Patents by Inventor Dana Blair

Dana Blair 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: 20110147670
    Abstract: Pre-impregnated composite material (prepreg) is provided that can be cured to form composite parts that have high levels of damage tolerance. The matrix resin includes a thermoplastic particle component that is a blend of particles that have a melting point above the curing temperature and particles that have a melting point at or below the curing temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2011
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Applicants: Hexcel Corporation, Hexcel Composites Ltd.
    Inventors: David Tilbrook, Dana Blair, Maureen Boyle, Paul Mackenzie
  • Patent number: 7923102
    Abstract: A method for making a pre-impregnated composite material (prepreg) is provided. The prepreg can be cured to form composite parts that have high levels of damage tolerance. The matrix resin includes a thermoplastic particle component that is a blend of particles that have a melting point above the curing temperature and particles that have a melting point at or below the curing temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignees: Hexcel Corporation, Hexcel Composites, Ltd.
    Inventors: David Tilbrook, Dana Blair, Maureen Boyle, Paul Mackenzie
  • Patent number: 7861000
    Abstract: Dial-out route service is forwarded by a gateway to reduce congestion in a data communication network. The first gateway determines availability of it ports to provide dial-out service for a dial-out route. If the first gateway is unable to provide dial-out service to the dial-out route, the first gateway transfers information corresponding to the dial-out route to a second gateway. The second gateway may access a central database storing static routes corresponding to the transferred dial-out route information. The second gateway advertises the transferred dial-out route. The dial-out route may be terminated based on one or more termination parameters. Forwarding dial-out route service may be used to dynamically scale dial-out service provided by a gateway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Dana Blair
  • Publication number: 20100309795
    Abstract: In one embodiment, performance parameters may be determined for each of a plurality of network address prefixes in a computer network. Based on the respective performance parameters, the prefixes may be resized through at least one of consolidation of adjacent prefixes and splitting of prefixes, and traffic may then be routed in the computer network based on the resized prefixes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2009
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Inventors: Pritam Shah, Dana Blair, Rahul G. Patel
  • Patent number: 7848230
    Abstract: In one embodiment, performance measurements may be obtained at a local domain from a set of one or more responding targets of a particular remote domain. The performance measurements may then be applied to prefix-specific policies of any corresponding destination address prefix within the particular remote domain, such that traffic destined to a particular prefix of the particular remote domain may be routed from the local domain based on the corresponding prefix-specific policies and applied performance measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Pritam Shah, Rahul G. Patel, Dana Blair
  • Publication number: 20100265825
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a value for a option for a particular policy of a plurality of policies that are ranked in a priority order is ascertained. A variance to the value associated with the option for the particular policy is applied to define a range of acceptable values for the particular policy. A determination is made whether one or more other options exist that have values within the range of acceptable values for the particular policy. If no other options exist that have values within the range of acceptable values for the particular policy, the option is selected If other options exist that have values within the range of acceptable values for the particular policy, the ascertaining, applying and determining is repeated for a next lower priority policy of the plurality of policies to consider the other options, the repeating to occur successively until an option is selected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2010
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicant: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Dana Blair, Kerry Lynn
  • Publication number: 20100239755
    Abstract: Pre-impregnated composite material (prepreg) is provided that can be cured to form composite parts that have high levels of damage tolerance. The matrix resin includes a thermoplastic particle component that is a blend of particles that have a melting point above the curing temperature and particles that have a melting point at or below the curing temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2010
    Publication date: September 23, 2010
    Applicants: Hexcel Corporation, Hexcel Composites Ltd.
    Inventors: David Tilbrook, Dana Blair, Maureen Boyle, Paul Mackenzie
  • Patent number: 7801030
    Abstract: A technique dynamically creates and utilizes a plurality of multi-homed Virtual Private Network (VPN) tunnels from a client node of one spoke network to a client node of another spoke network in a computer network. According to the technique, a VPN client node, e.g., a “spoke,” creates at least one VPN tunnel with an enterprise network, e.g., a “hub.” Once the spoke-to-hub tunnel is established, the spoke may dynamically create a plurality of VPN tunnels with a peer spoke network, e.g., a “peer spoke.” The spoke designates (e.g., for a prefix) one of the tunnels as a primary tunnel and the other tunnels as secondary tunnels, and monitors the quality (e.g., loss, delay, reachability, etc.) of all of the dynamic tunnels, such as, e.g., by an Optimized Edge Routing (OER) process. The spoke may then dynamically re-designate any one of the secondary tunnels as the primary tunnel for a prefix based on the quality of the tunnels to the peer spoke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Gautam Aggarwal, Pritam Shah, Ajith Thrivikramannair, Dana Blair
  • Patent number: 7756107
    Abstract: Packet network addresses, such as Internet Protocol addresses, may be assigned dynamically to computer systems accessed from the packet network by dial-out calls through a telephone network. A dial-out destination system will have an assigned name, typically a domain name. In response to a request for translation of the name, a network access server capable of reaching the destination obtains or assigns an address on a temporary basis. The network access server initiates the call to the destination system through the telephone network. The system initiating communication to the destination system uses the assigned address in any subsequent packet data communications. When the communication ends, the address is again available for a new assignment. This approach provides a dynamic address assignment technique for use on dial-out access services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Dana Blair, Michael Shannon
  • Patent number: 7754322
    Abstract: Pre-impregnated composite material (prepreg) is provided that can be cured to form composite parts that have high levels of damage tolerance. The matrix resin includes a thermoplastic particle component that is a blend of particles that have a melting point above the curing temperature and particles that have a melting point at or below the curing temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignees: Hexcel Corporation, Hexcel Composites Ltd.
    Inventors: David Tilbrook, Dana Blair, Maureen Boyle, Paul Mackenzie
  • Patent number: 7751331
    Abstract: A technique efficiently renders a policy-based decision from a plurality of options based on policy priority in a computer network. According to the novel technique, each of a plurality of policies is assigned an exclusive priority value, as well as a “variance” specifying an acceptable value range (e.g., a percentage). Beginning at the highest priority policy, values corresponding to the plurality of options are analyzed based upon the current priority policy, and a “best” option is determined according to the current policy. Thereafter, the variance for the current policy is applied to the value of the best option, defining a range of acceptable values for the current policy, and remaining options having an acceptable value for the current policy are established. If only one remaining option exists, that option is selected as the best option.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Dana Blair, Kerry Lynn
  • Publication number: 20100128606
    Abstract: In one embodiment, probe messages may be transmitted from a local domain to a set of one or more responding probe targets located beyond a plurality of probed first-hop domains of the local domain, the probe messages transmitted via each of a plurality of probed first-hop domains. A reliability of each probed first-hop domain may then be determined based on responsiveness of probe messages transmitted via each respective probed first-hop domain, such that traffic destined beyond the probed first-hop domains may be load balanced across the probed first-hop domains based on the respective reliability, regardless of a traffic-class and a destination of the traffic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Inventors: Rahul G. Patel, Pritam Shah, Dana Blair
  • Publication number: 20100110891
    Abstract: In one embodiment, performance measurements may be obtained at a local domain from a set of one or more responding targets of a particular remote domain. The performance measurements may then be applied to prefix-specific policies of any corresponding destination address prefix within the particular remote domain, such that traffic destined to a particular prefix of the particular remote domain may be routed from the local domain based on the corresponding prefix-specific policies and applied performance measurements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2008
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Inventors: Pritam Shah, Rahul G. Patel, Dana Blair
  • Patent number: 7675861
    Abstract: A technique manages targets to which probe packets are sent from a source of a computer network. The novel target management technique dynamically selects an optimal set of valid targets for a particular (monitored) prefix of the computer network. Specifically, one or more targets are selected from a pool of possible learned and configured targets to be used as representatives of the monitored prefix. Probe packets are sent from the source to the selected targets for the duration of an evaluation period. Targets that do not respond to the probe packets during the evaluation period are invalid and deselected, and if available, an unused target is selected from the pool of possible targets to replace each non-responding target for a next evaluation period. Invalid learned targets are discarded, while invalid configured targets are returned to the pool of possible targets for potential re-selection in a later evaluation period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Larry R. Metzger, Lei Xia, Dana Blair
  • Publication number: 20090311535
    Abstract: A composite material comprising at least one polymeric resin and optionally at least one fibrous reinforcement, where the polymeric resin comprises; at least one difunctional epoxy resin; and at least one epoxy resin with a functionality greater than two having at least one meta-substituted phenyl ring in its backbone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2007
    Publication date: December 17, 2009
    Inventors: David Tilbrook, Dana Blair, Maureen Boyle, Paul Mackenzie
  • Patent number: 7619982
    Abstract: A technique manages paths taken by probe packets sent from a source to a target of a computer network. The novel path management technique enables each probe packet i) to be transferred onto a path of the computer network via a specific exit at the source, ii) to be returned to the source, and iii) to follow a path that closely matches the path followed by user data through the network. Specifically, one or more alternate routing tables are used by the source to select specific exits for the probe packets. Additionally, the source address of the probe packet is configured as a public address (i.e., reachable and used by actual user data traffic) to ensure that the packet is returned to the originating source and follows a path through the computer network that closely matches the path followed by user data traffic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Dana Blair, Larry R. Metzger
  • Patent number: 7613110
    Abstract: Load balanced transport of best efforts traffic together with delay-bounded traffic over a multilink bundle combines fragmentation and fragment distribution for best efforts packets with per-flow balancing for delay-bounded traffic. In the preferred embodiments, the best efforts packets receive Multilink Protocol treatment, including fragmentation and addition of sequence headers. Fragments of packets for one such communication go over the various links within the bundle, as appropriate for load balancing on the links. For each delay-bounded flow, such as for a VOIP service, the sending node hashes the packet header data and applies all packets for the flow to one of the links, assigned as a function of the hash value. Different flow headers produce different hash results; therefore the node sends different flows over the different links in a substantially balanced manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Dana Blair
  • Publication number: 20090198832
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a network device (e.g., a master controller) may detect an event on a current path in a computer network from a local network domain to a destination address prefix of a remote domain. In response, the device may dynamically (e.g., intelligently) determine a trace target destination address within the destination address prefix, and may perform (or request performance of) a Traceroute of the current path and a selection of alternate paths in the network from the local network domain to the trace target, where the Traceroute is adapted to obtain per-hop measurements along the respective traced path. The measurements may then be stored, for example, to be used for optimal path selection, fault identification reporting, etc.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2008
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Inventors: Pritam Shah, Dana Blair, Rahul G. Patel
  • Publication number: 20090097409
    Abstract: In one embodiment, during network operation, it is dynamically determined whether to change from passive probing of communication path metrics to active probing of communication path metrics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2007
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Inventors: Aamer Akhter, Dana Blair
  • Publication number: 20090016331
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving at a network device information on paths to a destination node, determining a number of common nodes or links between at least two of the paths, calculating a path diversity index based on the number of common nodes or links, and selecting a route to the destination node based on the path diversity index. An apparatus for calculating path diversity index for use in route selection is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2007
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Applicant: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Pritam Shah, Philip Jacobs, Rahul Patel, Dana Blair