US7145867B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System and method for slot deflection routing
Assignee: Lighthouse Capital Partners IV LP
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Filing: 2002-04-02
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Granted: 2006-12-05
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Expires: 2022-04-02
Abstract
Abstract The present invention provides a system and method for slot deflection routing of optical data packets. The method of the present invention includes the steps of establishing a schedule pattern that includes a plurality of time slots. The schedule pattern includes at least one time slot in which an ingress edge unit can communicate with a destination egress edge unit, at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with a intermediate edge unit, and at least one time slot in which the intermediate edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit. The present invention also includes receiving a data packet at the ingress edge unit and determining if the schedule pattern allocates sufficient bandwidth to send the data packet from the ingress edge unit to the destination egress edge unit without deflecting the data packet through an intermediate edge unit. If enough bandwidth has been allocated, the data packet can be sent to the destination edge unit from the ingress edge unit without deflection. Alternatively, if enough bandwidth has not been allocated, the data packet can be deflected to an intermediate edge unit prior to being communicated to the destination egress edge unit.
Inventors
- 👤 Gregory H. Aicklen
- 👤 Lakshman S. Tamil
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 08:43
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L45/00; H04L45/302; H04L45/62; H04L47/00; H04L47/10; H04L47/24; H04L47/2425; H04L47/2433; H04L47/2441; H04L47/33; H04L49/00; H04L49/30; H04L49/3081; H04Q; H04Q11/00; H04Q11/0001; H04Q11/0005; H04Q11/0062; H04L12/00; H04L12/54; H04L12/56; H04L12/5601; H04L2012/5638; H04L2012/5646; H04L2012/5652; H04L2012/566; H04L2012/5662; H04L49/10; H04L49/101; H04L49/15; H04L49/1515; H04L49/1523; H04L49/20; H04L49/205; H04L49/25; H04L49/253; H04L49/254; H04L49/3009; H04L49/35; H04L49/356; H04L49/357; H04L49/50; H04L49/501; H04L49/503; H04Q11/0066; H04Q11/0071; H04Q2011/0007; H04Q2011/0024; H04Q2011/0033; H04Q2011/0037; H04Q2011/0039; H04Q2011/005; H04Q2011/0073; H04Q2011/0079; H04Q2011/0084
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
210 words
A method for routing optical data packets comprising: establishing a schedule pattern comprising a plurality of time slots, wherein the schedule pattern includes at least one time slot in which an ingress edge unit can communicate with a destination egress edge unit, at least one time slot in which an ingress edge unit can communicate with an intermediate edge unit, and at least one time slot in which the intermediate edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit: receiving a data packet at the ingress edge unit; determining if the schedule pattern allocates sufficient bandwidth to communicate the data packet to the destination egress edge unit without deflection; if sufficient bandwidth has been allocated, communicating the data packet to the destination egress edge unit; and if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated: deflecting the data packet to the intermediate edge unit; and communicating the data packet from the intermediate edge unit to the destination egress edge unit determining the current traffic demand; and if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated to communicate the data packet to the destination egress edge unit without deflection under the current traffic demand, updating the schedule pattern to increase the allocated bandwidth between the ingress edge unit and the destination egress edge unit.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
210 words
A method for routing optical data packets comprising: establishing a schedule pattern comprising a plurality of time slots, wherein the schedule pattern includes at least one time slot in which an ingress edge unit can communicate with a destination egress edge unit, at least one time slot in which an ingress edge unit can communicate with an intermediate edge unit, and at least one time slot in which the intermediate edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit: receiving a data packet at the ingress edge unit; determining if the schedule pattern allocates sufficient bandwidth to communicate the data packet to the destination egress edge unit without deflection; if sufficient bandwidth has been allocated, communicating the data packet to the destination egress edge unit; and if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated: deflecting the data packet to the intermediate edge unit; and communicating the data packet from the intermediate edge unit to the destination egress edge unit determining the current traffic demand; and if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated to communicate the data packet to the destination egress edge unit without deflection under the current traffic demand, updating the schedule pattern to increase the allocated bandwidth between the ingress edge unit and the destination egress edge unit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising: predetermining a deflection route for incoming data packets arriving at the ingress edge unit based on the schedule pattern; and deflecting the data packet based on the predetermined deflection route.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of deflecting the data packet to the intermediate edge unit further comprises deflecting the data packet to a plurality of intermediate edge units in parallel.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of deflecting the data packet to the intermediate edge unit further comprises deflecting the data packet to a plurality of intermediate edge units in series.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining if there is a fault between the ingress edge unit and the destination egress edge unit; and if there is a fault, deflecting the data packet to the intermediate edge unit.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 5 , further comprising deriving a new schedule pattern to compensate for the fault.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
243 words
A method for routing optical data comprising: establishing a schedule pattern comprising a plurality of time slots, wherein the schedule pattern includes at least one time slot in which an ingress edge unit can communicate with a destination egress edge unit, at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with an intermediate edge unit, and at least one time slot in which the intermediate edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit; receiving a plurality of data packets bound for the same destination edge unit; determining if the schedule pattern allocates sufficient bandwidth to communicate the plurality of data packets to the destination egress edge unit without deflection; if sufficient bandwidth has been allocated, communicating the plurality of data packets to the destination egress edge unit; and if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated: deflecting at least a portion of the plurality of data packets to the intermediate edge unit; and communicating the at least a portion of the plurality of data packets from the intermediate edge unit to the destination egress edge unit determining the current traffic demand, wherein the schedule pattern is based on expected traffic; and if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated to communicate the plurality of data packets to the destination egress edge unit without deflection under the current traffic demand, updating the schedule pattern to increase the allocated bandwidth between the ingress edge unit and the destination egress edge unit.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
243 words
A method for routing optical data comprising: establishing a schedule pattern comprising a plurality of time slots, wherein the schedule pattern includes at least one time slot in which an ingress edge unit can communicate with a destination egress edge unit, at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with an intermediate edge unit, and at least one time slot in which the intermediate edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit; receiving a plurality of data packets bound for the same destination edge unit; determining if the schedule pattern allocates sufficient bandwidth to communicate the plurality of data packets to the destination egress edge unit without deflection; if sufficient bandwidth has been allocated, communicating the plurality of data packets to the destination egress edge unit; and if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated: deflecting at least a portion of the plurality of data packets to the intermediate edge unit; and communicating the at least a portion of the plurality of data packets from the intermediate edge unit to the destination egress edge unit determining the current traffic demand, wherein the schedule pattern is based on expected traffic; and if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated to communicate the plurality of data packets to the destination egress edge unit without deflection under the current traffic demand, updating the schedule pattern to increase the allocated bandwidth between the ingress edge unit and the destination egress edge unit.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 7 , further comprising: predetermining a best deflection route for incoming data packets arriving at the ingress edge unit based on the schedule pattern; and deflecting the at least a portion of the plurality of data packets based on the predetermined deflection route.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of deflecting at least a portion of the plurality of data packets further comprises deflecting the at least a portion of the plurality of data packets to a plurality of intermediate edge units in parallel.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of deflecting at least a portion of the plurality of data packets further comprises deflecting the at least a portion of the plurality of data packets to a plurality of intermediate edge units in series.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
63 words
The method of claim 7 , further comprising: determining if a fault exists between the ingress edge unit and the destination egress edge unit; and if the fault exists: deflecting the plurality of data packets to at least one intermediate edge unit; and communicating the plurality of data packets from the at least one intermediate edge unit to the destination egress edge unit.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
255 words
A system for routing optical data packets comprising: a destination egress edge unit; an intermediate edge unit; an ingress edge unit, wherein the ingress edge unit receives an optical data packet; a scheduler which establishes a schedule pattern, wherein the schedule pattern comprises a series of time slots and wherein the schedule pattern includes at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit, at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the intermediate edge unit, and at least one time slot in which the intermediate edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit; a core controller operable to: determine if the schedule pattern allocates sufficient bandwidth for the ingress edge unit to communicate the destination egress edge unit without deflection; if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated, route the data packet from the ingress edge unit to the intermediate edge unit; and route the data packet from the intermediate edge unit to the destination egress edge unit; and an optical switch core, and wherein the core controller is further operable to: configure the switch core so that the ingress edge unit communicates with the destination egress edge unit according to the schedule pattern; configure the switch core so that the ingress edge unit communicates with the intermediate edge unit according to the schedule pattern; and configure the switch core so that the intermediate edge unit communicates with the destination egress edge unit according to the switch core.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
255 words
A system for routing optical data packets comprising: a destination egress edge unit; an intermediate edge unit; an ingress edge unit, wherein the ingress edge unit receives an optical data packet; a scheduler which establishes a schedule pattern, wherein the schedule pattern comprises a series of time slots and wherein the schedule pattern includes at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit, at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the intermediate edge unit, and at least one time slot in which the intermediate edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit; a core controller operable to: determine if the schedule pattern allocates sufficient bandwidth for the ingress edge unit to communicate the destination egress edge unit without deflection; if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated, route the data packet from the ingress edge unit to the intermediate edge unit; and route the data packet from the intermediate edge unit to the destination egress edge unit; and an optical switch core, and wherein the core controller is further operable to: configure the switch core so that the ingress edge unit communicates with the destination egress edge unit according to the schedule pattern; configure the switch core so that the ingress edge unit communicates with the intermediate edge unit according to the schedule pattern; and configure the switch core so that the intermediate edge unit communicates with the destination egress edge unit according to the switch core.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
153 words
The system of claim 12 , wherein the core controller is further operable to: if sufficient bandwidth has been allocated for the ingress edge unit to communicate with the destination egress edge unit without deflection, prompt the ingress edge unit to communicate the data packet to the destination egress edge unit in the at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit; and if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated: prompt the ingress edge unit to communicate the data packet to the intermediate edge unit in the at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the intermediate edge unit; and prompt the intermediate edge unit to communicate the data packet to the destination egress edge unit in the at least one time slot in which the intermediate edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
39 words
The system of claim 12 , wherein the core controller is further operable to: predetermine the best deflection route based on the schedule pattern; and route the data packet to the intermediate edge unit based on the schedule pattern.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
36 words
The system of claim 12 , further comprising a plurality of intermediate edge units and wherein the core controller is further operable to route the data packet to the plurality of intermediate edge units in parallel.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
36 words
The system of claim 12 , further comprising a plurality of intermediate edge units and wherein the core controller is further operable to route the data packet to the plurality of intermediate edge units in series.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of claim 12 , wherein the scheduler is operable to establish the schedule pattern based on expected traffic.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system of claim 16 , wherein the core controller is further operable to determine the current traffic and wherein the scheduler is further operable to update the schedule pattern based on the current traffic.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
225 words
A system for routing optical data packets, comprising: a destination egress edge unit; an intermediate edge unit; an ingress edge unit, wherein the ingress edge unit receives an optical data packet; a scheduler which establishes a schedule pattern, wherein the schedule pattern comprises a series of time slots and wherein the schedule pattern includes at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit, at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the intermediate edge unit, and at least one time slot in which the intermediate edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit; a core controller operable to: determine if the schedule pattern allocates sufficient bandwidth for the ingress edge unit to communicate the destination egress edge unit without deflection; if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated, route the data packet from the ingress edge unit to the intermediate edge unit; and route the data packet from the intermediate edge unit to the destination egress edge unit; and a plurality of intermediate edge units, wherein the core controller is further operable to route the data packet to the plurality of intermediate edge units in series and determine the current traffic, and wherein the scheduler is further operable to update the schedule pattern based on the current traffic.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
225 words
A system for routing optical data packets, comprising: a destination egress edge unit; an intermediate edge unit; an ingress edge unit, wherein the ingress edge unit receives an optical data packet; a scheduler which establishes a schedule pattern, wherein the schedule pattern comprises a series of time slots and wherein the schedule pattern includes at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit, at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the intermediate edge unit, and at least one time slot in which the intermediate edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit; a core controller operable to: determine if the schedule pattern allocates sufficient bandwidth for the ingress edge unit to communicate the destination egress edge unit without deflection; if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated, route the data packet from the ingress edge unit to the intermediate edge unit; and route the data packet from the intermediate edge unit to the destination egress edge unit; and a plurality of intermediate edge units, wherein the core controller is further operable to route the data packet to the plurality of intermediate edge units in series and determine the current traffic, and wherein the scheduler is further operable to update the schedule pattern based on the current traffic.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
415 words
A system for routing optical data packets comprising: a destination egress edge unit; an intermediate edge unit; an ingress edge unit, wherein the ingress edge unit receives an optical data packet; a scheduler which establishes a schedule pattern, wherein the schedule pattern comprises a series of time slots and wherein the schedule pattern includes at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit, at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the intermediate edge unit, and at least one time slot in which the intermediate edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit; a core controller operable to: determine if the schedule pattern allocates sufficient bandwidth for the ingress edge unit to communicate the destination egress edge unit without deflection; if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated for the ingress edge unit to communicate the destination egress edge unit without deflection, route the data packet from the ingress edge unit to the intermediate edge unit; and route the data packet from the intermediate edge unit to the destination egress edge unit; if sufficient bandwidth has been allocated for the ingress edge unit to communicate with the destination egress edge unit without deflection, prompt the ingress edge unit to communicate the data packet to the destination egress edge unit in the at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit; and an optical switch core, and wherein the core controller is further operable to: configure the switch core so that the ingress edge unit communicates with the destination egress edge unit according to the schedule pattern; configure the switch core so that the ingress edge unit communicates with the intermediate edge unit according to the schedule pattern; and configure the switch core so that the intermediate edge unit communicates with the destination egress edge unit according to the switch core; wherein the core controller is further operable to: if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated: prompt the ingress edge unit to communicate the data packet to the intermediate edge unit in the at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the intermediate edge unit; and prompt the intermediate edge unit to communicate the data packet to the destination egress edge unit in the at least one time slot in which the intermediate edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
415 words
A system for routing optical data packets comprising: a destination egress edge unit; an intermediate edge unit; an ingress edge unit, wherein the ingress edge unit receives an optical data packet; a scheduler which establishes a schedule pattern, wherein the schedule pattern comprises a series of time slots and wherein the schedule pattern includes at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit, at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the intermediate edge unit, and at least one time slot in which the intermediate edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit; a core controller operable to: determine if the schedule pattern allocates sufficient bandwidth for the ingress edge unit to communicate the destination egress edge unit without deflection; if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated for the ingress edge unit to communicate the destination egress edge unit without deflection, route the data packet from the ingress edge unit to the intermediate edge unit; and route the data packet from the intermediate edge unit to the destination egress edge unit; if sufficient bandwidth has been allocated for the ingress edge unit to communicate with the destination egress edge unit without deflection, prompt the ingress edge unit to communicate the data packet to the destination egress edge unit in the at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit; and an optical switch core, and wherein the core controller is further operable to: configure the switch core so that the ingress edge unit communicates with the destination egress edge unit according to the schedule pattern; configure the switch core so that the ingress edge unit communicates with the intermediate edge unit according to the schedule pattern; and configure the switch core so that the intermediate edge unit communicates with the destination egress edge unit according to the switch core; wherein the core controller is further operable to: if sufficient bandwidth has not been allocated: prompt the ingress edge unit to communicate the data packet to the intermediate edge unit in the at least one time slot in which the ingress edge unit can communicate with the intermediate edge unit; and prompt the intermediate edge unit to communicate the data packet to the destination egress edge unit in the at least one time slot in which the intermediate edge unit can communicate with the destination egress edge unit.
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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) | 2009-12-04 | 2010-06-05 | 2010-12-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2013-12-04 | 2014-06-05 | 2014-12-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2017-12-04 | 2018-06-05 | 2018-12-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |