Patent US6385196B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6385196B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Communication system architecture and a management control agent and operating protocol therefor
Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC
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Filing: 1997-12-16
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Granted: 2002-05-07
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Expires: 2017-12-16
Abstract
Abstract A communication network ( 300 ) comprises a call server ( 302 ) and several fabric control modules ( 322, 326, 330-334 ) coupled to the call server ( 302 ) through a fabric application interface ( 306, 324, 328, 342 ). The fabric control modules are arranged to control circuit connections ( 310, 312 ) within, for example, a narrowband-broadband interface ( 304 ) in response to the call server. A management agent ( 338 ) coupled to the call server through a dedicated management interface ( 336 ) includes a memory ( 340 ) for storing network configuration information and a processor ( 339 ) arranged to provide the network configuration information to the call server over the dedicated management interface ( 336 ) to affect initial establishment of the fabric application interface ( 306 ). In this way, the fabric application interface ( 306 ) is optimized in relation to available resources and consequently provides a uniform view between the call server and a narrowband-broadband interface ( 304 ).
Inventors
- 👤 Clive Colin Hayball
- 👤 Julian Frank Barry Cable
- 👤 Stephen Rhylant Evans
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 22:46
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L41/00; H04L41/08; H04L41/0803; H04L41/0823; H04L41/04; H04L41/046; H04Q; H04Q11/00; H04Q11/04; H04Q11/0428; H04Q11/0478; H04L12/00; H04L12/54; H04L12/56; H04L12/5601; H04L2012/5625; H04L2012/5626; H04L2012/5629; H04L2012/563; H04L2012/5638; H04L2012/5663
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 48
Claim 1
Independent Claim
125 words
A communication network comprising: a call server for administering, in use, operational control of connections in the communication network; a fabric control system comprising a plurality of fabric control modules coupled to the call server through a fabric application interface, the fabric control modules being arranged to control circuit connections within the communication network in response to the call server; and a management agent coupled to the call server through a dedicated management interface, the management agent including a memory for storing network configuration information for establishing fabric interface connections, the management agent further having means arranged to provide the network configuration information to the call server over the dedicated management interface to effect establishment of a uniform fabric application interface by the call server.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
125 words
A communication network comprising: a call server for administering, in use, operational control of connections in the communication network; a fabric control system comprising a plurality of fabric control modules coupled to the call server through a fabric application interface, the fabric control modules being arranged to control circuit connections within the communication network in response to the call server; and a management agent coupled to the call server through a dedicated management interface, the management agent including a memory for storing network configuration information for establishing fabric interface connections, the management agent further having means arranged to provide the network configuration information to the call server over the dedicated management interface to effect establishment of a uniform fabric application interface by the call server.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
63 words
The communication network of claim 1 , wherein the network configuration information includes information relating to at least one of: interface protocols of the fabric application interface; virtual circuit addresses used in the fabric application interface; port addresses of fabric control modules; types of fabric control models used in the communication network; and numbers of fabric control models used in the communication network.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
The communication network of claim 2 , wherein at least some of the plurality of fabric control modules are co-located with one another.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The communication network of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of fabric control modules are distributed across the network.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
The communication network of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fabric control modules are located in a fabric control system of a broadband-narrowband interface.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
The communication network of claim 5 , wherein the broadband-narrowband interface interfaces to an ATM network.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
The communication network of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of fabric control modules include at least some of: connection broker instances; signalling processor instances; terminal process controllers; switch connection circuit instances; and service circuit resource manager instances.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
The communication network of claim 1 , wherein the dedicated management interface is a permanent connection having a circuit identity known to both the call server and the management agent.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
The communication network of claim 8 , wherein the dedicated management interface forms part of the fabric application interface.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
The communication network of claim 2 , wherein the network configuration information is critical to the establishment of the fabric application interface.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
50 words
The communication network of claim 1 , wherein the memory is programmable to receive revised network configuration information and the means arranged to provide the network configuration information is further operational to provide the revised network configuration information to the call server after establishment of an initial fabric application interface.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
31 words
The communication network of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fabric control modules each include a processor arranged to determine and report an operational status of its fabric control module.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
39 words
The communication network of claim 12 , wherein the management agent further comprises a management processor, and each processor in each fabric control module is capable of reporting the operational status to the management processor of the management agent.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
38 words
The communication network of claim 13 , wherein the management processor of the management agent is coupled to the dedicated management interface and arranged to notify the call server of the operational status of each fabric control module.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
43 words
The communication network of claim 13 , wherein the management processor is arranged independently to interrogate each processor in each fabric control module and to report the operational status of each fabric control module to the call server over the dedicated management interface.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
18 words
The communication network of claim 15 , wherein the dedicated management interface supports a modified Q.2931-based signalling protocol.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
25 words
The communication network of claim 15 , wherein the management processor is arranged only to report changes in the operational status of fabric control modules.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
163 words
A method of establishing a fabric application interface between a call server arranged to administer, in use, operational control of connections in a communication system and a fabric control system comprising a plurality of fabric control modules coupled to the call server through the fabric application interface, the fabric control modules being arranged to control circuit connections within the communication system in response to the call server, the communication system further having a management agent coupled to the call server through a dedicated management interface and wherein the management agent includes a memory, the method comprising the steps of: storing system configuration information for establishing fabric interface connections in the memory of the management agent; sending the system configuration information to the call server over the dedicated management interface; and establishing a uniform fabric application interface by the call server between the call server and the plurality of fabric control modules based upon receipt of the system configuration information by the call server.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
163 words
A method of establishing a fabric application interface between a call server arranged to administer, in use, operational control of connections in a communication system and a fabric control system comprising a plurality of fabric control modules coupled to the call server through the fabric application interface, the fabric control modules being arranged to control circuit connections within the communication system in response to the call server, the communication system further having a management agent coupled to the call server through a dedicated management interface and wherein the management agent includes a memory, the method comprising the steps of: storing system configuration information for establishing fabric interface connections in the memory of the management agent; sending the system configuration information to the call server over the dedicated management interface; and establishing a uniform fabric application interface by the call server between the call server and the plurality of fabric control modules based upon receipt of the system configuration information by the call server.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
95 words
The method of establishing a fabric application interface as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising the steps of: at the call server and in response to receiving the system configuration information, setting up at least one of the following: interface protocols of the fabric application interface; virtual circuit addresses used over the fabric application interface; port addresses used by at least some of the plurality of fabric control modules; records concerning types of fabric control models used in the communication system; and records concerning numbers of fabric control models used in the communication system.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
65 words
The method of claim 18 , further including the step of altering the fabric application interface by the steps of: having the management agent notify the call server, over the dedicated management interface, of a system change that effects at least one fabric control module; and having the call server alter the fabric application interface based on the system changes notified via the management agent.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 20 , further including the step of up-dating the memory with system changes that alter system operation.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 21 , further comprising the step of having the management agent interrogate at least some of the fabric control modules to determine an operational status thereof.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 22 , wherein the step of having the management agent interrogate is responsive to a step of receiving an instruction from the call server.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 22 , wherein the step of having the management agent interrogate is independently actioned by the management agent.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
168 words
A method of altering a fabric control interface between a call server arranged to administer, in use, operational control of connections in a communication network and a fabric control system comprising a plurality of fabric control modules coupled to the call server through the fabric application interface, the fabric control modules being arranged to control circuit connections within the communication network in response to the call server, the communication network further having a management agent including a memory for storing network configuration information for establishing fabric interface connections, said management agent being coupled to the call server through a dedicated management interface, the method comprising the steps of: having the management agent notify the call server, over the dedicated management interface, of a system change that effects at least one fabric control module; and having the call server alter the fabric application interface based on the system changes notified by the management agent so as to effect establishment of a uniform fabric application interface by the call server.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
168 words
A method of altering a fabric control interface between a call server arranged to administer, in use, operational control of connections in a communication network and a fabric control system comprising a plurality of fabric control modules coupled to the call server through the fabric application interface, the fabric control modules being arranged to control circuit connections within the communication network in response to the call server, the communication network further having a management agent including a memory for storing network configuration information for establishing fabric interface connections, said management agent being coupled to the call server through a dedicated management interface, the method comprising the steps of: having the management agent notify the call server, over the dedicated management interface, of a system change that effects at least one fabric control module; and having the call server alter the fabric application interface based on the system changes notified by the management agent so as to effect establishment of a uniform fabric application interface by the call server.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of altering the fabric control interface as claimed in claim 25 , wherein the management agent includes an interconnected memory for storing system configuration information and the method further comprises the step of: up-dating the memory with system changes that alter system operation.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of altering the fabric control interface as claimed in claim 25 , further comprising the step of: having the management agent interrogate at least some of the fabric control modules to determine an operational status thereof.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of altering the fabric control interface as claimed in claim 27 , wherein the step of having the management agent interrogate is responsive to a step of receiving an instruction from the call server.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of altering the fabric control interface as claimed in claim 27 , wherein the step of having the management agent interrogate is independently actioned by the management agent.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
138 words
A management agent for a communication system comprising a call server arranged to administer, in use, operational control of connections in the communication system, and a fabric control system comprising a plurality of fabric control modules coupled to the call server through a fabric application interface, the fabric control modules being arranged to control circuit connections within the communication system in response to the call server, the management agent containing: a memory that contains system configuration information critical to the establishment of a uniform fabric application interface by the call server between the call server and the plurality of fabric control modules; and a processor coupled to the memory and arranged to send the system configuration information to the call server over a dedicated management interface to cause establishment of the fabric application interface by the call server.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
138 words
A management agent for a communication system comprising a call server arranged to administer, in use, operational control of connections in the communication system, and a fabric control system comprising a plurality of fabric control modules coupled to the call server through a fabric application interface, the fabric control modules being arranged to control circuit connections within the communication system in response to the call server, the management agent containing: a memory that contains system configuration information critical to the establishment of a uniform fabric application interface by the call server between the call server and the plurality of fabric control modules; and a processor coupled to the memory and arranged to send the system configuration information to the call server over a dedicated management interface to cause establishment of the fabric application interface by the call server.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
74 words
The management agent of claim 30 , wherein the memory stores at least one of the following: interface protocols of the fabric application interface; virtual circuit addresses used over the fabric application interface; port addresses used by at least some of the plurality of fabric control modules; records pertaining to types of fabric control models used in the communication system; and records pertaining to numbers of fabric control models used in the communication system.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
77 words
The management agent of claim 30 , wherein the processor is arranged to interrogate at least some of the plurality of fabric control modules to determine an operation status thereof and wherein the processor is further arranged to notify the call server, over the dedicated management interface, of a change in operational status that effects at least one fabric control module to instigate alteration of the fabric application interface in response to and based on the change.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
18 words
The management agent of claim 32 , wherein the processor up-dates the memory with change in operational status.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
32 words
The management agent of claim 32 , wherein the processor interrogates at least some of the plurality of fabric control modules in response to a receiving an instruction from the call server.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
25 words
The management agent of claim 32 , wherein the processor interrogates at least some of the plurality of fabric control modules on an independent basis.
Claim 40
Independent Claim
139 words
A method of interrogating communication system entities operationally responsive to a call server arranged to administer, in use, operational control of connections in a communication network, the call server and at least some of the communication system entities coupled to a management agent being arranged to interrogate the at least some of the communication system entities, the method comprising the steps of: sending a status request message to the management agent from the call server; in response to receiving the status request message at the call server, having the management agent interrogate at least one of the at least some of the communication system entities to determine an operational status thereof; and having the management agent communicate the operational status to the call server so as to effect establishment of a uniform fabric application interface by the call server.
Claim 41
Independent Claim
139 words
A method of interrogating communication system entities operationally responsive to a call server arranged to administer, in use, operational control of connections in a communication network, the call server and at least some of the communication system entities coupled to a management agent being arranged to interrogate the at least some of the communication system entities, the method comprising the steps of: sending a status request message to the management agent from the call server; in response to receiving the status request message at the call server, having the management agent interrogate at least one of the at least some of the communication system entities to determine an operational status thereof; and having the management agent communicate the operational status to the call server so as to effect establishment of a uniform fabric application interface by the call server.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of interrogating communication system entities as claimed in claim 36 , further comprising the step of: in response to receiving the operational status, having the call server change a configuration of the communication network.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of interrogating communication system entities as claimed in claim 37 , wherein the management agent is coupled to the call server over a dedicated management interface.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of interrogating communication system entities as claimed in claim 38 , wherein the communication system entities include a plurality of fabric control modules.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of interrogating communication system entities as claimed in claim 38 , wherein the communication system entities include circuits of the communication network.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of interrogating communication system entities as claimed in claim 40 , wherein the step of interrogating includes the step of interrogating circuits not currently inactive in a call.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
125 words
The method of interrogating communication system entities as claimed in claim 36 , wherein the call server is coupled to the communication system entities through a fabric application interface and wherein the communication system entities are arranged to control circuit connections within the communication network in response to the call server, the management agent having both a memory that contains system configuration information critical to the establishment of the fabric application interface between the call server and the plurality of fabric control modules and a processor coupled to the memory, the method further comprising the step of: prior to the step of interrogating, sending the system configuration information to the call server over the dedicated management interface to cause establishment of the fabric application interface.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of interrogating communication system entities as claimed in claim 42 , the method further including the step of having the call server periodically request a status up-date from the management agent.
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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) | 2005-05-06 | 2005-11-05 | 2006-05-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-05-06 | 2009-11-05 | 2010-05-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-05-06 | 2013-11-05 | 2014-05-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |