Patents by Inventor Eric Voit

Eric Voit 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: 9705921
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for, at an administrative device in a network domain, monitoring a network traffic flow parameter to determine whether a presently applied domain wide policy configured to control a network traffic flow should be removed. In response to determining that the domain wide policy should be removed, a command is generated which causes removal of the domain wide policy at each one of the plurality of network devices, and the command is sent to each one of the plurality of network devices to cause the domain wide policy to be removed at substantially the same time at each network device. Alternatively, the domain wide policy can be automatically removed by the expiry of a timer or in accordance with a timestamp so that the policy is revoked across the network domain without a need for an explicit network wide control message instructing removal of the policy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric A. Voit
  • Publication number: 20170126486
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for network resource allocation is provided. In some embodiments, the method comprises determining a subscriber limit rate at which a subscriber computer can process updates received from a plurality of publisher computers, wherein each of the updates comprises an electronic digital message received over a computer network; determining, for each publisher computer of the plurality of publisher computers, a not-to-exceed rate of updates sent to the subscriber computer and storing a plurality of the offered rates; determining by the subscriber computer, for each publisher computer of the plurality of publisher computer, a utility of updates sent by the publisher computer and storing a plurality of the utilities; assigning to each publisher computer of the plurality of publisher computers a publisher limit rate at which the respective publisher computer sends updates to the subscriber computer using the offered rate and the utility of updates of the respective publisher computer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2015
    Publication date: May 4, 2017
    Inventors: ALBERTO GONZALEZ PRIETO, ALEXANDER L. CLEMM, ERIC VOIT
  • Publication number: 20160292574
    Abstract: An aspect of the present disclosure aims to reduce problems associated with data acquisition of a rule set. Systems and methods enabling a semantic reasoner to stage acquisition of data objects necessary to bring each of the rules stored in the knowledge base to a conclusion are disclosed. To that end, a dependency chain is constructed, identifying whether and how each rule depends on other rules. Based on the dependency chain, the rules are assigned to difference epochs and reasoning engine is configured to perform machine reasoning over rules of each epoch sequentially. Moreover, when processing rules of each epoch, data objects referenced by the rules assigned to a currently processed epoch are acquired according to a certain order established based on criteria such as e.g. cost of acquisition of data objects. Such an approach provides automatic determination and just-in-time acquisition of data objects required for semantic reasoning.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Applicant: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Samer Salam, Eric A. Voit
  • Publication number: 20160292581
    Abstract: An aspect of the present disclosure aims to reduce or eliminate the problems associated with processing quickly changing large sets of data. To that end, systems and methods are disclosed, enabling a semantic reasoner to identify and process incremental changes to a rules base rather than re-processing the entire rules base. Such incremental stream reasoning (i.e., only reasoning upon pushed object changes) provides an efficient and fast manner for reacting to quickly changing data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Applicant: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Eric A. Voit, Samer Salam
  • Publication number: 20160267384
    Abstract: An example method executed by a semantic reasoner is disclosed. The method includes identifying, from a plurality of rules, one or more pairs of chained rules, and, from the one or more pairs of chained rules, assigning rules chained together to a respective rule-set of P rule-sets. The method also includes assigning individuals, from a plurality of individuals referenced by the plurality of rules, referenced by each rule-set of the P rule-sets to an individual-set associated with the each rule-set and mapping the rules from the each rule-set and the individuals from the individual-set associated with the each rule-set into a respective knowledge base instance associated with the each rule-set. Such a method ensures knowledge completeness and sound inference while allowing parallel semantic reasoning within a given stream window.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Applicant: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Samer Salam, Eric A. Voit
  • Patent number: 9392050
    Abstract: System, computer program product, and method to configure an external network based on internal network conditions, by monitoring a load attribute of one or more network flows traversing an ingress port of at least one network element in a software-defined networking (SDN) enabled network, upon determining that the load attribute of a first network element in the SDN enabled network exceeds a predefined threshold, provisioning, by the application, an additional service on the external network, by the application, an additional service on the external network, and extending, by the application, the SDN enabled network to include the additional service on the external network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric A. Voit, Richard M. Pruss, John E. McDowall
  • Publication number: 20160149760
    Abstract: An example method for facilitating multi-stage convergence and intent revocation in a network environment is provided and includes sending an intent support request for an intent to a plurality of targets in a network, receiving intent pre-commits from a portion of the plurality of targets and intent pre-aborts from a remaining portion of the plurality of targets, each intent pre-commit indicative of ability to support the intent, and each intent pre-abort indicative of inability to support the intent, determining whether the intent is to be added to the domain in view of potentially impacted intents, and instructing the plurality of targets to commit to the intent if the intent is to be added to the domain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2014
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Applicant: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Eric A. Voit, Edward Albert Warnicke, Ludwig Alexander Clemm, Samer Salam
  • Publication number: 20160099883
    Abstract: An example method for facilitating conflict avoidant traffic routing in a network environment is provided and includes detecting, at a network element, an intent conflict at a peer network element in a network, and changing a forwarding decision at the network element to steer traffic around the conflicted peer network element. The intent conflict refers to an incompatibility between an asserted intent associated with the traffic and an implemented intent associated with the traffic. In specific embodiments, the detecting includes mounting rules from the peer network element into the network element, and analyzing the mounted rules to determine intent conflict. In some embodiments, a central controller in the network deploys one or more intentlets on a plurality of network elements in the network according to corresponding intent deployment parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2014
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Applicant: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Eric A. Voit, Samer Salam, Ludwig Alexander Clemm, Yegnanarayanan Gargya Chandramouli
  • Patent number: 9276827
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein use APIs on network devices in a SDN enabled network to monitor the network traffic flowing through the network devices and determine an identity of the client initiating the network traffic. Specifically, the APIs provide a user application with user credentials, IP addresses, MAC addresses, and other identifying information mined from the network flows. Once the identity is found, the application may identify the client's current geographic location. The network devices may continue to monitor the network devices to identify any movement events associated with the client. In response to a movement event, the application may reallocate resources proximate to the new geographic location of the client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric A. Voit, Richard M. Pruss, John E. McDowall, Jan Medved
  • Publication number: 20160026631
    Abstract: An example method for facilitating network control and management using semantic reasoners in a network environment is provided and includes generating a fully populated semantics model of the network from network data according to a base network ontology of the network, mapping the fully populated semantics model to a network knowledge base, feeding contents of the network knowledge base to a semantic reasoner, and controlling and managing the network using the semantic reasoner. In specific embodiments, generating the model includes receiving the network data from the network, parsing the network data, loading the parsed network data into in-memory data structures, accessing a manifest specifying binding between a network data definition format and ontology components of the base network ontology, identifying ontology components associated with the network data based on the manifest, and populating the identified ontology components with individuals and properties from the corresponding data structures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Publication date: January 28, 2016
    Applicant: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Samer Salam, Eric A. Voit, Ludwig Alexander Clemm, Edward Albert Warnicke
  • Patent number: 9215254
    Abstract: A communication system providing telephony communication across combined circuit switched and packet switched networks, such as a telephone network and the Internet, which are connectable to terminals, such as telephones and computers, for selective communication therebetween. The communication system includes an authorization and account control object in the packet switched network, multiple gateways between the circuit switched and packet switched networks providing controlled connectivity between those networks, and an information retrieval object in the packet switched network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventors: Eric A. Voit, Edward E. Balkovich, William D. Goodman, Jayant G. Gadre, Patrick E. White, David E. Young
  • Publication number: 20150304355
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for, at an administrative device in a network domain, monitoring a network traffic flow parameter to determine whether a presently applied domain wide policy configured to control a network traffic flow should be removed. In response to determining that the domain wide policy should be removed, a command is generated which causes removal of the domain wide policy at each one of the plurality of network devices, and the command is sent to each one of the plurality of network devices to cause the domain wide policy to be removed at substantially the same time at each network device. Alternatively, the domain wide policy can be automatically removed by the expiry of a timer or in accordance with a timestamp so that the policy is revoked across the network domain without a need for an explicit network wide control message instructing removal of the policy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Applicant: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric A. Voit
  • Patent number: 9100346
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for automating a common framework for network devices. In one example, a network device (e.g., switch, router, etc.) is configured to resolve the handling unknown packets automatically. The network device can detect whether or not a protocol is unknown to the network device, perform a lookup, determine if a matching protocol is available for the network device, and dynamically load an appropriate protocol handler into a memory of the network device. Advantageously, the present technology provides a mechanism for flexible on-demand push of protocol information. If a new protocol is noted on the network, the network device can look up the type of packet and can use a single platform kit to dynamically load drivers and control logic for that protocol onto the network device. Likewise, other network devices in the packet's path or in the network generally can load the drivers and control logic, as needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Eric A. Voit, Richard M. Pruss, John E. McDowall
  • Patent number: 9088619
    Abstract: A provider edge (PE) device provides subscribers with access to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network. The subscribers are connected to the PE device via a broadband aggregation device. The PE device includes a processor operable to snoop control plane traffic for a logical identifier that allows subscriber traffic having varying data plane information to be treated as a session group. The processor is further operable to instantiate the session group based on the logical identifier. A unit of the PE device applies a QOS policy to traffic flow associated with the session group. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Voit, Richard Manfred Pruss, Yves Hertoghs, John William Evans
  • Patent number: 8976782
    Abstract: A communication system providing telephony communication across combined circuit switched and packet switched networks, such as a telephone network and the Internet, which are connectable to terminals, such as telephones and computers, for selective communication therebetween. The communication system includes an authorization and account control object in the packet switched network, multiple gateways between the circuit switched and packet switched networks providing controlled connectivity between those networks, and an information retrieval object in the packet switched network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventors: Eric A. Voit, Edward E. Balkovich, William D. Goodman, Jayant G. Gadre, Patrick E. White, David E. Young
  • Patent number: 8885487
    Abstract: Offering vertical services to subscribers and service providers is an avenue to immediately improve the competitiveness of digital subscriber line access service, for example of the type offered by a local exchange carrier. To deliver high-quality vertical services, however, the underlying ADSL Data Network (ADN) or the like needs to establish Quality of Service (QoS) as a core characteristic and offer an efficient mechanism for insertion of the vertical services. The inventive network architecture introduces QoS into the ADN, in a manner that enables the delivery of sophisticated and demanding IP-based services to subscribers, does not affect existing Internet tiers of service, and is cost-effective in terms of initial costs, build-out, and ongoing operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventors: Eric A. Voit, Robert T. Baum, Jeffrey I. Winter
  • Publication number: 20140280488
    Abstract: System, computer program product, and method to configure an external network based on internal network conditions, by monitoring a load attribute of one or more network flows traversing an ingress port of at least one network element in a software-defined networking (SDN) enabled network, upon determining that the load attribute of a first network element in the SDN enabled network exceeds a predefined threshold, provisioning, by the application, an additional service on the external network, by the application, an additional service on the external network, and extending, by the application, the SDN enabled network to include the additional service on the external network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Eric A. VOIT, Richard M. PRUSS, John E. MCDOWALL
  • Publication number: 20140280898
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein use APIs on network devices in a SDN enabled network to monitor the network traffic flowing through the network devices and determine an identity of the client initiating the network traffic. Specifically, the APIs provide a user application with user credentials, IP addresses, MAC addresses, and other identifying information mined from the network flows. Once the identity is found, the application may identify the client's current geographic location. The network devices may continue to monitor the network devices to identify any movement events associated with the client. In response to a movement event, the application may reallocate resources proximate to the new geographic location of the client.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Eric A. VOIT, Richard M. PRUSS, John E. MCDOWALL, Jan MEDVED
  • Publication number: 20140269762
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for automating a common framework for network devices. In one example, a network device (e.g., switch, router, etc.) is configured to resolve the handling unknown packets automatically. The network device can detect whether or not a protocol is unknown to the network device, perform a lookup, determine if a matching protocol is available for the network device, and dynamically load an appropriate protocol handler into a memory of the network device. Advantageously, the present technology provides a mechanism for flexible on-demand push of protocol information. If a new protocol is noted on the network, the network device can look up the type of packet and can use a single platform kit to dynamically load drivers and control logic for that protocol onto the network device. Likewise, other network devices in the packet's path or in the network generally can load the drivers and control logic, as needed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Eric A. VOIT, Richard M. PRUSS, John E. MCDOWALL
  • Patent number: 8625412
    Abstract: A computer network includes first and second Ethernet access domain networks, each of Ethernet access domain networks including a user-facing provider edge (u-PE) device, and a stack group of network-facing provider edge (n-PE) devices coupled with the u-PE device, the n-PE devices running a bidding protocol to select one of the n-PE devices as a primary n-PE device for a single pseudowire connection path between the first and second Ethernet access domain networks. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Voit, William Mark Townsley