Patent US5896370A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5896370A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Signal protection and monitoring system
Assignee: Alcatel Lucent Holdings Inc
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Filing: 1996-11-12
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Granted: 1999-04-20
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Expires: 2016-11-12
Abstract
Abstract A redundancy switch (44) provides interfacing of network signals to spare network processors (46) in the event of a failure of a main network processor (42). A redundancy switch (44) allows for monitoring and diagnostic operations to be performed on network electrical signals without interrupting traffic flow on inbound and outbound paths. A redundancy switch (44) performs a loopback diagnostic by routing signals from transmitter portions of the spare network processors (46) to selected receiver portions. The redundancy switch (44) includes a receiver interface unit (90) and a transmitter interface unit (92) capable of routing inbound and outbound customer signals to and from the spare processors (46) for monitoring, diagnostic, and sparing purposes.
Inventors
- 👤 Charles C. Eckhoff
- 👤 Oscar A. Tovar
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 20:58
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04Q; H04Q3/00; H04Q3/42; H04Q3/54; H04Q3/542; G; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/07; G06F11/16; G06F11/20; G06F11/202; G06F11/2038; G06F11/22; G06F11/26; G06F11/273; G06F11/2736; H04B; H04B1/00; H04B1/74; H04J; H04J3/00; H04J3/02; H04J3/08; H04J3/14; H04L; H04L1/00; H04L1/22; H04Q3/545; H04Q3/54541; H04Q3/54558; H04Q2213/00; H04Q2213/13092; H04Q2213/13106; H04Q2213/13162; H04Q2213/13166; H04Q2213/13167; H04Q2213/1329; H04Q2213/13292
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
68 words
A redundancy switch for interfacing with network electrical signals, comprising: a receiver interface unit operable to receive network electrical signals over a plurality of inbound transmission paths each coupled to separate network processors, the receiver interface unit operable to couple any one of the plurality of inbound transmission paths to a spare processor for monitoring purposes and in response to a failure in a corresponding separate network processor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
68 words
A redundancy switch for interfacing with network electrical signals, comprising: a receiver interface unit operable to receive network electrical signals over a plurality of inbound transmission paths each coupled to separate network processors, the receiver interface unit operable to couple any one of the plurality of inbound transmission paths to a spare processor for monitoring purposes and in response to a failure in a corresponding separate network processor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
49 words
The redundancy switch of claim 1, wherein the receiver interface unit is operable to receive a plurality of outbound transmission paths each coupled to separate network processors, the receiver interface unit operable to couple one of the plurality of outbound transmission paths to the spare processor for monitoring purposes.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
61 words
The redundancy switch of claim 2, further comprising: a transmitter interface unit operable to provide the plurality of outbound transmission paths each coupled to separate network processors, the transmitter interface unit operable to couple the spare processor to one of the plurality of outbound transmission paths in order to transmit network electrical signals upon a failure in a corresponding network processor.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
194 words
A redundancy switch for interfacing with network electrical signals, comprising: a receiver interface unit operable to receive network electrical signals over a plurality of inbound transmission paths each coupled to separate network processors, the receiver interface unit operable to couple any one of the plurality of inbound transmission paths to a spare processor for monitoring purposes and in response to a failure in a corresponding separate network processor, wherein the receiver interface unit is operable to receive a plurality of outbound transmission paths each coupled to separate network processors, the receiver interface unit operable to couple one of the plurality of outbound transmission paths to the spare processor for monitoring purposes; a transmitter interface unit operable to provide the plurality of outbound transmission paths each coupled to separate network processors, the transmitter interface unit operable to couple the spare processor to one of the plurality of outbound transmission paths in order to transmit network electrical signals upon a failure in a corresponding network processor, wherein a signal from the spare processor coupled to one of the plurality of outbound transmission paths may be looped back to the spare processor through the receiver interface unit.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
194 words
A redundancy switch for interfacing with network electrical signals, comprising: a receiver interface unit operable to receive network electrical signals over a plurality of inbound transmission paths each coupled to separate network processors, the receiver interface unit operable to couple any one of the plurality of inbound transmission paths to a spare processor for monitoring purposes and in response to a failure in a corresponding separate network processor, wherein the receiver interface unit is operable to receive a plurality of outbound transmission paths each coupled to separate network processors, the receiver interface unit operable to couple one of the plurality of outbound transmission paths to the spare processor for monitoring purposes; a transmitter interface unit operable to provide the plurality of outbound transmission paths each coupled to separate network processors, the transmitter interface unit operable to couple the spare processor to one of the plurality of outbound transmission paths in order to transmit network electrical signals upon a failure in a corresponding network processor, wherein a signal from the spare processor coupled to one of the plurality of outbound transmission paths may be looped back to the spare processor through the receiver interface unit.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
87 words
A method of signal protection and monitoring, comprising steps of: receiving an inbound customer signal at a first processor from an inbound transmission path; generating an outbound customer signal at the first processor onto an outbound transmission path; monitoring the inbound and outbound customer signals; detecting a failure in the first processor in response to the monitoring step; routing the inbound customer signal to a second processor in response to the detecting step; generating outbound customer signal at the second processor in response to the detecting step.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
87 words
A method of signal protection and monitoring, comprising steps of: receiving an inbound customer signal at a first processor from an inbound transmission path; generating an outbound customer signal at the first processor onto an outbound transmission path; monitoring the inbound and outbound customer signals; detecting a failure in the first processor in response to the monitoring step; routing the inbound customer signal to a second processor in response to the detecting step; generating outbound customer signal at the second processor in response to the detecting step.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 5, further comprising a step of: routing the outbound customer signal generated at the first processor to the second processor in order to perform self diagnostic testing.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 5, further comprising a step of: removing the outbound customer signal generated by the first processor from the outbound transmission path in response to the detecting step.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 5, further comprising a step of: coupling the second processor to the inbound and outbound transmission paths in response to the detecting step.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
79 words
A method of signal protection and monitoring, comprising steps of: receiving an inbound customer signal from an inbound transmission path destined for a main processor; receiving an indication of a failure in the main processor; selecting a spare processor in response to the indication; routing the inbound customer signal to the spare processor in response to the indication; placing a spare outbound customer signal generated by the spare processor onto the outbound transmission path in response to the indication.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
79 words
A method of signal protection and monitoring, comprising steps of: receiving an inbound customer signal from an inbound transmission path destined for a main processor; receiving an indication of a failure in the main processor; selecting a spare processor in response to the indication; routing the inbound customer signal to the spare processor in response to the indication; placing a spare outbound customer signal generated by the spare processor onto the outbound transmission path in response to the indication.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 9, further comprising a step of: removing the main outbound customer signal from the outbound transmission path in response to the indication.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 9, further comprising a step of: routing the spare outbound customer signal back to the spare processor.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 9, further comprising a step of: routing the inbound customer signal to a monitoring port.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 9, further comprising a step of: routing the spare outbound customer signal to a monitoring port.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 9, further comprising a step of: routing the main outbound customer signal to a monitoring port.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 9, further comprising a step of: isolating the inbound and outbound transmission paths.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-04-19 | 2002-10-19 | 2003-04-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-04-19 | 2006-10-19 | 2007-04-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-04-19 | 2010-10-19 | 2011-04-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |