Patents Assigned to British Telecommunications plc
  • Distributed computer system for storing data items assigned to virtual directories
    Patent number: 7953875
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventors: Erwin R Bonsma, Cefn R Hoile
  • Policing networks
    Patent number: 7948878
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventors: Robert J Briscoe, Arnaud Jacquet, C Di Cairano-Gilfedder, Alessandro Salvatori
  • Communications system
    Patent number: 7933200
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventor: Philip M Williams
  • System for selecting a connectivity mechanism
    Patent number: 7929533
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventors: John R. King, Peter Hovell, John Patterson
  • Packet forwarding
    Patent number: 7907519
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventors: David J Songhurst, Arnaud Jacquet, Peter Hovell
  • Peer-to-peer networks
    Patent number: 7852786
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventors: Fang Wang, Robert A. Ghanea-Hercock, Yaoru Sun
  • Fibre coating method and apparatus
    Patent number: 7842340
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventors: Philip A Barker, Christopher Fisk, Raymond P Smith
  • Document searching tool and method
    Patent number: 7836077
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventors: Behnam Azvine, Simon J Case, Zhan Cui
  • Monitoring a network path
    Patent number: 7830806
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventor: Andrew Rayner
  • Edge analysis in video quality assessment
    Patent number: 7812857
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventor: Alexandre Bourret
  • Distributed processing management for de-centralized information ecosystem technologies (DIET)
    Patent number: 7805731
    Abstract: A system for distributed process management uses a plurality of units of software installed on a computing platform. Further software controls operation of the plurality of units in use. Each unit of software communicates with other units of software, and at least some of the units of software further provides one or more elements of a software process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventors: Paul Marrow, Erwin R Bonsma, Cefn R Hoile, Fang Wang
  • Secure optical communication
    Patent number: 7796896
    Abstract: A secure optical communication scheme uses differential delay D in an unbalanced Mach-Zehender interferometer to provide two copies of the optical source signal at a remote phase modulator separated in time by D. As D is much bigger than the coherence time source, the two copies of the signal are effectively uncorrelated. Both signals are phase-modulated by the remote sender's data and returned to the unbalanced interferometer. The phase modulator will be converted into amplitude modulation by the action of the interferometer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventors: Edmund S R Sikora, Peter Healey
  • Call completion service in case of called party unavailability
    Patent number: 7792265
    Abstract: If an attempt by a first user to contact another party fails, a callback server sets a flag. The callback server monitors terminals that have such flags set and is arranged to transmit an alert to the calling party when the called party next becomes available. However, if at the time when the called party becomes available, the calling party is himself no longer available, being now switched off or busy, an additional flag in the store, indicative of activity by the calling party, prevents a callback alert from being generated until the monitoring process can obtain availability indications in respect of both parties simultaneously. Availability may be determined by factors such as available bandwidth or terminal capabilities. A callback may be initiated when a predetermined number of called parties become available to participate in a conference call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventors: David E Hughes, John C Lee
  • Virtual networks
    Patent number: 7787395
    Abstract: Each node of a virtual network can store only a predetermined number of address links to other nodes. In response to receiving a link request between a first node and a second node, it is determined whether both the first and second nodes have less than the predetermined numbering their lists. If this condition is satisfied, the address of the first node is inserted into the second node's list and the address of the second node is inserted into the first node's list. If this condition is not satisfied, it is determined whether the first node list has at least two less than the predetermined number and, if so, then the link between the second and third nodes is broken and they are instead newly linked to the first node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventor: Erwin R Bonsma
  • Computer network
    Patent number: 7779073
    Abstract: In a network of computers, e.g. the internet, each computer records the information sources it accesses, and these records are used to identify computers whose users share common interests, as indicated by the sources they access. A virtual network is created linking computers whose users have been identified as sharing similar interests data on what sources have been accessed by each user are shared with neighbouring computers, a defined by the virtual network. Computers can also pass on information on sources accessed received from one neighbour to other neighbours.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: BRITISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS plc
    Inventors: Cefn R Hoile, Nicholas J Kings, Nicholas J Davies
  • Monitoring movement of an entity in an environment
    Patent number: 7764167
    Abstract: Whether a person suffering dementia has left their flat unaccompanied can be determined by identifying an event indicating opening of the front door of the flat, determining whether the flat was occupied by more than one person prior to the door opening, determining whether there is inactivity in the flat following the door opening and sending a notification to a communications terminal of a caretaker if the flat was occupied by only one person and if there is inactivity in the flat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventors: Andrew Reeves, Mark Buckland
  • Data transmission
    Patent number: 7761901
    Abstract: Data to be transmitted over a network includes a first part (perhaps audio) which is always to be transmitted and alternative second parts (perhaps video coded at different compression rates) of which one is to be chosen for transmission, depending on the current network capacity. In order to accommodate systems where (owing perhaps to the use of a congestion control mechanism such as TCP) the capacity available is initially undetermined, one firstly begins to transmit just the first part. When the network capacity becomes known (typically by monitoring the performance of the network in transmitting the first part), one of the alternative second parts is chosen and transmission of it commences. If desired this may initially be preferentially to, or to the exclusion of, further transmission of the first part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventors: Matthew D Walker, Eduardo Urzaiz
  • Communications system with direct access mailbox
    Patent number: 7756258
    Abstract: A communication system (1) in which a user (A) can elect to leave a message directly in the mailbox (11a) of another user (B) without calling or disturbing user (B). A store (database 7) is generated and maintained which identifies those users who are allowed direct access to the mailbox of user (B). The store is automatically updated whenever user (B) sends a communication to other users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventors: David J Clift, John G Johnston, Robert M Claxton, David J Borthwick
  • Video coding and decoding
    Patent number: 7742529
    Abstract: A decoder for video signals, such as MPEG which use 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: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventor: Mohammed Ghanbari
  • Method for remotely associating a communications device with a computer
    Patent number: 7742461
    Abstract: A Computer Telephony Integration environment has reduced risk of inadvertent or fraudulent registration of the association of a user's computer terminal with the wrong telephone, i.e. one other than the telephone adjacent to the computer terminal or the user's mobile telephone, a host computer instructs the user via a screen display to call a particular extension of a CTI-enabled communications switching system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventor: Laurence J Booton