US5440563A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Service circuit allocation in large networks
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1993-10-12
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Granted: 1995-08-08
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Expires: 2013-10-12
Abstract
Abstract An arrangement for pooling service circuits so that they become available to a plurality of switching systems in a telecommunications network. A regional control node receives a request for a service circuit to be connected to a call. The regional control node maintains the availability status of the service circuits in a pool for the region. In response to a request for a service circuit, the regional control node selects an appropriate circuit and transmits order to the switches and the circuit to establish the proper connections among these units in order to associate the service circuit with the requesting call. Advantageously, such an arrangement permits a large pool of individually expensive service circuits to serve a large number of switching systems, thus, increasing the efficiency of utilization of these service circuits. The arrangement is also used for controlling the allocation of transmission resources to any call, thus optimizing the use of the regional transmission resources.
Inventors
- 👤 Alessandro L. Isidoro
- 👤 Vikram Punj
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 16:43
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04Q; H04Q3/00; H04Q3/0016
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
118 words
In a regional telecommunications network, apparatus for associating members of a common pool of service circuits to a call served by any of a plurality of switching systems of said regional network, comprising: plurality of service circuits, in said common pool, each connectable to at least two of said plurality of switching systems; and a regional control node for selecting any of said plurality of service circuits and for controlling a connection of a selected service circuit to a call on any of said switching systems of said regional telecommunications network; wherein said regional control node selects said any service circuit using a topology manager to minimize resource use for connecting the selected service circuit to said call.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
118 words
In a regional telecommunications network, apparatus for associating members of a common pool of service circuits to a call served by any of a plurality of switching systems of said regional network, comprising: plurality of service circuits, in said common pool, each connectable to at least two of said plurality of switching systems; and a regional control node for selecting any of said plurality of service circuits and for controlling a connection of a selected service circuit to a call on any of said switching systems of said regional telecommunications network; wherein said regional control node selects said any service circuit using a topology manager to minimize resource use for connecting the selected service circuit to said call.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said resource use is minimized by selecting a service circuit connectable to said call using a minimum number of links.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
113 words
A method of allocating a service circuit for a call, comprising the steps of: storing and updating, in a regional control node, availability data for a pool of service circuits serving a region; responsive to a request from any of a plurality of switching systems of said region, for a service circuit, selecting an available one of said pool of service circuits for serving said call; and controlling establishment of call connections between the selected service circuit and said call from said regional control node; wherein the step of selecting comprises: consulting a topology manager of said regional control node to minimize resource utilization for connecting the selected service circuit to the call.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
113 words
A method of allocating a service circuit for a call, comprising the steps of: storing and updating, in a regional control node, availability data for a pool of service circuits serving a region; responsive to a request from any of a plurality of switching systems of said region, for a service circuit, selecting an available one of said pool of service circuits for serving said call; and controlling establishment of call connections between the selected service circuit and said call from said regional control node; wherein the step of selecting comprises: consulting a topology manager of said regional control node to minimize resource utilization for connecting the selected service circuit to the call.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
131 words
A method of allocating a service circuit for a call, comprising the steps of: storing and updating, in a regional control node, availability data for a pool of service circuits serving a region; responsive to a request from any of a plurality of switching systems of said region, for a service circuit, selecting an available one of said pool of service circuits for serving said call; and controlling establishment of call connections between the selected service circuit and said call from said regional control node; wherein the step of selecting comprises selecting at least two different types of service circuits for serving a multi-media call; wherein call connections of at least two of said different types of service circuits use paths via different ones of said switching systems of said region.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
131 words
A method of allocating a service circuit for a call, comprising the steps of: storing and updating, in a regional control node, availability data for a pool of service circuits serving a region; responsive to a request from any of a plurality of switching systems of said region, for a service circuit, selecting an available one of said pool of service circuits for serving said call; and controlling establishment of call connections between the selected service circuit and said call from said regional control node; wherein the step of selecting comprises selecting at least two different types of service circuits for serving a multi-media call; wherein call connections of at least two of said different types of service circuits use paths via different ones of said switching systems of said region.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
106 words
In a regional telecommunications network comprising a plurality of nodes, apparatus for allocating transmission resources to a call served by any of a plurality of switching systems at ones of said nodes of said regional network, comprising: a plurality of transmission resources for interconnecting pairs of said nodes of said network; a regional control node for selecting ones of said plurality of transmission resources and for controlling a connection of a selected transmission resource to a call on said regional telecommunications network; wherein said regional control node selects said transmission resources for said call using a topology manager to minimize transmission resource use for said call.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
106 words
In a regional telecommunications network comprising a plurality of nodes, apparatus for allocating transmission resources to a call served by any of a plurality of switching systems at ones of said nodes of said regional network, comprising: a plurality of transmission resources for interconnecting pairs of said nodes of said network; a regional control node for selecting ones of said plurality of transmission resources and for controlling a connection of a selected transmission resource to a call on said regional telecommunications network; wherein said regional control node selects said transmission resources for said call using a topology manager to minimize transmission resource use for said call.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
99 words
A method of allocating transmission resources of a regional telecommunications network to a call, comprising the steps of: maintaining, in a regional control node, availability data for said transmission resources for interconnecting nodes of said network; responsive to a request from any switching system of said region, for a transmission resource, selecting an available transmission resource for serving said call; and controlling establishment of call connections using said selected transmission resource from said regional control node; wherein the step of selecting comprises consulting a topology manager of said regional control node to minimize transmission resource use for said call.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
99 words
A method of allocating transmission resources of a regional telecommunications network to a call, comprising the steps of: maintaining, in a regional control node, availability data for said transmission resources for interconnecting nodes of said network; responsive to a request from any switching system of said region, for a transmission resource, selecting an available transmission resource for serving said call; and controlling establishment of call connections using said selected transmission resource from said regional control node; wherein the step of selecting comprises consulting a topology manager of said regional control node to minimize transmission resource use for said call.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-08-07 | 1999-02-06 | 1999-08-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-08-07 | 2003-02-06 | 2003-08-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-08-07 | 2007-02-06 | 2007-08-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |