Patents Assigned to British Telecommunication, plc
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Patent number: 8150905Abstract: A network is configured or made configurable to provide a process exploiting services distributed among nodes of the network by means of a step-by-step search, the search for one service starting at a node providing a previous service.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2006Date of Patent: April 3, 2012Assignee: British Telecommunications PLCInventors: Paul F McKee, Michael A Fisher
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Patent number: 8149916Abstract: A decoder for video signals, such as MPEG, which uses motion-compensated bidirectional predictive coding, performs concealment of lost or corrupted portions of a picture. For this purpose, it estimates missing motion vectors by combining the two vectors which accompany a bidirectionally coded frame to create a substitute vector. An encoder can be modified to enhance this decoder operation, including forcing at least one frame per group of frames to be coded using bidirectional prediction, and constraining the two vectors so that the substitute vector is closer to the wanted value.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2009Date of Patent: April 3, 2012Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventor: Mohammed Ghanbari
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Patent number: 8122121Abstract: One or more users of a present state are notified of at least one property of an entity. A request message is received from a user over a first communications channel, the message containing information indicative of at least one property of an entity in which the user is interested. The present state of the at least one property is determined, as is an identifier of a second communications channel onto which future messages containing information relating to future changes of state of the at least one property of the entity will be transmitted. A reply message is transmitted to the user, the reply message containing information indicative of the present state of the at least one property and of the identifier of the second communications channel.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2002Date of Patent: February 21, 2012Assignee: British Telecommunications PLCInventors: Anargyros Garyfalos, Trevor Burbridge, Andrea Soppera, Robert J Briscoe
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Patent number: 8102876Abstract: A communications system in which carrier Ethernet conveys a plurality of differing types of client signals encapsulated with a generic framing procedure adaptation layer. The client signals are adapted for encapsulation within the carrier Ethernet frames by mapping the client signal within an generic framing procedure adaptation layer signal and then by mapping the generic framing procedure adaptation layer signal into the carrier Ethernet signal, the client signal being identified within the generic framing procedure signal.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2007Date of Patent: January 24, 2012Assignee: British Telecommunications PLCInventor: Alan McGuire
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Patent number: 8082318Abstract: A method and system for controlling service requests from a client to a server involves intercepting and controlling the transmission of service requests from the client to the server. The service requests are queued at the client and the transmission of the queued service requests are delayed to smooth the frequency of service requests transmitted to the server.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2002Date of Patent: December 20, 2011Assignee: British Telecommunications PLCInventors: Michael R Hosking, Simon A Beddus, Patrick B Farley, David Roxburgh
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Patent number: 8077665Abstract: A contention window for allocating bandwidth in a wireless network is determined. A plurality of nodes includes at least a first and a second router and at least one client connected to each of the first and second routers. Information is received at the first router from the other nodes, the information relating to the condition of the other nodes. A contention window is calculated for the first router based on the received information and the delay is set for a retransmission of data by the first router to the calculated contention window following an unsuccessful transmission of the data.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2006Date of Patent: December 13, 2011Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Gukhan Murugesu, Moh L Sim
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Patent number: 8078487Abstract: An interactive workflow schedule optimizer arranged to enable a user to reconfigure an instantiated workflow for a task comprising a plurality of actions having a predetermined dependency relationship to each other. The optimizer comprises means to input one or more user-specified constraint conditions into the workflow schedule optimizer; means to regenerate a workflow dependent on user specified condition from the instantiated workflow, the regenerated workflow satisfying said one or more user-specified constraint conditions. The optimizer optimises the global utilisation of the resources required to fulfil the user request by processing in parallel the resource requirements of each of said plurality of actions required by the regenerated workflow.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2007Date of Patent: December 13, 2011Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Yang Li, Simon Giles Thompson, Nick Giles, Hamid Gharib
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Patent number: 8060731Abstract: A computer system has a plurality of components which can be initialized. A plurality of components can be initialized and each component is configured to produce status data from which the level of need for that component to be initialized can be inferred. At least one component is configured to: receive status data from other components; make a comparison using the status data received from respective components; in dependence on the comparison, select one or more components for initialization; and, issue initialization instructions to the selected component(s). By making a comparison between the status data from different components, the relative need for different components to be initialized can be evaluated, allowing a component with a high need for initialization to be selected over a component with a lower need.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2004Date of Patent: November 15, 2011Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Paul F McKee, Sarah E Briggs
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Patent number: 8031684Abstract: A method of operating an ad hoc network comprising a plurality of devices (11-16). Each device includes communication means for communicating with other ones of the plurality of devices when they are in range. The method involves storing on each device one or more nodal policies (1-6) which specify rules for determining how a device should behave in response to various prevailing circumstances and controlling each device to operate in accordance with one or more of the stored nodal policies. Additionally, each device stores a fitness parameter and adjusts the value of the fitness parameter in dependence upon the level of activity of the device (in particular, activity which is consistent with its stored policies).Type: GrantFiled: June 13, 2005Date of Patent: October 4, 2011Assignee: British Telecommunications PLCInventor: Christopher M Roadknight
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Patent number: 7978615Abstract: Techniques are provided for operating a network where router devices forward received data packets towards a destination node. Each router maintains a routing table, indicating the next hop to choose in respect of different ultimate destinations m accordance with a routing protocol. Periodic communications between neighboring routers are used as confirmation that they are still able to communicate with one another. Each router compares the time since it last communicated in this way with each of its neighbors with a router dead interval and determines that the respective neighboring router, or the currently designated route thereto, has gone down if the comparison indicates that the router dead interval has elapsed without such a communication having been received. Each router performs an adaptive algorithm to modify the or each corresponding router dead interval dynamically in accordance with one or more properties of the network as measured by the router.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2007Date of Patent: July 12, 2011Assignee: British Telecommunications PLCInventors: Liwen He, Bryan Littlefair
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Patent number: 7953875Abstract: Computers store data items, each data item being assigned to one of a plurality of virtual directories. Each computer has at least one node of a virtual network for directory look-up, with linking data including addresses of other nodes associated with the same virtual directory and software that, in response to an enquiry message either replies, identifying itself or forwards the message to another node of the network, according to whether the node is or is not associated with the directory specified in the enquiry message.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2004Date of Patent: May 31, 2011Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Erwin R Bonsma, Cefn R Hoile
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Patent number: 7948878Abstract: Flow in a data network is policed by determining a measure of greediness of a flow through a node, comparing the measure of greediness with a measure indicative of acceptable greediness dependent on the expected greediness of a compliant flow experiencing substantially similar path conditions, and designating the flow for possible sanction in the event that the greediness is not in accordance with the acceptable greediness. Such allows for the policing of a data network when one or more fields in a data packet that carry information relating to a characterization of an end-to-end path and/or a downstream path of the data packet are used in order to police the data network.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2006Date of Patent: May 24, 2011Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Robert J Briscoe, Arnaud Jacquet, C Di Cairano-Gilfedder, Alessandro Salvatori
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Patent number: 7933200Abstract: A controller controls the flow of messages in a communication system to a node. The controller monitors the rate of message rejection by the node and the rate of messages to the node passed by the controller. The rate at which messages to the node are passed is controlled on the basis of the monitored rejection rate and the monitored admit rate so that the rejection rate tends towards a target value. The maximum rate at which the messages are passed to a control value is limited.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2006Date of Patent: April 26, 2011Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventor: Philip M Williams
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Patent number: 7929533Abstract: An address resolver system that assists a node in an IPv6 network to select an address for connectivity with a node in an IPv4 network when both DSTM and NAT-PT transition mechanisms are available. Native connectivity can be achieved by preferring an encapsulation or tunnelling mechanism such as DSTM where possible over a translation mechanism such as NAT-PT. A range of encapsulation and translation mechanisms are envisaged. The resolver determines capabilities of the node and of the application that requires the address in order to make the selection.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2003Date of Patent: April 19, 2011Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: John R. King, Peter Hovell, John Patterson
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Patent number: 7907519Abstract: Packet forwarding apparatus has an input for receiving packets; a packet classifier arranged in operation to read a class indication in received packets and in dependence thereon to pass packets to a class-based policer associated with the class indicated; a plurality of class-based policers, each operable to assign a provisional indication to packets of the associated class in response to a measure of the load presented by packets of the class exceeding a predetermined class-based threshold; a multi-class policer operable to receive provisionally-indicated packets processed by the class-based policers, and to assign a congestion indication to packets having the provisional indication in response to congestion arising at the packet forwarding apparatus; and an output for presenting packets processed by the multi-class policer for onward transmission from the apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: January 18, 2006Date of Patent: March 15, 2011Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: David J Songhurst, Arnaud Jacquet, Peter Hovell
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Patent number: 7852786Abstract: A station used as a node in a peer-to-peer communications system keeps a list of stations to which requests for resources may be sent. The list includes for each member a performance parameter. When a station receives a request for resources it selects at least one station from the list and sends a resource request message to it. The selection of the station from the list may be performed by a random or pseudo-random process such that the probability of selection of any station is a function of the stored parameter. A station receiving such a request, for resources that it can itself supply, sends a reply to the originator. When the originator receives a reply it updates the respective performance parameter: the degree of adjustment may vary according to the quality of reply received.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2005Date of Patent: December 14, 2010Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Fang Wang, Robert A. Ghanea-Hercock, Yaoru Sun
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Patent number: 7842340Abstract: A fiber unit coating apparatus includes a chamber into which an uncured resin coated fiber unit is passed. Microspheres mixed with air are fed into the chamber via ducts and apertures. As a result rapid and even application of the microspheres can be achieved, and the system allows controllable application of the microspheres by varying the rate of flow of the air/microsphere mixture. Positive pressure chambers are provided to prevent the microspheres from blocking the inlet and outlet points where the fiber unit enters and leaves the chamber.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 2007Date of Patent: November 30, 2010Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Philip A Barker, Christopher Fisk, Raymond P Smith
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Patent number: 7836077Abstract: A store of electronic documents is automatically searched by controlling a user interface to permit a user to enter a search term, carrying out a search using the search term, the documents returned by the search into a plurality of distinct categories, and controlling the user interface to present in a left-hand panel the plurality of distinct categories and in a right-hand panel the documents returned by the search, or references thereto, in a grouped manner such that documents, or references thereto, of a particular category are grouped together, wherein the categories are selected in dependence upon the search term.Type: GrantFiled: February 2, 2006Date of Patent: November 16, 2010Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventors: Behnam Azvine, Simon J Case, Zhan Cui
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Patent number: 7830806Abstract: The present invention relates to the monitoring of paths along which signals are carried in a telecommunications network, in particular to determine if a path has been altered. Each path has a transit time associated therewith for data transport along that path. The method comprises the steps of: monitoring the difference between the transit time of a first signal path and the transit time of a second signal path, such that a change in the difference between the transit times of the two paths can be detected; and, in dependence at least in part on any such detected change, generating an alarm signal. The alarm signal can be used to indicate to a customer that one of the paths has been re-routed.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 2004Date of Patent: November 9, 2010Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventor: Andrew Rayner
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Patent number: 7812857Abstract: Edge detector techniques, known per se in the art, are applied to the field of automated video quality assessment. Any known edge detection algorithm is used as the basis of an edge detection stage for performing edge analysis of test video fields/frames in order to generate an edge parameter value that can then be used to contribute to an overall video quality value. The use of an edge detector stage contributes valuable information concerning image attributes which are perceptually significant to a human viewer to the quality assessment, thus rendering the result provided by the automated assessment more similar to that which would be performed by a human viewer undertaking a subjective assessment.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2004Date of Patent: October 12, 2010Assignee: British Telecommunications plcInventor: Alexandre Bourret