Patents Assigned to Level 3 Communications, LLC
  • Publication number: 20230354069
    Abstract: Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for intelligent node type selection in a telecommunications network. In one implementation, a customer set is obtained for a communications node in the telecommunications network. The customer set includes an existing customer set and a new customer set. A set of customer events is generated for a node type of the communications node using a simulator. The set of customer events is generated by simulating the customer set over time through a discrete event simulation. An impact of the customer events is modeled for the node type of the communications node. The node type is identified from a plurality of node types for a telecommunications build based on the impact of the customer events for the node type.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: William Gray, James Sayre, Stephen Limburg
  • Publication number: 20230354068
    Abstract: Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for intelligent node type selection in a telecommunications network. In one implementation, a customer set is obtained for a communications node in the telecommunications network. The customer set includes an existing customer set and a new customer set. A set of customer events is generated for a node type of the communications node using a simulator. The set of customer events is generated by simulating the customer set over time through a discrete event simulation. An impact of the customer events is modeled for the node type of the communications node. The node type is identified from a plurality of node types for a telecommunications build based on the impact of the customer events for the node type.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: William Gray, James Sayre, Stephen Limburg
  • Patent number: 11805093
    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: March 9, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Kevin C. Johns
  • Patent number: 11805184
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve a CDN utilizing a Direct Server Return (DSR) request command to create a tunnel from one content server to another content server of the CDN. Through the DSR tunnel, a request for content may be served from a content server that is more advantageous for the CDN for any number of reasons, such as from a content server that is logically closer to the content server. In determining when a DSR tunnel is created to provide the content, the CDN may access a database storing various information concerning the CDN, such as the location of egress gateways of the CDN in relation to one or more content servers, connecting network location information, the capabilities of one or more content servers, and/or load information of available content servers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Joelle T. Maslak, Joseph C. Lawrence
  • Publication number: 20230344875
    Abstract: Novel tools and techniques are provided for implementing monitoring and detection of fraudulent or unauthorized use in telephone conferencing systems or voice networks. In various embodiments, a computing system might monitor call activity through telephone conferencing system or voice network. In response to detecting use of the telephone conferencing system or voice network by at least one party based on the monitored call activity, the computing system might identify incoming and/or outgoing associated with a call initiated by the at least one party. The computing system might analyze the identified incoming and/or outgoing call data to determine whether the call initiated by the at least one party constitutes at least one of fraudulent use or unauthorized use of the telephone conferencing system or voice network. If so, the computing system might initiate one or more first actions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2023
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Adam Uzelac, Andrew J. Broadworth, Robert P. Slaughter
  • Patent number: 11799783
    Abstract: A quality of service management system includes a rules engine that receives information associated with a communication path having an assigned quality of service (QoS) to be provided for a customer communication device, and identifies one or more network elements assigned to provide the communication path. Each network element having a plurality of queues configured to provide varying QoS levels relative to one another. For each of the network elements, the rules engine determines at least one queue that is configured to provide the communication path at the assigned quality of service, and transmits queue information associated with the determined queue to its respective network element, the network element conveying the communication path through the determined queue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Marcus Hadavi, James Ryan
  • 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: 11799902
    Abstract: Systems and methods for dynamically mitigating a DDOS attack. In an aspect, the technology relates to a computer-implemented method for dynamically mitigating a distributed-denial-of-service (DDOS) attack. The computer-implemented method may include detecting a DDOS attack directing malicious traffic to a target, identifying one or more source locations of the malicious traffic, and in response to detecting the DDOS attack, activating one or more scrub clusters in the identified one or more source locations of the malicious traffic. The method may further include directing traffic intended for the target to the to the activated one or more scrub clusters, detecting an end of the DDOS attack, and in response to detecting the end of the DDOS attack, deactivating the one or more scrub clusters to release hardware resources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Michael Feldpusch
  • 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: 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
  • 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
  • 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: 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
  • 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
  • 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: 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: 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: 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