Patents by Inventor John Thomas Ward

John Thomas Ward 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: 7519074
    Abstract: According to various embodiments of the present invention, systems and methods for collecting, analyzing, and/or displaying signaling information for a call through a network, including: receiving a request for signaling information, wherein the request identifies a particular call handled by at least one network element within a voice over internet protocol network, querying the at least one network element for signaling information related to the particular call, and displaying the signaling information for the particular call. According to some embodiments of the present invention, systems and methods may further include storing signaling information on a network element, generating a call detail record based on the signaling information, wherein the call detail record identifies the network element and the particular call, sending the call detail record to a database, and searching the database based on the one or more criteria to identify the at least one network element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: John Thomas Ward, Richard D. Terpstra, Thomas S. Traylor, Timothy Roy Missner, Andrew B. Lundgren
  • Patent number: 7436936
    Abstract: According to various embodiments of the present invention, systems and methods for verifying the routing of a call through a network, including: generating an outbound call from a test tool in a first network, the outbound call including a test key and a destination number, the destination number being associated with a communication device accessible to first network, routing the outbound call to second network, receiving outbound call from second network in the form of inbound call to first network, the inbound call including the test key and the destination number, accessing the test key, and based at least in part on the test key, routing the inbound call to the test tool. In some instances, call tracking information may be collected, analyzed, and/or displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Richard D. Terpstra, Thomas S. Traylor, Gregory Keith Brown, John Thomas Ward, Andrew B. Lundgren