Patents by Inventor Francois J Blouin
Francois J Blouin 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).
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Patent number: 7756959Abstract: An operating network comprising a large number of nodes interconnected by links determines potential link-capacity enhancement with the help of a companion phantom network. In one embodiment, the operating network and the phantom network are topologically coincident and each node participates in seeking an actual-connection setup through the operating network and a phantom connection through the phantom network for each connection request. Each node associates with each of its output links an operating capacity, a phantom capacity, an operating vacancy, and a phantom vacancy. The phantom vacancy data is used for link provisioning. In another embodiment, nodes may be added to or deleted from the operating network and the phantom network may not topologically coincide with the operating network.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2003Date of Patent: July 13, 2010Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventors: Maged E. Beshai, Francois J. Blouin
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Patent number: 7567516Abstract: In a communication network comprising nodes and links between the nodes, a controller node disseminates routing information including nodal routing tables. A nodal routing table for a given node comprises alternate routes from the given node to other nodes in the network. A controller of the network receives traffic information from nodes and, based on the received traffic information, determines a set of adaptive routing information corresponding to each said node and transmits each set of adaptive routing information to the respective node. Determining the set of adaptive routing information is performed according to a courteous routing scheme. The routing scheme is labeled as “courteous” because, in a contention state, a node-pair that would suffer the least by directing a part of its traffic away from a preferred path yields to node pairs that suffer more by redirecting their traffic. Courteous routing increases the payload throughput and decreases real-time processing effort.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 2004Date of Patent: July 28, 2009Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventors: Maged E. Beshai, François J. Blouin
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Patent number: 7403988Abstract: A technique for autonomous network provisioning based on establishing a relation between network performance indices, traffic measurements and resource capacities, which provides automatic provisioning recommendations for identified critical links is disclosed. The technique may be implemented in a network through collaboration across node controllers and network controllers. A method for the autonomous provisioning of a network, wherein a plurality of nodes of the network collaborate to determine required additional resources, may comprise the steps of receiving at least one network-state measurement comprising at least one of a traffic measurement and a performance measurement; determining at least one critical link based at least in part on the at least one network-state measurement; and formulating at least one link provisioning recommendation for the at least one critical link.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2002Date of Patent: July 22, 2008Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventors: Francois J. Blouin, Dinesh Mohan, Maged E. Beshai
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Patent number: 7249169Abstract: A multi-stratum multi-timescale control for self-governing networks provides automatic adaptation to temporal and spatial traffic changes and to network state changes. Microsecond timescale reacting through the routing function, a facet of the lowest stratum, allows a source node to choose the best available route from a sorted list of routes, and to collect information on the state of these routes. Millisecond timescale correcting through the resource allocation function, a facet of the intermediate stratum, allows the network to correct resource allocations based on requirements calculated by the routing function. Long-term provisioning through the provisioning function at the higher stratum allows the network to recommend resource augmentations, based on requirements reported by the resource allocation function. The control is implemented in the network through coordination across edge node controllers, core node controllers, and network controllers.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2001Date of Patent: July 24, 2007Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventors: Francois J Blouin, Dinesh Mohan, Maged E Beshai
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Patent number: 7236699Abstract: An optical core node that includes optical switching planes interfaces, at input, with multi-channel input links and, at output, with multi-channel output links. The number of channels per link can differ significantly among the links, necessitating that the input (output) links have different connection patterns to the switching planes. Such an optical core node requires new methods of assigning an incoming wavelength channel to one of the optical switching planes. The assignment of the channels of input and output links to input and output ports is established in a manner that increases input-output connectivity and, hence, throughput. Additionally, the networks that may be formed with such optical core nodes require new routing methods. A preferred method of selecting a path through the core node favors switching planes connecting to a small number of links. In a time-division-multiplexing (TDM) mode, the method of path selection is complemented by temporal packing of TDM frames.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2002Date of Patent: June 26, 2007Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventors: Maged E. Beshai, François J. Blouin
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Patent number: 7200340Abstract: A scaleable high-capacity network comprises several non-uniform composite-star networks interconnected by a number of lateral uniform composite-star networks, thus forming an irregular two-dimensional network. Each non-uniform composite star network comprises electronic edge nodes, possibly of significantly different capacities, interconnected by optical core nodes. The optical core nodes are not connected to each other, and each may be configured differently and have a different reach index, where the reach index of a core node is the number of edge nodes to which the core node directly connects. The selection of a route through a core node within a non-uniform composite-star network is based on a composite index determined according to the reach index of the core node and the propagation delay along the route.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2002Date of Patent: April 3, 2007Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventors: Maged E. Beshai, François J. Blouin
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Publication number: 20040208625Abstract: A scaleable high-capacity network comprises several non-uniform composite-star networks interconnected by a number of lateral uniform composite-star networks, thus forming an irregular two-dimensional network. Each non-uniform composite star network comprises electronic edge nodes, possibly of significantly different capacities, interconnected by optical core nodes. The optical core nodes are not connected to each other, and each may be configured differently and have a different reach index, where the reach index of a core node is the number of edge nodes to which the core node directly connects. The selection of a route through a core node within a non-uniform composite-star network is based on a composite index determined according to the reach index of the core node and the propagation delay along the route.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2002Publication date: October 21, 2004Applicant: NORTEL NETWORKS LIMITEDInventors: Maged E. Beshai, Francois J. Blouin
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Publication number: 20040202111Abstract: In a communication network comprising nodes and links between the nodes, a controller node disseminates routing information including nodal routing tables. A nodal routing table for a given node comprises alternate routes from the given node to other nodes in the network. A controller of the network receives traffic information from nodes and, based on the received traffic information, determines a set of adaptive routing information corresponding to each said node and transmits each set of adaptive routing information to the respective node. Determining the set of adaptive routing information is performed according to a courteous routing scheme. The routing scheme is labeled as “courteous” because, in a contention state, a node-pair that would suffer the least by directing a part of its traffic away from a preferred path yields to node pairs that suffer more by redirecting their traffic. Courteous routing increases the payload throughput and decreases real-time processing effort.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 6, 2004Publication date: October 14, 2004Inventors: Maged E. Beshai, Francois J. Blouin
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Patent number: 6768718Abstract: In a communication network comprising nodes and links between the nodes, a controller node disseminates routing information including nodal routing tables. A nodal routing table for a given node comprises alternate routes from the given node to other nodes in the network. A controller of the network receives traffic information from nodes and, based on the received traffic information, determines a set of adaptive routing information corresponding to each said node and transmits each set of adaptive routing information to the respective node. Determining the set of adaptive routing information is performed according to a courteous routing scheme. The routing scheme is labeled as “courteous” because, in a contention state, a node-pair that would suffer the least by directing a part of its traffic away from a preferred path yields to node pairs that suffer more by redirecting their traffic. Courteous routing increases the payload throughput and decreases real-time processing effort.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2000Date of Patent: July 27, 2004Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventors: Maged E. Beshai, François J. Blouin
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Publication number: 20040001670Abstract: An optical core node that includes optical switching planes interfaces, at input, with multi-channel input links and, at output, with multi-channel output links. The number of channels per link can differ significantly among the links, necessitating that the input (output) links have different connection patterns to the switching planes. Such an optical core node requires new methods of assigning an incoming wavelength channel to one of the optical switching planes. The assignment of the channels of input and output links to input and output ports is established in a manner that increases input-output connectivity and, hence, throughput. Additionally, the networks that may be formed with such optical core nodes require new routing methods. A preferred method of selecting a path through the core node favors switching planes connecting to a small number of links. In a time-division-multiplexing (TDM) mode, the method of path selection is complemented by temporal packing of TDM frames.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2002Publication date: January 1, 2004Applicant: NORTEL NETWORKS LIMITEDInventors: Maged E. Beshai, Francois J. Blouin
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Publication number: 20030126246Abstract: A multi-stratum multi-timescale control for self-governing networks provides automatic adaptation to temporal and spatial traffic changes and to network state changes. Microsecond timescale reacting through the routing function, a facet of the lowest stratum, allows a source node to choose the best available route from a sorted list of routes, and to collect information on the state of these routes. Millisecond timescale correcting through the resource allocation function, a facet of the intermediate stratum, allows the network to correct resource allocations based on requirements calculated by the routing function. Long-term provisioning through the provisioning function at the higher stratum allows the network to recommend resource augmentations, based on requirements reported by the resource allocation function. The control is implemented in the network through coordination across edge node controllers, core node controllers, and network controllers.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2001Publication date: July 3, 2003Inventors: Francois J. Blouin, Dinesh Mohan, Maged E. Beshai