IP Library Granted Patent US 8,750,102
Granted Patent B2
US 8,750,102 · App. 13/475,577 · Granted Jun 10, 2014

Methods and systems for automatically rerouting logical circuit data in a data network

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 8,750,102
App. No.
13/475,577
Granted
Jun 10, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

Determining a failure of a logical connection in a logical circuit identified by a logical circuit identifier, the logical circuit comprising variable communication paths in at least one of a first or a second logical telecommunications network and a fixed communication path between the first and second logical telecommunications networks, and the failed logical connection being between the first and second logical telecommunications networks; identifying a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path in a failover network that is separate from the logical circuit, the failover network reserved to provide failover circuits to communicate data rerouted from failed logical circuits, and the logical failover circuit identified by a second logical circuit identifier; renaming the logical circuit identifier of the logical circuit to the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit; and rerouting the data from the logical circuit to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

Claims (42)

1. A method comprising:

determining a failure of a logical connection in a logical circuit identified by a logical circuit identifier, the logical circuit comprising (1) variable communication paths in at least one of a first logical telecommunications network and a second logical telecommunications network, and (2) a fixed communication path between the first and second logical telecommunications networks, and the failed logical connection being between the first and second logical telecommunications networks;

identifying a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path in a failover network that is separate from the logical circuit, the failover network being reserved to provide failover circuits to communicate data rerouted from failed logical circuits, and the logical failover circuit identified by a second logical circuit identifier;

renaming the logical circuit identifier of the logical circuit to the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit; and

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

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

after rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit, determining whether the failure in the logical circuit has been corrected; and

if the failure in the logical circuit has been corrected, then rerouting the data from the logical failover circuit to the logical circuit without manual intervention.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

after determining the failure in the logical circuit and before rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit, offering a failover service in real time to a customer associated with the logical circuit; and

performing the rerouting of the data to the logical failover circuit in response to receiving acceptance of the failover service by the customer.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising after determining the failure in the logical circuit, performing the rerouting of the data to the logical failover circuit based on a customer subscription to a failover service, the data to be rerouted for a time period defined in the customer subscription.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first logical telecommunications network is operated by a first carrier different from a second carrier of the second logical telecommunications network.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the logical connection comprises a network-to-network interface.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the logical circuit identifier is one of a virtual path/virtual circuit identifier (VPI/VCI) and a data link connection identifier (DLCI).

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the logical failover circuit is a permanent virtual circuit.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the logical failover circuit is a switched virtual circuit.

10. A system comprising:

a memory having machine readable instructions stored thereon; and

a processor to execute the instructions to:

determine a failure of a logical connection in a logical circuit identified by a logical circuit identifier, the logical circuit comprising (1) variable communication paths in at least one of a first logical telecommunications network and a second logical telecommunications network, and (2) a fixed communication path between the first and second logical telecommunications networks, and the failed logical connection being between the first and second logical telecommunications networks;

identify a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path in a failover network that is separate from the logical circuit, the failover network being reserved to provide failover circuits to communicate data rerouted from failed logical circuits, and the logical failover circuit identified by a second logical circuit identifier;

rename the logical circuit identifier of the logical circuit to the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit; and

reroute data from the logical circuit to the logical failover circuit without manual intervention.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further to:

when the logical circuit is failed and before rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit, offer a failover service in real time to a customer associated with the logical circuit; and

reroute the data to the logical failover circuit in response to receiving acceptance of the failover service by the customer.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further to, when the logical circuit is failed, reroute the data to the logical failover circuit based on a customer subscription to a failover service, the data to be rerouted for a time period defined in the customer subscription.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor is separate from switches over which the data is communicated through the logical circuit and the logical failover circuit.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first logical telecommunications network is operated by a first carrier different from a second carrier of the second logical telecommunications network.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the logical failover circuit comprises an unused logical connection comprising a network-to-network interface.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first logical circuit identifier is one of a virtual path/virtual circuit identifier (VPI/VCI) and a data link connection identifier (DLCI).

17. A machine readable storage device having instructions stored thereon which, when executed, cause a machine to perform a method comprising:

determining a failure of a logical connection in a logical circuit identified by a logical circuit identifier, the logical circuit comprising (1) variable communication paths in at least one of a first logical telecommunications network and a second logical telecommunications network, and (2) a fixed communication path between the first and second logical telecommunications networks, and the failed logical connection being between the first and second logical telecommunications networks;

identifying a logical failover circuit comprising an alternate communication path in a failover network that is separate from the logical circuit, the failover network being reserved to provide failover circuits to communicate data rerouted from failed logical circuits, and the logical failover circuit identified by a second logical circuit identifier;

renaming the logical circuit identifier of the logical circuit to the second logical circuit identifier of the logical failover circuit; and

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

18. The machine readable storage device of claim 17 , wherein the method further comprises:

when the logical circuit is failed and before rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit, offering a failover service in real time to a customer associated with the logical circuit; and

rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit in response to receiving acceptance of the failover service by the customer.

19. The machine readable storage device of claim 17 , wherein the method further comprises, when the logical circuit is failed, rerouting the data to the logical failover circuit based on a customer subscription to a failover service, the data to be rerouted for a time period defined in the customer subscription.

20. The machine readable storage device of claim 17 , wherein the first logical telecommunications network is operated by a first carrier different from a second carrier of the second logical telecommunications network.

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 Feb 6, 2014
From: TAYLOR, WILLIAM; MASSENGILL, DAVID; HOLLINGSWORTH, JOHN
To: BELLSOUTH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 032160/0147 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 10744921 · Dec 23, 2003
Related Publication 20120266015A1 · Oct 18, 2012