Patents by Inventor Bruce R. Barton

Bruce R. Barton 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).

  • Remote module for a communications network
    Patent number: 7434139
    Abstract: Determination of the location of an error condition or a failure includes receiving at a network interface a first framed digital signal from customer premises equipment, and determining whether the first framed digital signal indicates a failure. Overhead bits are modified in the first framed digital signal to generate a second framed digital signal, such that the modification is equivalent to insertion of errors into the first framed digital signal at a bit error ratio (BER) of not greater than a predetermined ratio, if the first framed digital signal indicates a failure. The second framed digital signal is then sent from the network interface in place of the first framed digital signal to indicate that the failure reported by the first framed digital signal is located in the customer premises equipment. Otherwise, if no failure is indicated, the first framed digital signal is transmitted without any modifications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Acterna, LLC
    Inventors: Bruce R. Barton, Paul R. Hartmann, Maynard A. Wright
  • Remote module for a communications network
    Patent number: 6910167
    Abstract: Determination of the location of an error condition or a failure includes receiving at a network interface a first framed digital signal from customer premises equipment, and determining whether the first framed digital signal indicates a failure. Overhead bits are modified in the first framed digital signal to generate a second framed digital signal, such that the modification is equivalent to insertion of errors into the first framed digital signal at a bit error ratio (BER) of not greater than a predetermined ratio, if the first framed digital signal indicates a failure. The second framed digital signal is then sent from the network interface in place of the first framed digital signal to indicate that the failure reported by the first framed digital signal is located in the customer premises equipment. Otherwise, if no failure is indicated, the first framed digital signal is transmitted without any modifications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Acterna LLC
    Inventors: Bruce R. Barton, Paul R. Hartmann, Maynard A. Wright
  • Remote module for a communications network
    Publication number: 20030097624
    Abstract: Determination of the location of an error condition or a failure includes receiving at a network interface a first framed digital signal from customer premises equipment, and determining whether the first framed digital signal indicates a failure. Overhead bits are modified in the first framed digital signal to generate a second framed digital signal, such that the modification is equivalent to insertion of errors into the first framed digital signal at a bit error ratio (BER) of not greater than a predetermined ratio, if the first framed digital signal indicates a failure. The second framed digital signal is then sent from the network interface in place of the first framed digital signal to indicate that the failure reported by the first framed digital signal is located in the customer premises equipment. Otherwise, if no failure is indicated, the first framed digital signal is transmitted without any modifications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2002
    Publication date: May 22, 2003
    Inventors: Bruce R. Barton, Paul R. Hartmann, Maynard A. Wright