Patents by Inventor Brad Smeal

Brad Smeal 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).

  • Publication number: 20240097977
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to consolidation of STP pairs without deploying new STP pairs and without making changes at a Service Switching Point to reflect the consolidation. In one aspect, a method includes identifying a first pair of signal transfer point devices to be decommissioned from a telecommunication network; identifying a second pair of signal transfer point devices to assume, in part, functionalities of the first pair of signal transfer point devices, each signal transfer point device of the first pair and the second pair having at least one primary point code and at least one secondary point code assigning a temporary secondary point code to each signal transfer point device of the first pair; and modifying at least one secondary point code of each signal transfer point device of the second pair with a primary point code of at least one signal transfer point device of the first pair.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Brad Smeal
  • Patent number: 11838177
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to consolidation of STP pairs without deploying new STP pairs and without making changes at a Service Switching Point to reflect the consolidation. In one aspect, a method includes identifying a first pair of signal transfer point devices to be decommissioned from a telecommunication network; identifying a second pair of signal transfer point devices to assume, in part, functionalities of the first pair of signal transfer point devices, each signal transfer point device of the first pair and the second pair having at least one primary point code and at least one secondary point code assigning a temporary secondary point code to each signal transfer point device of the first pair; and modifying at least one secondary point code of each signal transfer point device of the second pair with a primary point code of at least one signal transfer point device of the first pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Brad Smeal
  • Publication number: 20220311665
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to consolidation of STP pairs without deploying new STP pairs and without making changes at a Service Switching Point to reflect the consolidation. In one aspect, a method includes identifying a first pair of signal transfer point devices to be decommissioned from a telecommunication network; identifying a second pair of signal transfer point devices to assume, in part, functionalities of the first pair of signal transfer point devices, each signal transfer point device of the first pair and the second pair having at least one primary point code and at least one secondary point code assigning a temporary secondary point code to each signal transfer point device of the first pair; and modifying at least one secondary point code of each signal transfer point device of the second pair with a primary point code of at least one signal transfer point device of the first pair.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2022
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Brad Smeal
  • Patent number: 11368364
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to consolidation of STP pairs without deploying new STP pairs and without making changes at a Service Switching Point to reflect the consolidation. In one aspect, a method includes identifying a first pair of signal transfer point devices to be decommissioned from a telecommunication network; identifying a second pair of signal transfer point devices to assume, in part, functionalities of the first pair of signal transfer point devices, each signal transfer point device of the first pair and the second pair having at least one primary point code and at least one secondary point code assigning a temporary secondary point code to each signal transfer point device of the first pair; and modifying at least one secondary point code of each signal transfer point device of the second pair with a primary point code of at least one signal transfer point device of the first pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Brad Smeal
  • Publication number: 20200267577
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to consolidation of STP pairs without deploying new STP pairs and without making changes at a Service Switching Point to reflect the consolidation. In one aspect, a method includes identifying a first pair of signal transfer point devices to be decommissioned from a telecommunication network; identifying a second pair of signal transfer point devices to assume, in part, functionalities of the first pair of signal transfer point devices, each signal transfer point device of the first pair and the second pair having at least one primary point code and at least one secondary point code assigning a temporary secondary point code to each signal transfer point device of the first pair; and modifying at least one secondary point code of each signal transfer point device of the second pair with a primary point code of at least one signal transfer point device of the first pair.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2020
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Brad Smeal
  • Patent number: 8942135
    Abstract: A system and/or method includes a collector module configured to collect route parameters from a selected node of a plurality of nodes in the network, wherein the route parameters from the selected node are indicative of a first route to a destination address and a second route to the destination address; and a route processor configured to determine a first intermediate node along the first route communicatively coupled to the destination address and a second intermediate node along the first route communicatively coupled to the destination address, based at least in part on the collected route parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Troy Lynette, Gregory Brown, Brad Smeal
  • Publication number: 20140211660
    Abstract: A system and/or method includes a collector module configured to collect route parameters from a selected node of a plurality of nodes in the network, wherein the route parameters from the selected node are indicative of a first route to a destination address and a second route to the destination address; and a route processor configured to determine a first intermediate node along the first route communicatively coupled to the destination address and a second intermediate node along the first route communicatively coupled to the destination address, based at least in part on the collected route parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Troy Lynette, Gregory Brown, Brad Smeal
  • Patent number: 8687513
    Abstract: A method includes collecting route parameters from a first intermediate node and a second intermediate node that can be configured to communicatively couple a source node to the destination node, determining at least a first route through the first intermediate node and a second route through the second intermediate node, and determining which route among the first route and the second route is optimal according to one or more criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Troy Lynette, Gregory Brown, Brad Smeal
  • Publication number: 20120224675
    Abstract: A method includes collecting route parameters from a first intermediate node and a second intermediate node that can be configured to communicatively couple a source node to the destination node, determining at least a first route through the first intermediate node and a second route through the second intermediate node, and determining which route among the first route and the second route is optimal according to one or more criteria.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 2, 2012
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Troy Lynette, Gregory Brown, Brad Smeal
  • Patent number: 8089891
    Abstract: A system includes a collector module configured to collect route parameters from a selected node of a plurality of nodes in the network, wherein the route parameters from the selected node are indicative of a first route to a destination address and a second route to the destination address; and a route processor configured to determine a first intermediate node along the first route communicatively coupled to the destination address and a second intermediate node along the first route communicatively coupled to the destination address, based at least in part on the collected route parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Troy Lynette, Gregory Brown, Brad Smeal
  • Publication number: 20090168652
    Abstract: A system includes a collector module configured to collect route parameters from a selected node of a plurality of nodes in the network, wherein the route parameters from the selected node are indicative of a first route to a destination address and a second route to the destination address; and a route processor configured to determine a first intermediate node along the first route communicatively coupled to the destination address and a second intermediate node along the first route communicatively coupled to the destination address, based at least in part on the collected route parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Applicant: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Troy Lynette, Gregory Brown, Brad Smeal