Patents by Inventor Jeff J. Towers

Jeff J. Towers 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).

  • Technique for computing pathways in a multi-stage switch fabric through exploitation of symmetrical links
    Patent number: 7167481
    Abstract: A switch fabric for switching data traffic according to a plurality of links. The data traffic may convey audio information, video information, or any other type of information. The switch fabric includes input, output and at least one intermediate stages, each stage including a plurality of switching elements. The switching elements of the input and output stages respectively have external input and output ports. The switch fabric further includes a switch fabric controller. The switch fabric controller includes a link database including information about the plurality of links. The switch fabric controller is operative to search the link database to identify symmetrical links and to establish internal pathways between the input stage and the output stage through the at least one intermediate stage, wherein at least two symmetrical links identified by the searching are realized using a common switching element of the at least one intermediate stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited
    Inventors: David C. Steele, Jeff J. Towers, Andrew King
  • Technique for computing pathways in a multi-stage switch fabric through exploitation of symmetrical links
    Publication number: 20030118013
    Abstract: A switch fabric for switching data traffic according to a plurality of links. The data traffic may convey audio information, video information, or any other type of information. The switch fabric includes input, output and at least one intermediate stages, each stage including a plurality of switching elements. The switching elements of the input and output stages respectively have external input and output ports. The switch fabric further includes a switch fabric controller. The switch fabric controller includes a link database including information about the plurality of links. The switch fabric controller is operative to search the link database to identify symmetrical links and to establish internal pathways between the input stage and the output stage through the at least one intermediate stage, wherein at least two symmetrical links identified by the searching are realized using a common switching element of the at least one intermediate stage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2002
    Publication date: June 26, 2003
    Inventors: David C. Steele, Jeff J. Towers, Andrew King