Patents by Inventor Thomas F. La Porta

Thomas F. La Porta 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: 6081715
    Abstract: A system for distributed control in wireless cellular and personal communication systems includes separate servers for performing call control and connection control functions, thereby obviating the need for a mobile switching or other switch to be anchored for the duration of a call. During a registration procedure, visiting location servers track only roaming mobiles, rather than tracking both roaming mobiles as well as mobiles located in their home network. Direct signalling links between servers and base stations, or other servers, located in different networks allow roaming mobiles to contact their home networks for service at all times, thereby obviating the need for passing signalling information for mobiles when they are not involved in a call. The use of multicast signalling with asynchronous transfer mode switches, permits specified channel control functions to take place concurrently in channel servers associated with base station and switches that form a segment of the route for a call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2000
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas F. La Porta, Ramachandran Ramjee, Malathi Veeraraghavan
  • Patent number: 6041103
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for interactive call identification of a call to a called party. Identifying messages, either text and voice, can be entered on a call-by call basis by the calling party to provide information regarding the call to enable the called party to screen the incoming call. Such identifying messages can include descriptive information about the identity of the caller, the subject matter of the call or any other user-user information. The identifying message is transmitted in the form of a real-time message sent by the caller and received by the party being called in advance of their accepting the call. The identifying message is created on a call-by-call basis by the calling party. The called party receives the identifying message and, after receiving the message, the called party can accept, forward or reject the incoming call based on the information provided in the identifying message. The calling party has the option of using either real-time or pre-recorded message functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas F. La Porta, Arun N. Netravali
  • Patent number: 6016319
    Abstract: A communications system for transporting connectionless datagrams over a connection-oriented network is arranged to remove the address resolution function and the connection setup function from a sending host and combine them in a third-party connection server in conjunction with channel management at connection-oriented routing points. The third party request protocol can be used for Classical connectionless over a connection oriented network, legacy LAN emulation and Routing Over Large Clouds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2000
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Madhukar M. Kshirsagar, Thomas F. La Porta, David H. Shur, Malathi Veeraraghavan, Clark Woodworth
  • Patent number: 5953331
    Abstract: A telecommunications system is arranged to efficiently route digital information from a mobile network to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and vice versa by interposing a packet network between the mobile network and PSTN so that digital information originating from the wireless network at a first data rate may be forwarded over the packet network at that rate and then sent over a direct connection from the packet network to the PSTN at a second data rate expected by the PSTN. In this way the conversion of the digital information from the first to the second data rate is performed only when needed, i.e., at the ATM switch connected to the PSTN.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Duncan, Richard Dennis Gitlin, Thomas F. La Porta, Kazutaka Murakami, Krishan Kumar Sabnani, Anil S. Sawkar, David E. Smith
  • Patent number: 5943334
    Abstract: An intelligent mobile terminal includes a reconnection processor for reestablishing calls affected by a loss of synchronization of signals between the mobile terminal and a serving base station. In the preferred embodiment, the serving base station establishes a reconnection channel for issuing messages relating to new air traffic channels. The reconnection processor causes a mobile terminal to tune to the reconnection channel in the event of loss of synchronization. Information received over the reconnection channel is used by the mobile terminal to reestablish calls affected by loss of synchronization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Wayne Buskens, Thomas F. La Porta, Arun Narayan Netravali, Krishan Kumar Sabnani
  • Patent number: 5943408
    Abstract: A direct signaling system for providing system subscribers with the freedom to access service providers of their choice, regardless of their access network arrangement, with substantially minimum change to existing telecommunication software and architecture. The system provides a home interface unit and a call server that enables a subscriber to send signaling messages to and receive messages from the service providers of their choice. The home interface unit and call server execute state machines that provide specific details of system operation. The call server state machine triggers a state machine and thus operation of the service specific servers chosen by the subscriber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Kuo-Wei Herman Chen, Thomas F. La Porta
  • Patent number: 5659544
    Abstract: A system for distributed control in wireless cellular and personal communication systems includes separate servers for performing call control and connection control functions, thereby obviating the need for a mobile switching or other switch to be anchored for the duration of a call. During a registration procedure, visiting location servers track only roaming mobiles, rather than tracking both roaming mobiles as well as mobiles located in their home network. Direct signalling links between servers and base stations, or other servers, located in different networks allow roaming mobiles to contact their home networks for service at all times, thereby obviating the need for passing signalling information for mobiles when they are not involved in a call. The use of multicast signalling with asynchronous transfer mode switches, permits specified channel control functions to take place concurrently in channel servers associated with base station and switches that form a segment of the route for a call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas F. La Porta, Ramachandran Ramjee, Malathi Veeraraghavan
  • Patent number: 5600663
    Abstract: A forward error correction system adaptively changes the number of parity bits, bytes or packets transmitted to a receiver, based on previous error patterns experienced recently in the reception of original and parity bits, bytes or packets by that receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1997
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Ender Ayanoglu, Richard D. Gitlin, Thomas F. La Porta, Sanjoy Paul, Krishan K. Sabnani
  • Patent number: 5570367
    Abstract: A wireless communications system is arranged to provide data communications services, including error recovery, between at least one wireless end-user device and at least one one base station. The wireless end user device(s) receives(s) from the base station(s) unsolicited messages indicative of the status of data packets received by the base station(s). The wireless end-user device(s) transmit acknowledgement and request for retransmission messages only upon request, or when all the packets within a block of such packets have been received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 29, 1996
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Ender Ayanoglu, Richard D. Gitlin, Thomas F. La Porta, Sanjoy Paul, Krishan K. Sabnani
  • Patent number: 5563939
    Abstract: A signaling provider network which receives and transmits at least a subset of all signaling information associated with a particular call or communication service, allows the received/transmitted signaling information to be processed independently of the originating or terminating communication carrier network which originates and/or completes the call, or provides the communication service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1996
    Assignee: AT&T
    Inventors: Thomas F. La Porta, Malathi Veeraraghavan
  • Patent number: 5509010
    Abstract: A modular suite of peer-to-peer protocols that are independent of communications network architecture supported, and the type of switching systems (packet-switched or circuit-switched), is used for a broadband and/or narrowband communications network. The protocols are comprised of client-server-oriented signaling messages that are restricted to include information and parameters associated with only one particular function of traditional call processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1996
    Assignee: AT&T Corp.
    Inventors: Thomas F. La Porta, Malathi Veeraraghavan
  • Patent number: 5473679
    Abstract: A network architecture is designed to allow a communications service subscriber to select a signaling provider independently of a) the transport carriers which control the local loops for particular communications services, and b) the providers of those services. Upon the establishment of a signaling connection from a subscriber's terminal device to the signaling provider's network, the latter requests those services from the service providers selected by the subscriber for delivery over the local loops of the transport providers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 5, 1995
    Assignee: AT&T Corp.
    Inventors: Thomas F. La Porta, Malathi Veeraraghavan
  • Patent number: 5434852
    Abstract: A distributed, server-based communications network architecture delivers broadband and narrowband communications services. In the architecture, various traditional call processing functions, such as switching fabric or channel control, call control, and connection control are separated into distinct application processes with clearly defined interfaces for communications between these application processes. Those distinct application processes may be implemented in separate physical or logically partitioned nodes. The well-defined interfaces allow communications among: a) physical or logically partitioned nodes within a network and b) physical or logically partitioned nodes of other networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1995
    Assignee: AT&T Corp.
    Inventors: Thomas F. La Porta, Malathi Veeraraghavan