Patents by Inventor Mark Ratcliffe

Mark Ratcliffe has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20170237819
    Abstract: A method for vNF chaining management includes receiving virtualized network function (vNF) information from a chaining client associated with a particular vNF. A service chaining catalog is updated based on the vNF information and chaining information is transmitted to peering vNFs of the particular vNF. The vNF information can indicate instantiation of a vNF and identify peering vNFs. Updates received from vNFs can be used to update the chaining catalog. Updated vNF information can then be sent to peering vNFs of the vNF which sent the update.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2017
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Applicant: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Chaoxin Qiu, Mark A. Ratcliffe, Jeffrey L. Scruggs
  • Patent number: 9674639
    Abstract: A method for vNF chaining management includes receiving virtualized network function (vNF) information from a chaining client associated with a particular vNF. A service chaining catalog is updated based on the vNF information and chaining information is transmitted to peering vNFs of the particular vNF. The vNF information can indicate instantiation of a vNF and identify peering vNFs. Updates received from vNFs can be used to update the chaining catalog. Updated vNF information can then be sent to peering vNFs of the vNF which sent the update.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Chaoxin Qiu, Mark A. Ratcliffe, Jeffrey L. Scruggs
  • Publication number: 20170134438
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to provide data network services to a non-registering endpoint are disclosed herein. A disclosed method includes, transmitting, by executing an instruction with a processor, information identifying the non-registering endpoint and a first list identifying a plurality of proxy-call session control functions to a plurality of serving-call session control functions, the plurality of proxy-call session control functions being statically assigned to process calls to the non-registering endpoint when selected by any of the plurality of serving-call session control functions. In the disclosed example method, the non-registering endpoint is unable to register with any data network. The first list can be provided to the plurality of serving-call session control functions in response to an event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2017
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Inventors: Min Lu, Martin Dolly, Leticia Johnson, Mark Ratcliffe
  • Publication number: 20170119925
    Abstract: The present invention provides materials and methods that can serve as a prosthetic and/or, for tissue engineer applications, as a supporting matrix in the stabilization of the myocardium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Publication date: May 4, 2017
    Inventors: Kevin E. HEALY, Samuel Thomas Wall, Mark Ratcliffe, Julius Guccione
  • Publication number: 20170086249
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a system that detects a request to reattach to a communication network to update a registration between a wireless communication system and the communication network while the wireless communication system is connected to a session border controller of the communication network. The system delays a release of bearer communications with the communication network responsive to the request to reattach to the communication network not being urgent. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2016
    Publication date: March 23, 2017
    Inventors: MARK A. RATCLIFFE, CHAOXIN QIU
  • Patent number: 9571528
    Abstract: Many of the current IMS standards and enriched services were originally designed for the individual subscribers that are serviced by the wireless network. However, the IMS standards do not fully address the problem of providing the IMS enriched services and features to business PBX customers or wholesale customers that do not directly register to the IMS network. The present invention discloses a method for providing IMS enriched services and features to business PBX customers or wholesale customers through the use of a static provisioning and registration method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Min Lu, Martin Dolly, Leticia Johnson, Mark Ratcliffe
  • Patent number: 9544940
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a communication device that receives a request to update a registration between the communication device and a communication network without causing the communication device to cycle power or reset. The communication device can postpone a process for releasing bearer communications with the communication network responsive to determining that the request to update registration between the communication device and the communication network can be delayed. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Mark A. Ratcliffe, Chaoxin Qiu
  • Patent number: 9462049
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing subscriber load distribution in networks are disclosed. For example, the method receives capacity data and user equipment (UE) resource consumption data from a plurality of devices that process call control signaling messages within the communication network. The method receives a first request from one of the plurality of devices to re-register one or more selected user equipment, and selects at least one available device from the plurality of devices. The method then re-registers the one or more selected user equipment on the at least one available device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Eric Noel, Mark Ratcliffe
  • Publication number: 20160248858
    Abstract: A method for vNF chaining management includes receiving virtualized network function (vNF) information from a chaining client associated with a particular vNF. A service chaining catalog is updated based on the vNF information and chaining information is transmitted to peering vNFs of the particular vNF. The vNF information can indicate instantiation of a vNF and identify peering vNFs. Updates received from vNFs can be used to update the chaining catalog. Updated vNF information can then be sent to peering vNFs of the vNF which sent the update.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Publication date: August 25, 2016
    Applicant: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: Chaoxin Qiu, Mark A. Ratcliffe, Jeffrey L. Scruggs
  • Patent number: 9415135
    Abstract: The present invention provides materials and methods that can serve as a prosthetic and/or, for tissue engineer applications, as a supporting matrix in the stabilization of the myocardium. For example, the present invention provides methods of stabilizing an injured or defective myocardial wall in a patient including forming a prosthetic in situ by injecting, at a pre-selected site in the myocardial wall of the patient, a polymer network including: a cross-linked polymer, the cross-linked polymer being a hydrogel; and a linear polymer, the polymer chains of which are entangled within the cross-linked polymer, wherein the linear polymer is not covalently bonded to the cross-linked polymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
    Inventors: Kevin E. Healy, Samuel Thomas Wall, Mark Ratcliffe, Julius Guccione
  • Patent number: 9379914
    Abstract: A method and system are adapted to provide telephony services to aggregate endpoints on an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network. The method includes assigning one or multiple PUIDs for surrogate registration purposes during the provisioning of the aggregate endpoint, performing reliable surrogate registration on behalf of the aggregate endpoint, allowing multiple SBCs to perform surrogate registrations independently for the same aggregate endpoint to achieve reliability, and providing reliable connection from an IMS core to the aggregate endpoints via multiple S/BCs. The system includes one or more Session Border Controllers (S/BC), at least one set of Call/Session Control Functions (CSCF), and an HSS operatively coupled together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignees: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P., ACME PACKET, INC.
    Inventors: Min Lu, Martin Dolly, Saul Fishman, Gerald Hoover, Mark Ratcliffe, Tienyu Chiu, Guy J. Zenner, Canby Dautel, Jr., Hadriel Kaplan, Nathan Thomas Denbow
  • Publication number: 20160150393
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a communication device that receives a request to update a registration between the communication device and a communication network without causing the communication device to cycle power or reset. The communication device can postpone a process for releasing bearer communications with the communication network responsive to determining that the request to update registration between the communication device and the communication network can be delayed. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Inventors: Mark A. Ratcliffe, Chaoxin Qiu
  • Publication number: 20150304410
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing subscriber load distribution in networks are disclosed. For example, the method receives capacity data and user equipment (UE) resource consumption data from a plurality of devices that process call control signaling messages within the communication network. The method receives a first request from one of the plurality of devices to re-register one or more selected user equipment, and selects at least one available device from the plurality of devices. The method then re-registers the one or more selected user equipment on the at least one available device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Inventors: ERIC NOEL, MARK RATCLIFFE
  • Patent number: 9071527
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing subscriber load distribution in networks are disclosed. For example, the method receives capacity data and user equipment (UE) resource consumption data from a plurality of devices that process call control signaling messages within the communication network. The method receives a first request from one of the plurality of devices to re-register one or more selected user equipment, and selects at least one available device from the plurality of devices. The method then re-registers the one or more selected user equipment on the at least one available device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Eric Noel, Mark Ratcliffe
  • Publication number: 20140334480
    Abstract: Many of the current IMS standards and enriched services were originally designed for the individual subscribers that are serviced by the wireless network. However, the IMS standards do not fully address the problem of providing the IMS enriched services and features to business PBX customers or wholesale customers that do not directly register to the IMS network. The present invention discloses a method for providing IMS enriched services and features to business PBX customers or wholesale customers through the use of a static provisioning and registration method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Inventors: Min Lu, Martin Dolly, Leticia Johnson, Mark Ratcliffe
  • Patent number: 8852512
    Abstract: A monitor for monitoring the concentration of oxygen in a fuel or in an ullage over a fuel comprises (i) a sensing element comprising a luminescent substance comprising a luminophore and a support in which the luminophore is covalently bound to the support, (ii) a light source arranged to irradiate the sensing element with light, and (iii) a photosensor arranged to detect light emitted from the luminescent substance. The luminescent substance may be, for example, a platinum porphyrin covalently bound to silica.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Airbus Operations Ltd
    Inventors: Joseph K-W Lam, David Osborne, Norman Mark Ratcliffe
  • Patent number: 8812700
    Abstract: Many of the current IMS standards and enriched services were originally designed for the individual subscribers that are serviced by the wireless network. However, the IMS standards do not fully address the problem of providing the IMS enriched services and features to business PBX customers or wholesale customers that do not directly register to the IMS network. The present invention discloses a method for providing IMS enriched services and features to business PBX customers or wholesale customers through the use of a static provisioning and registration method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Min Lu, Martin Dolly, Leticia Johnson, Mark Ratcliffe
  • Patent number: 8792480
    Abstract: A method for providing multimedia services to subscriber user equipment (UE) within an IP multimedia subsystem network (IMS) may include configuring the IMS to enable a single UE to fork register and cooperate with multiple serving-call session control functions (S-CSCFs). After obtaining IP connectivity, the single UE signals to register with the IMS and the IMS determines whether the UE is configured to fork register with multiple S-CSCFs. If the UE is configured, the IMS determines which S-CSCFs are eligible for the UE registration and fork registers the UE to multiple S-CSCFs of the eligible S-CSCFs. Consequently, incoming and outgoing calls to/from the UE are routed by the IMS to any of the multiple registered S-CSCFs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Min Lu, Mark Ratcliffe
  • Patent number: 8787360
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling multiple services to be invoked in a specific precedence per call are disclosed. For example, the present method allows a subscriber to interact with a plurality of services provided by a service provider on a single call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.
    Inventors: John C. Brown, Koan S. Chong, Robert Peters, Mark A. Ratcliffe, Harish Samarasinghe
  • Patent number: 8700786
    Abstract: Systems for graceful termination of support for session initiation protocol communications on a server are described. Systems include techniques for setting a time period for gracefully terminating such support, for sending a service unavailable message to a client, for causing the server to maintain support, until no later than the expiration of the time period for terminating support, for uncompleted session initiation protocol invites accepted by the server before sending the service unavailable message to the client, and for terminating support for session initiation protocol communications on the server no later than upon expiration of the time period for terminating support. Methods for graceful termination of such support and computer-readable storage media whose contents cause a computer system to perform a graceful termination of such support are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.
    Inventors: Koan S. Chong, James R. Dobbins, Mark A. Ratcliffe