Patent US5974237A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5974237A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Communications network monitoring
Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC
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Filing: 1996-12-18
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Granted: 1999-10-26
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Expires: 2016-12-18
Abstract
Abstract The disclosure relates to a method of monitoring a communications network comprising a plurality of node equipment 2, e.g. switches, and link equipment, e.g. fibre optic links, in which performance parameters of individual components of the node equipment are used to determine an overall performance parameter for the node equipment. By comparing like performance parameters for individual network elements, the performance of different types of network element can be compared with each other. Parameters which can be monitored include quality of service, cell discard, cell loss, and other measures of network performance. Connection tracing through the plurality of node equipment and link equipment is also achieved.
Inventors
- 👤 John Gavin L'Estrange Shurmer
- 👤 Kathryn Elizabeth Burn-Thornton
- 👤 Daniel Zlatin
- 👤 Stephen Charles Cross
- 👤 Reuben Wells
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 11:01
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L41/00; H04L41/14; H04L41/142; H04L41/22; H04L43/00; H04L43/08; H04L41/02; H04L41/0233; H04L43/04; H04L43/045; H04L43/0852; H04L43/0876; H04L43/0882
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
138 words
A method of monitoring operational parameters of a communications network comprising a plurality of interconnected node elements by contemporaneously performing a plurality of monitoring sessions, said method comprising the steps of: for each monitoring session: selecting a level of operational parameters to monitor; creating a list of operational parameters supported by said selected level of operational parameters; selecting at least one of said supported operational parameters from said list; collecting data signals relating to said selected operational parameters; and creating a respective display of said data signals relating to said selected operational parameters, wherein said level of operational parameters to monitor are selected from the set: network level monitoring for monitoring at least one individual node and/or link element of said communications network; service level monitoring for monitoring a service through individual node elements of said communications network.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
138 words
A method of monitoring operational parameters of a communications network comprising a plurality of interconnected node elements by contemporaneously performing a plurality of monitoring sessions, said method comprising the steps of: for each monitoring session: selecting a level of operational parameters to monitor; creating a list of operational parameters supported by said selected level of operational parameters; selecting at least one of said supported operational parameters from said list; collecting data signals relating to said selected operational parameters; and creating a respective display of said data signals relating to said selected operational parameters, wherein said level of operational parameters to monitor are selected from the set: network level monitoring for monitoring at least one individual node and/or link element of said communications network; service level monitoring for monitoring a service through individual node elements of said communications network.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said set further comprises: component level monitoring for monitoring individual components of said node elements of said communications network.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said set further comprises: associated service level monitoring for monitoring a service through individual components of said node elements of said communications network.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of creating a display includes arranging said data signals into a form suitable for presentation in graphical form.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of: specifying a period of time over which said selected operational parameters are to be monitored.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said supported operational parameters include data available from a historical data base and data which can be interrogated in real time.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of selecting from said list comprises constructing and storing a template for monitoring operations.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said data signals collected by a said monitoring session are not available to monitoring sessions of other users.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said step of collecting data signals comprises: checking if said data signals to be collected are available for said individual components of said network element; and if said data signals to be collected are unavailable for said individual component, collecting data signals relating to said operational parameters from said network element.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
147 words
A data monitoring apparatus for monitoring operational parameters of a communications network comprising a plurality of interconnected network elements, in which a plurality of users can each contemporaneously perform at least one monitoring session, said apparatus comprising: means for selecting a level of operational parameters to monitor; means for creating a list of operational parameters supported by said selected level of operational parameters; means for selecting at least one of said supported operational parameters from said list; means for collecting data signals relating to said selected operational parameters; and means for creating a display of said data relating to said operational parameters, wherein said level of operational parameters to monitor is selected from the set: network level monitoring for monitoring at least one individual node and/or link element of said communications network; service level monitoring for monitoring a service through individual node elements of said communications network.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
147 words
A data monitoring apparatus for monitoring operational parameters of a communications network comprising a plurality of interconnected network elements, in which a plurality of users can each contemporaneously perform at least one monitoring session, said apparatus comprising: means for selecting a level of operational parameters to monitor; means for creating a list of operational parameters supported by said selected level of operational parameters; means for selecting at least one of said supported operational parameters from said list; means for collecting data signals relating to said selected operational parameters; and means for creating a display of said data relating to said operational parameters, wherein said level of operational parameters to monitor is selected from the set: network level monitoring for monitoring at least one individual node and/or link element of said communications network; service level monitoring for monitoring a service through individual node elements of said communications network.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
29 words
The data monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said set further comprises: component level monitoring for monitoring individual components of said network elements of said communications network.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
33 words
The data monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said set further comprises: associated service level monitoring for monitoring a service through individual components of said node elements of said communications network.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
The data monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said means for creating a display includes means for arranging data signals into a form suitable for presentation in graphical form.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
The data monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising: means for specifying period of time over which said operational parameters are to be monitored.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
30 words
The data monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said supported operational parameters include data available from historical data base and data which can be interrogated in real time.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
25 words
The data monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said means for selecting from said list constructs and stores a template for monitoring operations.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
29 words
The data monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said collected data signals collected by a said monitoring session are not accessible to monitoring sessions of another user.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
70 words
The data monitoring apparatus as claimed in claims 11, wherein said means for collecting data signals comprises: means for checking if said data signals to be collected are available for said individual components of said network element, wherein said means for checking is configured to collect data signals relating to said operational parameters from said network element if said data signals to be collected are unavailable for said individual components.
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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) | 2002-10-25 | 2003-04-26 | 2003-10-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-10-25 | 2007-04-26 | 2007-10-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-10-25 | 2011-04-26 | 2011-10-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |