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EP0494513A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Telecommunications network restoration architecture

Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1991-12-10
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-12-10
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Abstract

Abstract A restoration system is provided for enhancing the reliability of a telecommunications network (200) such that particular traffic which is disrupted by, for example, a faulty link, (e.g. 103) may be quickly rerouted via an alternate route established "on the fly". In particular, each node (100-1 to 100-9) and link (101 to 111) forming the network is monitored, and in the event that such monitoring detects a faulty link or node then a central controller is notified. The controller is arranged to locate spare capacity and establish an alternate route, (e.g. 102, 106, 107, 104) in which the continuity of the alternate route is confirmed before the disrupted traffic is transferred thereto.

Inventors

  • 👤 James D. Askew
  • 👤 Chin-Wang Chao
  • 👤 David R. Cochran
  • 👤 Peter M. Dollard
  • 👤 Hossein Eslambolchi
  • 👤 William E. Goodson
  • 👤 Robert P. Guenther
  • 👤 Omar M. Mansour
  • 👤 Liem T. Nguyen
  • 👤 Sarma S. Tanuku

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-31 08:04
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L12/00; H04Q; H04Q3/00; H04Q3/64; H04Q3/66; H04Q3/0016; H04Q3/0062; H04Q3/0075; H04Q3/0079; H04Q2213/00; H04Q2213/13141; H04Q2213/13164; H04Q2213/13166; H04Q2213/13332; H04Q2213/13353

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim 168 words
A service restoration system for use in a communications network formed from a plurality of nodes interconnected by a plurality of transmission links, said system CHARACTERIZED IN THAT means, contained in individual ones of said nodes, for polling associated ones of said nodes and links for alarms indicative of at least a degradation in the flow of traffic, and, responsive to receiving from a particular one of said associated nodes and links at a rate which equals a predetermined threshold one of said alarms, for outputting to one of a number of communications paths a message at least identifying said traffic disruption and its location, and central control means operative, responsive to receipt of said message via said one communications path, for locating spare capacity contained in individual other ones of said links, and for dynamically establishing from said spare capacity a number of orders of connectivity to route said disrupted traffic around said particular one of said associated nodes or links which generated said one alarm condition.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 168 words
A service restoration system for use in a communications network formed from a plurality of nodes interconnected by a plurality of transmission links, said system CHARACTERIZED IN THAT means, contained in individual ones of said nodes, for polling associated ones of said nodes and links for alarms indicative of at least a degradation in the flow of traffic, and, responsive to receiving from a particular one of said associated nodes and links at a rate which equals a predetermined threshold one of said alarms, for outputting to one of a number of communications paths a message at least identifying said traffic disruption and its location, and central control means operative, responsive to receipt of said message via said one communications path, for locating spare capacity contained in individual other ones of said links, and for dynamically establishing from said spare capacity a number of orders of connectivity to route said disrupted traffic around said particular one of said associated nodes or links which generated said one alarm condition.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 91 words
The system set forth in claim 1 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT means, responsive to receipt from said central control means via one of said communications paths a message requesting a continuity test of a particular one of said orders of connectivity, for monitoring said particular one of said associated ones of said nodes and links which generated said one alarm condition to verify said degradation, and for then testing for continuity said one order of connectivity so that either a portion or all of said disrupted traffic may be transferred thereto.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 44 words
The system set forth in claim 2 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said one order of connectivity includes transfer end nodes disposed at respective ends of said one order of connectivity, and wherein said continuity test is performed at each of said transfer end nodes.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 46 words
The system set forth in claim 3 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said transfer end nodes perform said continuity test by exchanging signals indicative of a predetermined identity code and wherein said continuity is confirmed when said transfer end nodes receive said identity code from each other.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 64 words
The system set forth in claim 4 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said one order of connectivity includes at least one DS3 circuit in which one of said transfer end nodes transmits said identity code over said one circuit in a first direction and the other one of said transfer end nodes transmits said identity code over said one circuit in a second opposite direction.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 34 words
The system set forth in claim 5 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said one order of connectivity comprises a plurality of DS3 circuits, and wherein said continuity test is performed on each of said circuits.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 51 words
The system set forth in claim 2 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said means for polling includes means responsive to the results of said continuity test confirming said continuity between the transfer end points of said one order of connectivity for then transferring said portion or all of said degraded traffic thereto.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 42 words
The system set forth in claim 7 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said means for polling further includes means, responsive to said continuity test not confirming said continuity, for then outputting to one of said communications paths a message indicative of such noncontinuity.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 66 words
The system set forth in claim 8 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said central control means includes means, responsive to receipt via said one of said communications path said message indicative of said noncontinuity, for then locating and establishing another order of connectivity as a replacement for said one order of connectivity and for then causing the continuity of said other order of connectivity to be tested.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 31 words
The system set forth in claim 1 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT one of said communications paths is a data network and another one of said communications paths is a satellite link.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 21 words
The arrangement set forth in claim 1 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT each of said links comprises at least one DS3 circuit.

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