Patents by Inventor Robert J. Ferro

Robert J. Ferro 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: 10733245
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to track network topology changes are disclosed. An example topology tool to track a change to a network topology includes a message processor to, in response to a reporting message generated by a software defined network controller, identify a unique identifier (UID) associated with a network element to be subject to a topology change event, where the reporting message including topology change information corresponding to the topology change event scheduled to occur at a future time. A database search tool is to search a first topology database for a first post-confirmation data record corresponding to the UID and in response to the first post-confirmation data record missing from the first topology database, search a second topology database for a first pre-confirmation data record corresponding to the UID. A database controller is to generate a second pre-confirmation data record in response to the first pre-confirmation data record missing from the second topology database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: Heng Wang, Robert J. Ferro, Leah L. Zhang, Luis Figueroa
  • Publication number: 20190138559
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to track network topology changes are disclosed. An example topology tool to track a change to a network topology includes a message processor to, in response to a reporting message generated by a software defined network controller, identify a unique identifier (UID) associated with a network element to be subject to a topology change event, where the reporting message including topology change information corresponding to the topology change event scheduled to occur at a future time. A database search tool is to search a first topology database for a first post-confirmation data record corresponding to the UID and in response to the first post-confirmation data record missing from the first topology database, search a second topology database for a first pre-confirmation data record corresponding to the UID. A database controller is to generate a second pre-confirmation data record in response to the first pre-confirmation data record missing from the second topology database.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Inventors: Heng Wang, Robert J. Ferro, Leah L. Zhang, Luis Figueroa
  • Patent number: 10210258
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to track network topology changes are disclosed. An example apparatus includes machine readable instructions, and a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations. The operations include, in response to a reporting message generated by a software defined controller containing topology change information corresponding to a topology change event scheduled to occur at a future time, store, in a topology database, a pre-validation data record reflecting the occurrence of the topology change event. The pre-validation data record indicates the occurrence is not validated. In addition, a validation seeking message is generated to validate occurrence of the topology change event and is transmitted to a network device to be subject to the topology change event after the future time. In response to a validation message from the network device, a post-validation data record is stored in the topology database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: Heng Wang, Robert J. Ferro, Leah L. Zhang, Luis Figueroa
  • Patent number: 9998382
    Abstract: A process and system for user-controlled configuration of an Internet protocol network. The user may supply input for generating a network classification profile, which includes a number of classes of service (COSs) for prioritizing network traffic, including video transmission. A quality of service (QOS) may be measured and compared with a COS for video transmission. Depending on the measured QOS, a network alert may be issued and a priority of packets associated with the COS for video transmission may be increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Robert J. Ferro, Luis Figueroa, David H. Lu, Chen Yui Yang
  • Publication number: 20180046715
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to track network topology changes are disclosed. An example apparatus includes machine readable instructions, and a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations. The operations include, in response to a reporting message generated by a software defined controller containing topology change information corresponding to a topology change event scheduled to occur at a future time, store, in a topology database, a pre-validation data record reflecting the occurrence of the topology change event. The pre-validation data record indicates the occurrence is not validated. In addition, a validation seeking message is generated to validate occurrence of the topology change event and is transmitted to a network device to be subject to the topology change event after the future time. In response to a validation message from the network device, a post-validation data record is stored in the topology database.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2017
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Inventors: Heng Wang, Robert J. Ferro, Leah L. Zhang, Luis Figueroa
  • Patent number: 9798810
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to track network changes are disclosed herein. An example method to track a network topology includes, in response to a reporting message including topology change information corresponding to a topology change event, generating a confirmation-seeking message based on the topology change information to confirm the topology change event and updating a topology data set representing the network topology based on a response to the confirmation-seeking message. Further disclosed methods include generating a pre-confirmation data record that reflects the topology change information contained in the reporting message, and storing the pre-confirmation data record in a pre-confirmation topology database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Heng Wang, Robert J. Ferro, Leah L. Zhang, Luis Figueroa
  • Publication number: 20160094383
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to track network changes are disclosed herein. An example method to track a network topology includes, in response to a reporting message including topology change information corresponding to a topology change event, generating a confirmation-seeking message based on the topology change information to confirm the topology change event and updating a topology data set representing the network topology based on a response to the confirmation-seeking message. Further disclosed methods include generating a pre-confirmation data record that reflects the topology change information contained in the reporting message, and storing the pre-confirmation data record in a pre-confirmation topology database.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Publication date: March 31, 2016
    Inventors: Heng Wang, Robert J. Ferro, Leah L. Zhang, Luis Figueroa
  • Publication number: 20150263964
    Abstract: A process and system for user-controlled configuration of an Internet protocol network. The user may supply input for generating a network classification profile, which includes a number of classes of service (COSs) for prioritizing network traffic, including video transmission. A quality of service (QOS) may be measured and compared with a COS for video transmission. Depending on the measured QOS, a network alert may be issued and a priority of packets associated with the COS for video transmission may be increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2015
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Inventors: Robert J. Ferro, Luis Figueroa, David H. Lu, Chen Yui Yang
  • Patent number: 9049141
    Abstract: A process and system for user-controlled configuration of an Internet protocol network. The user may supply input for generating a network configuration profile, which includes a number of classes of service (COSs) for prioritizing network traffic, including video transmission. A quality of service (QOS) may be measured and compared with a COS for video transmission. Depending on the measured QOS, a network alert may be issued and a priority of packets associated with the COS for video transmission may be increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Robert J. Ferro, Luis Figueroa, David H. Lu, Chen Yui Yang
  • Patent number: 8638672
    Abstract: Systems and techniques for improved error detection in data communication. A sending station encodes unencoded data to create an encoded message and passes the encoded data to transmission elements for transmission to a destination receiver. At the same time, error detection is performed using copies of the unencoded data and the encoded message. The encoded message is decoded using a decoding procedure identical to that to be used by the destination receiver. The copy of the unencoded data is compared to the decoded copy of the encoded message, and if the copy of the unencoded data does not match the decoded copy, the presence of an error is identified and error recovery procedures are performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: George Sultana, Robert J. Ferro, Prasad Reddy Gujju
  • Publication number: 20100161770
    Abstract: A process and system for user-controlled configuration of an Internet protocol network. The user may supply input for generating a network classification profile, which includes a number of classes of service (COSs) for prioritizing network traffic, including video transmission. A quality of service (QOS) may be measured and compared with a COS for video transmission. Depending on the measured QOS, a network alert may be issued and a priority of packets associated with the COS for video transmission may be increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: AT&T Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. Ferro, Luis Figueroa, David H. Lu, Chen Yui Yang
  • Publication number: 20090154539
    Abstract: Systems and techniques for improved error detection in data communication. A sending station encodes unencoded data to create an encoded message and passes the encoded data to transmission elements for transmission to a destination receiver. At the same time, error detection is performed using copies of the unencoded data and the encoded message. The encoded message is decoded using a decoding procedure identical to that to be used by the destination receiver. The copy of the unencoded data is compared to the decoded copy of the encoded message, and if the copy of the unencoded data does not match the decoded copy, the presence of an error is identified and error recovery procedures are performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Inventors: George Sultana, Robert J. Ferro, Prasad Reddy Gujju