Patents by Inventor Jim Shields

Jim Shields 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: 8577221
    Abstract: The invention provides an optical burst switch in an Optical Burst Switched (OBS) communication network, said optical burst switch comprising means for monitoring and maintaining mesh of virtual optical paths from a communication node to a plurality of other communication nodes, arranged in a ring network, enabling traffic data to be transmitted and/or received between nodes via a physical optical path. The switch also provides means for sending a data packet probe on a virtual path from a node to each other node in the OBS communication network, wherein data packet probe information received at said switch provides information of availability of the physical optical path for sending traffic data between nodes. The switch can be configured such that the rate at which this path monitoring is scheduled guaranteeing less than 50 ms protection switch in the event of monitoring a failed or degraded path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Intune Networks Limited
    Inventors: David McDonald, Tom Farrell, Jim Shields, John Courtney
  • Publication number: 20120275781
    Abstract: The invention provides an optical burst switch in an Optical Burst Switched (OBS) communication network, said optical burst switch comprising means for monitoring and maintaining mesh of virtual optical paths from a communication node to a plurality of other communication nodes, arranged in a ring network, enabling traffic data to be transmitted and/or received between nodes via a physical optical path. The switch also provides means for sending a data packet probe on a virtual path from a node to each other node in the OBS communication network, wherein data packet probe information received at said switch provides information of availability of the physical optical path for sending traffic data between nodes. The switch can be configured such that the rate at which this path monitoring is scheduled guaranteeing less than 50ms protection switch in the event of monitoring a failed or degraded path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Applicant: INTUNE NETWORKS LIMITED
    Inventors: David McDonald, Tom Farrell, Jim Shields, John Courtney