IP Library Granted Patent US 8,547,831
Granted Patent B2
US 8,547,831 · App. 13/690,777 · Granted Oct 1, 2013

Methods and systems for automatically rerouting logical circuit data

Inventors: William Taylor (Duluth, GA); David Massengill (Covington, GA); John Hollingsworth (Covington, GA)
Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,547,831
App. No.
13/690,777
Granted
Oct 1, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

An example involves selecting a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path for communicating data upon a failure of a dedicated logical circuit connecting a host device to a remote device. When a first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit does not match a second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit: the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit is renamed to identify the logical failover circuit using the first logical circuit identifier when the logical failover circuit is a dedicated logical failover circuit used to communicate only when the dedicated logical circuit fails, and the dedicated logical circuit is renamed to identify the dedicated logical circuit using the second logical circuit identifier when the logical failover circuit is used to communicate regardless of the failure of the dedicated logical circuit. The data is rerouted to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

Claims (37)

1. A method of automatically rerouting logical circuit data, the method comprising:

selecting a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path for communicating data upon a failure of a dedicated logical circuit connecting a host device to a remote device to communicate the data to originate and terminate at the host device and the remote device;

when a first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit does not match a second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit:

renaming the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit to identify the logical failover circuit using the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit when the logical failover circuit is a dedicated logical failover circuit used to communicate only when the dedicated logical circuit fails, and

renaming the dedicated logical circuit to identify the dedicated logical circuit using the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit when the logical failover circuit is used to communicate regardless of the failure of the dedicated logical circuit; and

rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dedicated logical circuit is in a multiprotocol label switching standard network.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising making a real-time offer to a customer of the dedicated logical circuit after identifying the failure of the dedicated logical circuit and before rerouting the data, the real-time offer being to reroute the data.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dedicated logical circuit traverses a first local access and transport area, a first inter-exchange carrier, and a second local access and transport area.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the logical failover circuit traverses a second inter-exchange carrier, a third local access and transport area, a third inter-exchange carrier, and the second local access and transport area, wherein rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit comprises rerouting the data via the second inter-exchange carrier, the third local access and transport area, and the third inter-exchange carrier to bypass the first inter-exchange carrier.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising identifying the failure of the dedicated logical circuit via a network management system in communication with the first and second local access and transport areas via management trunks and separate from switches of the dedicated logical circuit used to communicate the data.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second logical circuit identifiers are at least one of virtual path identifiers or virtual circuit identifiers.

8. A system to automatically reroute logical circuit data, the system comprising:

a database to store a first logical circuit identifier of a dedicated logical circuit in a packet-based network and a second logical circuit identifier of a logical failover circuit; and

a network management module having a processor, and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to perform operations comprising:

selecting the logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path for communicating data upon a failure of the dedicated logical circuit connecting a host device to a remote device to communicate the data to originate and terminate at the host device and the remote device;

when the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit does not match the second logical circuit identifier:

renaming the logical failover circuit to identify the logical failover circuit using the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit when the logical failover circuit is a dedicated logical failover circuit used to communicate only when the dedicated logical circuit fails, and

renaming the dedicated logical circuit to identify the dedicated logical circuit using the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit when the logical failover circuit is used to communicate regardless of the failure of the dedicated logical circuit; and

rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the dedicated logical circuit is in a multiprotocol label switching standard network.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise, upon identifying the failure of the dedicated logical circuit and prior to rerouting the data, making a real-time offer to a customer of the dedicated logical circuit to reroute the data.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the dedicated logical circuit traverses a first local access and transport area, a first inter-exchange carrier, and a second local access and transport area.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the logical failover circuit traverses a second inter-exchange carrier, a third local access and transport area, a third inter-exchange carrier, and the second local access and transport area, wherein the network management module is to reroute the data to the logical failover circuit to reroute the data via the second inter-exchange carrier, the third local access and transport area, and the third inter-exchange carrier to bypass the first inter-exchange carrier.

13. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a logical element module in communication with the first and second local access and transport areas via management trunks and separate from switches of the dedicated logical circuit used to communicate the data, the logical element module to store status information generated by the switches, wherein the network management module is further to request the status information from the logical element module and to identify the failure of the dedicated logical circuit based on the status information.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first and second logical circuit identifiers are at least one of virtual path identifiers or virtual circuit identifiers.

15. A tangible computer readable storage device or storage disc having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to perform a method comprising:

selecting a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path for communicating data upon a failure of a dedicated logical circuit connecting a host device to a remote device to communicate the data to originate and terminate at the host device and the remote device;

when the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit does not match a second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit:

changing the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit to identify the logical failover circuit using the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit when the logical failover circuit is a dedicated logical failover circuit used to communicate only when the dedicated logical circuit fails, and

changing the first logical circuit identifier of the dedicated logical circuit to identify the dedicated logical circuit using the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit when the logical failover circuit is used to communicate regardless of the failure of the dedicated logical circuit; and

rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

16. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disc of claim 15 , wherein the dedicated logical circuit is in a multiprotocol label switching standard network.

17. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disc of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises, upon identifying the failure of the dedicated logical circuit and prior to rerouting the data, making a real-time offer to a customer of the dedicated logical circuit to reroute the data.

18. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disc of claim 15 , wherein the dedicated logical circuit traverses a first local access and transport area, a first inter-exchange carrier, and a second local access and transport area.

19. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disc of claim 18 , wherein the logical failover circuit traverses a second inter-exchange carrier, a third local access and transport area, a third inter-exchange carrier, and the second local access and transport area, and wherein instructions stored on the computer readable medium, when executed, cause the machine to reroute the data to the second inter-exchange carrier, the third local access and transport area, and the third inter-exchange carrier to bypass the first inter-exchange carrier.

20. The tangible computer readable storage device or storage disc of claim 18 , wherein the method further comprises identifying the failure via a network management system in communication with the first and second local access and transport areas via management trunks and separate from switches of the dedicated logical circuit used to communicate the data.

Assignments (8)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE REMOVE PATENT NUMBERS 10342096;10671117; 10716375; 10716376;10795407;10795408; AND 10827591 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 58314 FRAME: 657. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Feb 29, 2024
From: RAKUTEN, INC.
To: RAKUTEN GROUP, INC.
Reel/Frame 068066/0103 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 6, 2021
From: RAKUTEN, INC.
To: RAKUTEN GROUP, INC.
Reel/Frame 058314/0657 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 19, 2016
From: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
To: RAKUTEN, INC.
Reel/Frame 037771/0878 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 26, 2015
From: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC.
To: AT&T BLS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC.
Reel/Frame 036463/0782 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 26, 2015
From: AT&T BLS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC.
To: AT&T DELAWARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC.
Reel/Frame 036463/0825 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 26, 2015
From: AT&T DELAWARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC.
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
Reel/Frame 036420/0233 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 26, 2015
From: BELLSOUTH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC.
Reel/Frame 036463/0773 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 31, 2013
From: TAYLOR, WILLIAM; MASSENGILL, DAVID; HOLLINGSWORTH, JOHN
To: BELLSOUTH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 030526/0805 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 12609415 · Oct 30, 2009
Continuation 10745168 · Dec 23, 2003
Related Publication 20130091377A1 · Apr 11, 2013