocol (PAGP) dynamically aggregates redundant links between two neighboring devices in a computer network through the exchange of aggregation protocol data unit (AGPDU) frames between the two devices. Each AGPDU frame contains a unique identifier corresponding to the device sourcing the frame and a port number corresponding to the port through which the frame is forwarded. The exchange of AGPDU frames and the information contained therein allows the neighboring devices to identify those ports corresponding to the redundant links. Each device then dynamically aggregates its ports corresponding to the redundant links into a logical aggregation port (agport) which appears as a single, high-bandwidth port or interface to other processes executing on the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Hon Wah Chin, Michael Fine, Norman W. Finn, Richard J. Hausman
  • Patent number: 6160797
    Abstract: This specification discloses a satellite transmission system for transmission of TCP/IP compatible packets from a head end computer through a satellite uplink, an extraterrestrial satellite, a satellite downlink, and an integrated satellite receiver/router for outputting of the TCP/IP compatible packets through a port on the receiver/router onto a computer LAN or WAN. The system may include an Internet or telecommunications backchannel. The receiver becomes router enabled by means of a removable insertion Ethernet/Router insertion card inserted into a slot in the receiver, although the transmission system may be used to simultaneously transmit a variety of other services through the receiver by use of other service slots in the receiver. The Ethernet/Receiver supports the IGMPv2 Multicasting (querier and non querier modes), standard TCP/IP (including UDP and Telnet), and SNMP protocols.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: StarGuide Digital Networks, Inc.
    Inventors: Roswell Robert, III, Ian Lerner, Laurence A. Fish, C. Brian Peabody
  • Patent number: 6160818
    Abstract: A method is provided for admitting new requests for service in a shared resource having a capacity. The new request has service priority levels associated therewith. In one embodiment of the invention, for example, the shared resource may be a packet communications network and the service request may be a request to admit a new connection. The method proceeds as follows. First, for each service priority level on said shared resource, a total effective bandwidth is generated which is represented by a sum of individual effective bandwidths of previously admitted requests for service. Subsequent to receiving a new request for service having a specified priority of service level, a plurality of effective bandwidths are accessed for the new request. The plurality of effective bandwidths are respectively associated with the specified service priority level and service priority levels therebelow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: AT &T Corp
    Inventors: Arthur W. Berger, Ward Whitt