US6233256B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and apparatus for analyzing and monitoring packet streams
Assignee: SRI International Inc
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Filing: 1997-03-12
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Granted: 2001-05-15
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Expires: 2017-03-12
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for analyzing and monitoring packet streams in “real time”. The packet analyzer comprises an input buffer, a real-time analysis unit, a non-real-time analysis unit, a graphics unit, a monitor and a flushing circuit. A packet stream is received into the input buffer where the data is either read by the real-time analysis unit or flushed by the flushing circuit. Messages are passed between the real-time analysis unit and the non-real-time analysis unit to report on detected errors or to update packet stream information. In turn, real time packet stream information are displayed and updated on a display via the graphic unit. A method of detecting framing errors in a packet stream is incorporated by setting a 9th bit in the input buffer for each byte of data in a packet.
Inventors
- 👤 Charles Benjamin Dieterich
- 👤 Arthur Lee Greenberg
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 19:28
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L43/00; H04L43/08; H04L43/0823; H04L43/0847; H04J; H04J3/00; H04J3/02; H04J3/06; H04J3/062; H04J3/0632; H04L43/18; H04Q; H04Q11/00; H04Q11/04; H04Q11/0428; H04Q11/0478; H04L12/00; H04L12/54; H04L12/56; H04L12/5601; H04L2012/5614; H04L2012/5616; H04L2012/5629; H04L2012/5631; H04L2012/5636; H04L2012/5672; H04L2012/5674; H04L2012/5678; H04L2012/5684; H04L43/04; H04L43/045; H04L43/06; H04L43/0852; H04L43/087; H04L43/0876; H04L43/0882; H04L43/0888; H04L43/10; H04L43/106
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
57 words
Apparatus for evaluating in real-time a packet stream having a plurality of packets, said apparatus comprising: a buffer for receiving the plurality of packets, wherein said buffer includes a flag bit for storing packet status information; and a first analysis unit, coupled to said buffer, for analyzing said plurality of packets stored within said buffer in real-time.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
57 words
Apparatus for evaluating in real-time a packet stream having a plurality of packets, said apparatus comprising: a buffer for receiving the plurality of packets, wherein said buffer includes a flag bit for storing packet status information; and a first analysis unit, coupled to said buffer, for analyzing said plurality of packets stored within said buffer in real-time.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said flag bit is set to indicate “start of a new packet”, “data valid” indicator or “short packet” for detecting packet framing errors.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
59 words
Apparatus for evaluating in real-time a packet stream having a plurality of packets, said apparatus comprising: a buffer for receiving the plurality of packets; a first analysis unit, coupled to said buffer, for analyzing said plurality of packets stored within said buffer in real-time; and a flushing circuit, coupled to said buffer, for removing unwanted packets from said buffer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
59 words
Apparatus for evaluating in real-time a packet stream having a plurality of packets, said apparatus comprising: a buffer for receiving the plurality of packets; a first analysis unit, coupled to said buffer, for analyzing said plurality of packets stored within said buffer in real-time; and a flushing circuit, coupled to said buffer, for removing unwanted packets from said buffer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said unwanted packets are determined by evaluating a packet identifier (PID) of each packet.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
72 words
Apparatus for evaluating in real-time a packet stream having a plurality of packets, said apparatus comprising: a buffer for receiving the plurality of packets: a first analysis unit, coupled to said buffer, for analyzing said plurality of packets stored within said buffer in real-time; and a storage medium, coupled to said first analysis unit, for storing a plurality of time base information for said plurality of packets for detecting transport rate jitter.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
72 words
Apparatus for evaluating in real-time a packet stream having a plurality of packets, said apparatus comprising: a buffer for receiving the plurality of packets: a first analysis unit, coupled to said buffer, for analyzing said plurality of packets stored within said buffer in real-time; and a storage medium, coupled to said first analysis unit, for storing a plurality of time base information for said plurality of packets for detecting transport rate jitter.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
83 words
Apparatus for evaluating in real-time a packet stream having a plurality of packets, said apparatus comprising: a buffer for receiving the plurality of packets; a first analysis unit, coupled to said buffer, for analyzing said plurality of packets stored within said buffer in real-time; a second analysis unit, coupled to said first analysis unit; and a monitor, coupled to said second analysis unit, where said second analysis unit interfaces with said first analysis unit to display a packet stream analysis on said monitor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
83 words
Apparatus for evaluating in real-time a packet stream having a plurality of packets, said apparatus comprising: a buffer for receiving the plurality of packets; a first analysis unit, coupled to said buffer, for analyzing said plurality of packets stored within said buffer in real-time; a second analysis unit, coupled to said first analysis unit; and a monitor, coupled to said second analysis unit, where said second analysis unit interfaces with said first analysis unit to display a packet stream analysis on said monitor.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein said displayed packet stream analysis includes a graphical display of guide PIDs, active PIDs, data rates or stream status.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
69 words
Method for evaluating in real-time a packet stream having a plurality of packets, where each packet having a plurality of bytes, said method comprising the step of: a) receiving the plurality of bytes into a buffer; b) assigning a flag to each byte to indicate “start of a new packet”, “data valid” indicator or “short packet”; and c) reading said bytes from said buffer to detect packet framing errors.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
69 words
Method for evaluating in real-time a packet stream having a plurality of packets, where each packet having a plurality of bytes, said method comprising the step of: a) receiving the plurality of bytes into a buffer; b) assigning a flag to each byte to indicate “start of a new packet”, “data valid” indicator or “short packet”; and c) reading said bytes from said buffer to detect packet framing errors.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
71 words
The method of claim 8 , wherein said assigning step (b) comprises the steps of: b1) setting said flag of a first byte of each of said packets to indicate “start of a new packet”; b2) setting said flag of a second byte of each of said packets to indicate “data valid” indicator; and b3) setting said flag of all remaining bytes of each of said packets to indicate “short packet”.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 9 , wherein said buffer is a first-in-first-out (FIFO) buffer and wherein said reading step (c) reads said plurality of bytes in a memory-mapped fashion.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 9 , further comprises the steps of: d) setting a “framing error-long packet” flag, a “data invalid error flag” or a “framing error-short packet” flag, if an error is detected.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
68 words
Method for evaluating in real-time a packet stream having a plurality of packets with each packet having a packet identifier and a plurality of bytes, said method comprising the steps of: a) receiving the plurality of bytes into a buffer; b) determining which bytes in said buffer carry scrambled data or non-control-type data; and c) flushing said bytes that carry scrambled data or non-control-type data from said buffer.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
68 words
Method for evaluating in real-time a packet stream having a plurality of packets with each packet having a packet identifier and a plurality of bytes, said method comprising the steps of: a) receiving the plurality of bytes into a buffer; b) determining which bytes in said buffer carry scrambled data or non-control-type data; and c) flushing said bytes that carry scrambled data or non-control-type data from said buffer.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein said determining step (b) evaluates said packet identifier (PID) for each packet to determine which bytes in said buffer carry scrambled data or non-control-type data.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 12 , further comprises the step of: d) maintaining a reception count for each packet identifier (PID).
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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) | 2004-05-14 | 2004-11-13 | 2005-05-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-05-14 | 2008-11-13 | 2009-05-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-05-14 | 2012-11-13 | 2013-05-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |