Patents Assigned to Level 3 Communication, LLC
  • Patent number: 11798005
    Abstract: Examples of the present disclosure relate to the optical identification of telecommunications equipment. In examples, a user interacts with an application to capture image data relating to a device according to instructions presented to the user. The application may further generate metadata, such as user responses to one or more questions. The image data and/or metadata are evaluated using a machine learning model to generate an equipment classification for devices pictured therein. The data may also be used to generate an equipment configuration for the device, as well as an operational state (e.g., based on one or more indicators present on the device, log data, etc.). Accordingly, such information may be used to update a pre-existing inventory record for the device, or generate a new inventory record. In other examples, such information is used to generate one or more predicted issues and associated actions to troubleshoot the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey K. Storey, Clyde David Cooper, Carlos Santiago, Ron Lewis, Steven M. Casey, Stephen Opferman
  • Patent number: 11799770
    Abstract: Novel tools and techniques are provided for implementing name-based routing through networks. In various embodiments, a broker manager in each of a plurality of networks may receive a subscription request for a network device from a client device, each device being locally accessible or disposed in an upstream or downstream network. The broker manager uses its client broker to communicate with a locally accessible client device, and uses its mediator broker (and, sometimes, an intermediate device(s)) to communicate with a locally accessible network device. The broker manager otherwise uses its messaging brokers to communicate with control channels of one or more networks. Once subscription with the network device has been established, any commands and responses between the client device and the network device may be routed over pub/sub channels via the broker managers and their brokers using name-based routing, without routing based on IP address of the network device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: David Sutton, Steve Toms, Shelley Goldner, Shelli L. Hurd
  • Publication number: 20230336622
    Abstract: The present application describes a system and method for determining a latency between a client device and various servers of a networking system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: John R.B. Woodworth, Dean Ballew, Paul Carpenter, William R. Power, Laurence R. Lipstone
  • Patent number: 11792556
    Abstract: Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for a configurable optical peering fabric to dynamically create a connection between participant sites without any physical site limitations or necessity of specialized client and network provider equipment being located within such a facility. Client sites to a network may connect to a configurable switching element to be interconnected to other client sites in response to a request to connect the first client site with a second site, also connected to network, via the switching element. A request may trigger verification of the requested and, upon validation, transmission of an instruction to the switching element to enable the cross connect within the switching element. The first site and the second site may thus be interconnected via the switching element in response to the request, without the need to co-locate equipment or to manually install a jumper between client equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Laurel Clark, Clyde David Cooper, III, Andrew Dugan
  • Patent number: 11789809
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve systems and methods for improving the performance of a telecommunications network by monitoring the performance of one or more storage drives. Operational data is received from a plurality of storage drives of a storage server of a telecommunications network. A plurality of operational coefficients for each of the plurality of storage drives is derived based on the operational data, and a cluster plot is created from the plurality of operational coefficients for each of the plurality of storage drives. A distance is calculated between a subset of operational coefficients of the plurality of operational coefficients of the cluster plot, and a remedial action is initiated on a storage drive of the plurality of storage drives when a calculated distance of an operational coefficient associated with the storage drive exceeds a distance value from a cluster of the cluster plot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: William Hopkins, Lawrence W. Gowin
  • Publication number: 20230327954
    Abstract: Systems and methods for managing network devices include performing clustering operations for network devices based on attributes of the network devices. By comparing the results of subsequent clustering operations, changes in network device attributes can be readily identified and any network devices for which attributes have changed may be subject to further investigation or remedial action (e.g., blocking traffic to/from the network device). Clustering may also be used to conduct an inventory of network devices by identifying groups of network devices that have similar attributes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2023
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Michael Benjamin
  • Patent number: 11778068
    Abstract: Improved methods for retrieval of content from CDNs is provided that includes a rendezvous controller that receives information of an identification of content being requested and an estimated location of a content requesting device. Based on this information, the rendezvous system identifies a server within a CDN from which the requested content may be retrieved. The selected server may be based on a repeatable hash function such that the likelihood that the content being requested is cached at the selected server. Steering requests to a server of the CDN which may have the content cached may reduce the number of servers within the CDN with the same cached content, particularly for the highest requested content. The rendezvous system may then return a corresponding domain name associated with the selected server and that can be subsequently submitted to a DNS for resolution to the IP address of the identified server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Kevin C. Johns
  • Patent number: 11778103
    Abstract: Novel tools and techniques are provided for implementing application programming interface (“API”)-based concurrent call path (“CCP”) provisioning. In various embodiments, in response to receiving a CCP provisioning request, a computing system may determine whether such a request would affect a set of trunk groups assigned to a customer based at least in part on network utilization data. If not, the computing system may cause the nodes in the network to increase or decrease, in near-real-time, the number of CCPs in at least one trunk group assigned to the customer based on the CCP provisioning request. If so, the computing system may cause the nodes in the network to increase or decrease, in near-real-time, the number of trunk groups assigned to the customer and may cause the nodes in the network to increase or decrease, in near-real-time, the number of CCPs in the updated number of trunk groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Bridget McAndrew, Anne Kempen, Sudhir Dadi, Kevin Michelsen, Chris Baker
  • Patent number: 11777901
    Abstract: Systems and methods for receiving information on network firewall policy configurations are disclosed. Based on the received firewall configuration information, a configuration of a firewall and/or subnet of network devices is automatically provisioned and/or configured to control network traffic to and from the subnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Jin-Gen Wang, Travis D. Ewert
  • Publication number: 20230308523
    Abstract: External customer data (ECD) may be efficiently stored in a network. When ECD is received at an edge node, the node may determine if the ECD is subject to a compiling procedure. For example, if the ECD comprises a list of entries that all have the same data type, the ECD may be placed into an array, and the array may be sorted and stored. In other examples, if the ECD received at a node includes references to other ECD, the referenced ECD may be retrieved, and the received ECD and referenced ECD may be combined and stored. In other examples, the ECD received at the node may be script instructions that can then be compiled into, and stored as, a runtime version. Any compiled ECD stored at nodes may be subject to the same invalidation and expiration policies as the uncompiled ECD from which it was derived.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: William C. CROWDER, William POWER, Laurence LIPSTONE
  • Publication number: 20230308414
    Abstract: The present application describes a system and method for passively collecting DNS traffic data as that data is passed between a recursive DNS resolver and an authoritative DNS server. The information contained in the collected DNS traffic data is used to generate a virtual authoritative DNS server, or a zone associated with the authoritative DNS server, when it is determined that the authoritative DNS server has been compromised.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: John R. Woodworth, Dean Ballew, Mark Dehus
  • Publication number: 20230308420
    Abstract: Systems and methods for implementing filters within computer networks include obtaining blocklist data that includes blocklist entries for a network. Each of the blocklist entries includes one or more network traffic attributes for identifying traffic to be blocked. In response to receiving the blocklist data, a filter based on a common network traffic attribute shared between at least two of the plurality of blocklist entries is generated. The filter is then deployed to a network device within the network such that the filter may be implemented at the network device to block corresponding traffic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Michael Benjamin
  • Publication number: 20230300216
    Abstract: Provided is a content delivery method and architecture for ways to improve the caching of content at one or more content providing devices of a Content Delivery Network (CDN). In particular, systems and methods are disclosed that vary the requirements to store resources or content within a caching device using a dynamic popularity threshold. This popularity threshold may be varied based on a measured fullness of the storage capacity of the cache device. In another example, the dynamic popularity threshold may be further varied based on a cache pressure, which is an indication of how often the cache replaces stored items with new items. The adjustment to the popularity threshold for caching particular content at the caching device may thus be based on a number of requests for content received at the device to tune the caching procedure for a particular region of the CDN.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: William R. Power, Pawel Jakobowski
  • Publication number: 20230300254
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve systems and methods for a collaboration conferencing system to track a total number of concurrently utilized ports across any number of conferencing bridges of the network for a particular customer and one or more billing actions may occur based on this tracking. This may result in an alternate billing option for the customer's use of the system. Further, a telecommunications network administrator may provide access to the collaboration conferencing system based on a total number of concurrently utilized ports rather than on a per conference or per minute basis. With the information of the number of purchased ports by the customer, the administrator may more accurately predict an available capacity for the collaboration conferencing system needed to support all of the users of the system and the potential collaboration conferences.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew J. Broadworth, Robert F. Nance, Gregory T. Ellison
  • Publication number: 20230300043
    Abstract: A route viewing system includes a computing system that receives information associated with one or more routes through a network, and identifies the routes that are associated with at least one illicit user computer used by an illicit user. The computing system then obtains a source location of a source address of the routes and a destination location of a destination address of the routes, and displays the routes on a geographical display at the source location of the source address and the destination location of the destination address of each of the routes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Benjamin, Skyler J. Bingham, John S. Reynolds
  • Publication number: 20230300167
    Abstract: An automatic provisioning and configuration system for threat mitigation may be provided. Hardware and software resources may be automatically configured to designate a return path for forwarding clean data packets to a target network. A return path from a scrubbing center to the target network may be selected and configured, for example, based on the geographic location of the scrubbing center and information regarding available capacity of the return path to the target network, among other information. The system may also perform a set of dynamic checks to determine whether one or more scrubbing centers have capacity (and/or are likely to continue to have capacity) to provide an encapsulation tunnel between the scrubbing center and the target network for clean return traffic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Peter BRECL
  • Publication number: 20230300110
    Abstract: An automatic provisioning and configuration system for threat mitigation may be provided. Hardware and software resources may be automatically configured to designate a return path for forwarding clean data packets to a target network. A return path from a scrubbing center to the target network may be selected and configured, for example, based on the geographic location of the scrubbing center and information regarding available capacity of the return path to the target network, among other information. The system may provide for selection a list of Internet circuits already used by the customer. The system may also perform a set of dynamic checks to determine whether one or more of the Internet circuits are eligible for use for the return traffic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Peter BRECL
  • Patent number: 11765125
    Abstract: Novel tools and techniques are provided for implementing dynamic border gateway protocol (“BGP”) host route generation based on domain name system (“DNS”) resolution. In various embodiments, a computing system may receive, from a user device via a first network, a request to establish a communications link with an external device via a second network that is separate from the first network, based on a first uniform resource identifier (“URI”) indicative of a network location of the external device. The computing system may query a DNS resolver for an Internet Protocol (“IP”) address corresponding to a valid current IP address, based on the first URI, and may advertise the IP address and/or a route based on the IP address. A communications link may be established between the user device and the external device based on the IP address and/or the route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Darrell Smith
  • Publication number: 20230291707
    Abstract: Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for serving content over a network. In one implementation, a method of serving content is provided. The method includes maintaining a first address record associated with serving a resource and a second address record associated with serving the same resource. The first address record is further associated with a first protocol for a first device capable of serving the resource. Similarly, the second address record is associated with a second protocol, different from the first protocol, for a second device, distinct from the first device, capable of serving the resource. The method further includes providing, in response to at least one resolution request for the resource, the first address record and the second address record.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2023
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Joelle T. Maslak
  • Publication number: 20230291829
    Abstract: Automatic testing/analysis of local loops of telecommunications networks includes obtaining bits-per-tone data for a local loop of a telecommunications network and generating a bit value string from the bits-per-tone data. The bit value string is then analyzed to determine whether it includes a bit pattern indicative of an impairment of the local loop. Further approaches for automatically testing local loops of telecommunications networks include obtaining attenuation data for multiple tones carried by the local loop and determining whether the attenuation data falls below thresholds for providing a service using the local loop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2023
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas C. Woldahl, Erik V. Helfrich, Michael J. Durkin, Larry J. North, Abid Khan