Patents by Inventor Stuart Blackburn

Stuart Blackburn 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).

  • Publication number: 20070195705
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and method for detecting faults related to lines linked to provide network services. The method includes storing a synthetic value for the performance of a line, receiving a measured value of a performance parameter of the line measured at a customer end and comparing the synthetic value with the measured value to determine if a fault condition exists.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2006
    Publication date: August 23, 2007
    Applicant: SBC Knowledge Ventures L.P.
    Inventors: Kapil Shrikhande, Sam Cauble, Stuart Blackburn, Raghvendra Savoor
  • Publication number: 20070002758
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to determine digital subscriber line (DSL) configuration parameters based on current and historical DSL performance characteristics are disclosed. A disclosed method comprises obtaining first data representative of a current maximum attainable DSL speed for a telephone line, collecting second data representative of historical maximum attainable DSL speeds for the telephone line, and determining a maximum capable DSL speed for the telephone line based on the first and the second data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2005
    Publication date: January 4, 2007
    Inventors: Stuart Blackburn, John Van Slyke
  • Publication number: 20060285496
    Abstract: In a particular embodiment, the present disclosure is directed to a data communications system. The data communication system includes a plurality of digital subscriber lines, a digital subscriber line multiplexer coupled to each of the plurality of digital subscriber lines, and a data switch coupled to the digital subscriber line multiplexer via a communication link. The data communications system is configured such that the number of digital subscriber line users supported by the digital subscriber line multiplexer is determined based on an estimated maximum number of users, the estimated maximum number of users determined based on an average peak bandwidth per user value, a data communication capacity of the communication link, and a data transmission slowdown indicator. The communication capacity is based on a user type selected from a set of available user types.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2006
    Publication date: December 21, 2006
    Applicant: SBC Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
    Inventor: Stuart Blackburn
  • Publication number: 20060117965
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for lowering the viscosity of a fat based mixture comprising solids and fat that have been previously refined to a powdery mass characterized in that the powdery mass is submitted to elongational flow effective as such to provide breaking up of the agglomerates and intimate interactions of the solids with the fat thereby resulting in the production of a pasty mass with coating of the solids with the fat. The method enables to replace conching in a traditional conche or at least reduce conching time or increase the subsequent loading and throughput of the fat based mass in traditional conches.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2003
    Publication date: June 8, 2006
    Inventors: Nicholas Parsons, Stuart Blackburn, Maxine Jolly, Stephen Beckett, Stefan Reuss, Kate Armstrong, Fernando Gomes
  • Publication number: 20060062211
    Abstract: A method for automatically designing a switched metro Ethernet data is provided. During execution of the method, data network information, customer demand information, equipment information, and at least one design constraint is received. Based thereon, a potential topology design for the switched metro Ethernet data network is automatically established. The potential topology for the switched metro Ethernet data network can be a tree topology that is rooted at a predetermined hub node and that has a plurality of leaves. Each leaf is located at a customer location. In a particular embodiment, an aggregation node is placed at the hub node. Further, an aggregation node is placed at a predetermined redundant hub node. Additionally, an aggregation node is placed at another location in the tree topology.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2004
    Publication date: March 23, 2006
    Inventors: Orestis Manthoulis, Stuart Blackburn, Laxman Sahasrabuddhe
  • Publication number: 20050163057
    Abstract: In a particular embodiment, the present disclosure is directed to a data communications system. The data communication system includes a plurality of digital subscriber lines, a digital subscriber line multiplexer coupled to each of the plurality of digital subscriber lines, and a data switch coupled to the digital subscriber line multiplexer via a communication link. The data communications system is configured such that the number of digital subscriber line users supported by the digital subscriber line multiplexer is determined based on an estimated maximum number of users, the estimated maximum number of users determined based on an average peak bandwidth per user value, a data communication capacity of the communication link, and a data transmission slowdown indicator. The communication capacity is based on a user type selected from a set of available user types.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2004
    Publication date: July 28, 2005
    Inventor: Stuart Blackburn
  • Publication number: 20050163128
    Abstract: In a particular embodiment, the present disclosure is directed to a data communications system. The data communication system includes a plurality of digital subscriber lines, a digital subscriber line multiplexer coupled to each of the plurality of digital subscriber lines; and a data switch coupled to the digital subscriber line multiplexer via a communication link. The data communications system is configured such that the number of digital subscriber line users supported by the digital subscriber line multiplexer is determined based on an estimated maximum number of users, the estimated maximum number of users determined based on an average peak bandwidth per user value, a data communication capacity of the communication link, and a data transmission slowdown indicator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2004
    Publication date: July 28, 2005
    Inventor: Stuart Blackburn