Patents Assigned to Level 3 Communications, LLC
  • Patent number: 9635187
    Abstract: Embodiments of systems and methods presently disclosed generally relate to categorizing penalty costs associated with calls. More specifically, embodiments relate to identifying penalty costs generated in response to setting up calls in a network and determining one or more reasons for the penalty costs. Further still, embodiments relate to generating one or more reports of penalty costs. Further yet, embodiments relate to notifying specified personnel of the penalty cost report(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Michelle Gore, Jose Antonio Gonzalez
  • Patent number: 9634941
    Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure involve an apparatus and/or method for a regional independent tandem switch of a telecommunications network. The tandem switch processes communications between a long distance carrier and a local exchange carrier through a voice over IP (VOIP) network. By utilizing the VOIP network, the regionally independent tandem may process long distance communications to and from any point in the network, regardless of the physical proximity of the tandem to the originating/destination communication device. The regionally independent nature of the tandem also allows for flexibility in communication routing through the network, load balancing between the network tandem switches and reduction of needed components of the network for proper processing of the long distance communications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Sayer, Rogier Ducloo, Richard Terpstra
  • Patent number: 9632837
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure disclose systems and methods for consolidating business assets currently being employed by the enterprise to perform business tasks. In various aspects, a well defined application programming interface (“API”) may be generated or otherwise provided that enables access to portions of an enterprise's assets and subsequently exposes such business assets in a standard format to requesting applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
    Inventor: Erik Gwyn Urdang
  • Publication number: 20170110832
    Abstract: A tool 202 for extracting a cable plug 112 from a socket 203 including a cable remover portion 206 which actuates and disconnects the cable plug 112 is described and claimed. Various implementations include a user statically or dynamically actuating and gripping the plug 112 and mechanically or frictionally gripping, or both, the plug 112. In one implementation, the cable remover portion 206 includes a ball detent 302 and catch tabs 320 which actuate the cable clip 208 and catch the cable head 210 so that the plug 112 is mechanically gripped. In another implementation, a translational ramp 800 is supported in the cable remover portion 206 so that a user dynamically moves the ramp 800, which actuates the cable clip 208 and the force of the ramp 800 and cable remover 206 together frictionally grips the plug 112.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2015
    Publication date: April 20, 2017
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Nguyen, Joel S. Skoglund
  • Patent number: 9628342
    Abstract: A framework supporting content delivery includes multiple devices, each configured to run at least one content delivery service. The content delivery services include collector services, reducer services, and control services. Event information is provided from the services, and the control services provide control information to control operation or configuration of content delivery services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Newton, Lewis Robert Varney, Laurence R. Lipstone, William Crowder, Andrew Swart
  • Patent number: 9628346
    Abstract: A device supporting content delivery is configured to run at least one content delivery (CD) service of a plurality of CD services. The plurality of CD services include reducer services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
    Inventors: William Crowder, Andrew Swart, Christopher Newton, Lewis Robert Varney, Laurence R. Lipstone
  • Patent number: 9628345
    Abstract: A framework supporting content delivery includes a plurality of devices, each device configured to run at least one content delivery (CD) service of a plurality of CD services. The plurality of CD services include collector services forming one or more collector service networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Newton, Lewis Robert Varney, Laurence R. Lipstone, William Crowder, Andrew Swart
  • Patent number: 9628347
    Abstract: In a content delivery network (CDN a method includes: receiving a request for a CDN service of a particular type, wherein a CDN service of said particular type defines a fixed number of configurable layers of request processing, sequentially from a first layer to a last layer; and processing said request, starting at said first layer, said processing being based on a modifiable runtime environment, said processing continuing conditionally through each of said layers in turn until either said request is terminated by one of said layers or said last layer processes said request. The CDN service may be selected from: delivery services, collector services, reducer services, rendezvous services, configuration services, and control services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Lewis Robert Varney, Laurence R. Lipstone, William Crowder, Andrew Swart, Christopher Newton
  • Patent number: 9628344
    Abstract: A framework includes a plurality of devices, each device configured to run at least one content delivery (CD) service of a plurality of CD services. The plurality of CD services include reducer services forming one or more reducer service networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Newton, Lewis Robert Varney, Laurence R. Lipstone, William Crowder, Andrew Swart
  • Patent number: 9628343
    Abstract: A content delivery framework (CDF) includes a plurality of devices, each device configured to run at least one of a plurality of content delivery (CD) services. The plurality of CD services form one or more CD service networks, and each CD service network having a dynamic network topology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Newton, Lewis Robert Varney, Laurence R. Lipstone, William Crowder, Andrew Swart
  • Patent number: 9621456
    Abstract: A rule indicates that data having particular characteristics be automatically routed to a particular destination. When software on a switching device detects a new data stream, it is analyzed to determine whether it has characteristics specified by the rule. If it does, the packet is encapsulated with a special tag, indicating that the packet should be routed to the new destination. Also, an entry is added to a quick-lookup table in the switching device. The entry indicates that future packets in the data stream that have the same source and destination port and address should also be routed to the new destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Pete J. Caputo, II, William Thomas Sella
  • Patent number: 9621669
    Abstract: Embodiments herein include methods and systems for use in delivering resources to a client device over a local network. An exemplary system comprises a plurality of caching devices operable to cache resources on behalf of a plurality of content providers, and a local caching device communicatively situated between an access network and the client device, wherein the access network is communicably situated between the plurality of caching devices and the local caching device. The local caching device is operable to retrieve a requested resource from at least one of the plurality of caching devices, deliver the requested resource to the client device over the local network, and store the requested resource for future requests by other client devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
    Inventors: James Q. Crowe, John F. Waters, Jr., Andrew Dugan, Christopher Newton, Laurence Lipstone, Kenneth Brookman, Joseph Lawrence, Andrew Swart, David Fullagar, Kevin Paul
  • Publication number: 20170099626
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve a system and method for identifying wireless service opportunities. The system identifies available wireless service opportunities for use as a backup network. The identified wireless services can be presented via an output report using a graphical user interface (GUI). Wireless opportunities can be identified by communicating with servers that provide information regarding services available in a region of interest. The information gathered can include various metrics including network types, signal strength, and throughput.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Publication date: April 6, 2017
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Ryan T. Privette
  • Publication number: 20170078495
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve systems, methods, computer program products for consolidating toll-free features of two or more telecommunications networks. In one implementation, the network services may be consolidated through utilization of an Enhanced Feature Server (EFS) or other type of application server deployed in a telecommunications network. The EFS may be configured to receive a toll-free communication and route the communication based on the dialed toll-free number and a carrier identification code (CIC) associated with the communication. Routing the communication based at least on the CIC associated with the communication allows the telecommunications network to consolidate (and ultimately remove) a redundant network or network components from the telecommunications network to improve the operation of the network. In circumstances where a CIC is not associated with a communication, the EFS may associate a CIC with the communication for routing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2015
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: David A. Tschirhart
  • Patent number: 9596278
    Abstract: A content delivery network (CDN) includes multiple cluster sites, including sites with streaming media servers, caching servers and storage devices accessible to the caching servers for storing streaming content. Interface software is configured to initiate retrieval, by a caching server, of electronic streaming resources from the one or more storage devices in response to requests for the electronic streaming resource received by the streaming media server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Maksim Yevmenkin, Christopher Newton, David Fullagar
  • Patent number: 9596161
    Abstract: A mesh network (such as a mesh Ethernet network) is subdivided into rings. For each ring, a network utilization is assessed in both the clockwise and counter-clockwise directions around the ring. A user requests a particular network service. The network rings that would be utilized by the network service are determined. A maximum utilization of all the network rings utilized by the network service in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions is determined. The determined maximum utilization is used to determine the feasibility of provisioning the requested network service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: William Thomas Sella
  • Patent number: 9596360
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to telecommunications networks, processing and routing calls between networks, a computing system and methodologies for optimizing pricing particularly in situations with massive amounts of data, processing call volume data, deseasonalizing data, minutes of use data, establishing and distributing pricing data for use in routing decisions, among other features and advantages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: William Gray, Binchao Chen, Peder Hans Engebretson
  • Patent number: 9596144
    Abstract: Systems and methods described herein provide automatic generation of one or more application fingerprints which may be used to identify and recommend one or more technologies and/or technical instructions for use within a WAN environment. Input data describing and an application fingerprint for one or more applications currently used within a network environment, such as a WAN environment, is received and executed against a set of rules by a rules engine. Based on the results, one or more recommendations may be provided that identifies various technologies and/or technical procedures the network manager may implement and/or perform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Michael Anderson
  • Patent number: 9596101
    Abstract: Methods and systems for routing a call including a destination number associated with a PDP including a routing engine operable to route the call to a PDP call resolution server, and a first switch operable to receive an egress path identifier and a PDP telephone number from the PDP call resolution server, the egress path identifier identifying an egress path for routing the call to a destination endpoint associated with the destination number, and the PDP telephone number identifying a selected PDP destination endpoint and a second switch operable to receive the call based on the egress path identifier and route the call to the selected PDP destination endpoint using the PDP telephone number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Rich Terpstra, Richard Moore
  • Patent number: 9596230
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve systems, methods, computer program products, and the like, for collaboration conferencing with multiple participants over a communications network, and more specifically for a conferencing controller in the network configured to control certain aspects of establishing a collaboration conference. In one particular embodiment, the user of the network may access the control system application to provide one or more conferencing parameters or settings the user wishes to be present during a collaboration conference session. The parameters may then be established by the control system and associated with the conferencing session involving the user. In one embodiment, such information may be associated with the identification token. In yet a further embodiment, a user to the collaboration control system may subscribe to receive a notification when another user of the system accesses a portion of a collaboration of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Adam C. Uzelac, Gregory T. Ellison, Andrew J. Broadworth