Patents by Inventor Alastair J. Rankine

Alastair J. Rankine has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8041365
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for obtaining information on inquiries related to location dependent facts utilizing mobile networked communication devices and preselected respondents who obtain information on the requested facts. The system includes a call center comprising a communication server and one or more work stations manned by call center agents. A plurality of respondents act as information gatherers to find answers to inquiries forwarded to the respondents by the call center. Customers first contact the call center, and inquiries are parsed for location and subject matter. The inquiry is then allocated to a qualified respondent within the area of the location of interest. The respondent gathers information necessary to answer the inquiry and forwards the answer to the call center, preferably by use of the mobile networked communication device carried by the respondent. Respondents log in to the system indicating availability for servicing inquiries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Avaya Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher R. Gentle, Julian James Orbach, Alastair J. Rankine
  • Patent number: 7571239
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method for determining one or more credentials of a network device. The system and method select a first network device from among a plurality of network devices, access a credential repository, contact the first network device, and test the validity of the first set of credentials. The credential repository comprises a first set of credentials corresponding to the first network device. If a user provides invalid or no credentials, a candidate credential queue can be used to guess a valid second set of credentials when the first set of credentials is not valid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: Avaya Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher M. Goringe, Muneyb Minhazuddin, James D. Schreuder, Alex M. Krumm-Heller, Alastair J. Rankine, Melanie L. Smith
  • Patent number: 7457862
    Abstract: The present invention is directed generally to a system and method for monitoring a multi-party session. The system and method includes in one embodiment a matcher to match selected information in incoming RTCP packets with one or more of an orphan table and active session table and in another embodiment a first session endpoint that reflects or transmits a packet received from a second session endpoint to a session monitor. In yet another embodiment, the network address of the first and second endpoints can be included in the packet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Avaya, Inc.
    Inventors: Neil Hepworth, Alastair J. Rankine
  • Patent number: 7426577
    Abstract: A system is provided that includes a memory 204 comprising a baseline topology 216; and a processor 208 that selects, from the baseline topology 216, first and second addresses associated with first and second routers 224 and 228, respectively, wherein the first router 224 has an associated first hop count relative to a selected node 200 and the second router 228 an associated higher second hop count relative to the selected node 200, transmit test packets having a time to live equal to or greater than the first hop count, receive responses associated with the test packets, and determine, based on the response, whether load balancing is in effect at the first router 224.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: Avaya Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Timothy J. Bardzil, Alastair J. Rankine, Bruce W. Hill
  • Patent number: 7200122
    Abstract: A system for determining a topology associated with a network such as an enterprise network. The system includes a data collection agent 204 configured to (a) identify a first set of routers from among a larger, second set of routers in an enterprise network, (b) contact each of the routers in the first set of routers but not each of the other routers in the second set of routers, and (c) load network information maintained by at least some of the contacted routers in the first set of routers. The loaded network information can then be used to form a network or routing topology of the enterprise network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: Avaya Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Christopher M. Goringe, Muneyb Minhazuddin, James T. Peach, Alastair J. Rankine, James D. Schreuder, Luke A. Tucker, Alex M. Krumm-Heller, Stephane C. Laveau
  • Publication number: 20040260755
    Abstract: A system for detecting load balancing in a distributed processing network is provided that includes:
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2003
    Publication date: December 23, 2004
    Inventors: Timothy J. Bardzil, Alastair J. Rankine, Bruce W. Hill
  • Publication number: 20030131096
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method for determining one or more credentials of a network device. The system and method select a first network device from among a plurality of network devices, access a credential repository 108, contact the first network device, and test the validity of the first set of credentials. The credential repository 108 comprises a first set of credentials corresponding to the first network device. If a user provides invalid or no credentials, a candidate credential queue 112 can be used to guess a valid second set of credentials when the first set of credentials is not valid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2002
    Publication date: July 10, 2003
    Inventors: Christopher M. Goringe, Muneyb Minhazuddin, James D. Schreuder, Alex M. Krumm-Heller, Alastair J. Rankine, Melanie L. Smith
  • Publication number: 20030120789
    Abstract: The present invention is directed generally to a system and method for monitoring a multi-party session. The system and method includes in one embodiment a matcher to match selected information in incoming RTCP packets with one or more of an orphan table and active session table and in another embodiment a first session endpoint that reflects or transmits a packet received from a second session endpoint to a session monitor. In yet another embodiment, the network address of the first and second endpoints can be included in the packet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2001
    Publication date: June 26, 2003
    Inventors: Neil Hepworth, Alastair J. Rankine
  • Publication number: 20030043820
    Abstract: A system for determining a topology associated with a network such as an enterprise network. The system includes a data collection agent 204 configured to (a) identify a first set of routers from among a larger, second set of routers in an enterprise network, (b) contact each of the routers in the first set of routers but not each of the other routers in the second set of routers, and (c) load network information maintained by at least some of the contacted routers in the first set of routers. The loaded network information can then be used to form a network or routing topology of the enterprise network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2002
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Inventors: Christopher M. Goringe, Muneyb Minhazuddin, James T. Peach, Alastair J. Rankine, James D. Schreuder, Luke A. Tucker, Alex M. Krumm-Heller, Stephane C. Laveau