John C Blanton, 63612 Virginia Ave, Troy, OH 45373

7007123, Feb 28, 2006

Mar 28, 2002

10/109423

Prasad N. Golla - Plano TX, US
Gerard Damm - Dallas TX, US
John Blanton - Dallas TX, US
Dominique Verchere - Plano TX, US

Alcatel - Paris

G06F 13/14

710243, 710111, 710113, 710120

A binary-tree-based arbitration system and methodology with attributes that approximate a Generalized Processor Sharing (GPS) scheme for rendering fairer service grants in an environment having a plurality of competing entities. Arbitration based on probabilistic control of arbiter nodes' behavior is set forth for alleviating the inherent unfairness of a binary tree arbiter (BTA). In one implementation, BTA flag direction probabilities are computed based on composite weighted functions that assign relative weights or priorities to such factors as queue sizes, queue ages, and service class parameters. Within this general framework, techniques for desynchronizing a binary tree's root node, shuffling techniques for mapping incoming service requests to the BTA's inputs, and multi-level embedded trees are described.

7023840, Apr 4, 2006

Jan 28, 2002

10/059641

Prasad N. Golla - Plano TX, US
Gerard Damm - Dallas TX, US
John Blanton - Dallas TX, US
Mei Yang - Richardson TX, US
Dominique Verchere - Plano TX, US
Hakki Candan Cankaya - Dallas TX, US
Yijun Xiong - Plano TX, US

Alcatel - Paris

H04L 12/56
G06F 13/00

370360, 370412, 370422, 3703954, 709238, 710 38

A scheduling system and methodology for use in a network switch element having multiserver, multiple-arbiter architecture. Ingress ports and egress ports coupled to the cross-connect fabric of the network element are provided with multiple ingress and egress arbiters, respectively, for effectuating an iterative arbitration strategy such as RGA or RG. Arbiter architectures include singe-arbiter-per-port; single-arbiter-per-server; multiple-arbiters-per-port; and multiple-arbiters-per-server arrangements, wherein the arbiters can be implemented using RRA, BTA, Flexible Ring, or any other arbiter technology. Depending on the iteration strategy, ingress arbiter architecture and egress arbiter architecture, a variety of iterative, multiserver-capable scheduling algorithms can be obtained, which scheduling algorithms can also be implemented in QoS-aware network nodes.

7158510, Jan 2, 2007

Feb 14, 2002

10/075176

Prasad N. Golla - Plano TX, US
Gerard Damm - Dallas TX, US
John Blanton - Dallas TX, US
Dominique Verchere - Plano TX, US

Alcatel - Paris

H04L 12/54

370374, 370383

A look-up table (LUT)-based arbitration (LTA) system and methodology for use in a network switch element. Input control signals generated by ingress and egress entities associated with a cross-connect matrix of the network switch element are encoded into address information that is used for interrogating a storage structure. Pre-computed arbitration results based on a select arbiter scheme are stored into fields associated with the storage structure. When a particular input combination is applied with respect to an arbitration iteration, a selected arbitration result is obtained by querying the appropriate field, which is then decoded into a corresponding selected entity for the arbitration iteration.

7298728, Nov 20, 2007

Dec 23, 2002

10/328613

Prasad N. Golla - Plano TX, US
John Blanton - Dallas TX, US
Gerard Damm - Ottawa, CA
Dominique Verchere - Chauffailles, FR
Céline Haardt - Bouloc, FR
Farid Farahmand - Plano TX, US

Alcatel Lucent - Paris

H04B 7/212

370347, 370337

A scheduling system and method operable with a burst switching element wherein control information is provided to the switching element via a separate Burst Header that precedes data bursts on ingress data channels. In one embodiment, a series of scheduling determinations are made in a select order such that packet treatment (i. e. , processing for transmission, buffering, or packet dropping) is optimized with respect to packet loss and available buffer space. In another embodiment, control information received in the Burst Headers is utilized to reserve output data channel bandwidth to future incoming data packets in a forward-looking scheduling mechanism.

7382794, Jun 3, 2008

Jul 24, 2003

10/626424

Si Qing Zheng - Plano TX, US
Mei Yang - Richardson TX, US
John Blanton - Dallas TX, US
Prasad Golla - Plano TX, US
Dominique Verchere - Breuillet, FR

Alcatel Lucent - Paris

H04L 12/28

370412, 370406

A Parallel Round-Robin Arbiter (PRRA) system and method for arbitrating among N requesters. A plurality of leaf nodes that correspond to the N requesters form a directed ring of a hierarchical decision tree, wherein the leaf nodes are operable to propagate requests from the requesters. Each leaf node is provided with status logic operable to transmit its priority status for resolution of requests by the decision tree. Logic associated with the decision tree's nodes is operable to hierarchically resolve the requests propagated by the leaf nodes, wherein each leaf node is operable to transmit its grant to one of its immediate leaf node neighbors coupled to it via the directed ring for influencing the neighboring leaf node's priority status logic.

7420918, Sep 2, 2008

Dec 23, 2002

10/328354

Farid Farahmand - Plano TX, US
John Blanton - Dallas TX, US
Dominique Verchere - Dallas TX, US

Alcatel Lucent - Paris

H04J 1/16
H04L 12/413
H04L 12/43

370235, 370447, 370458

A Look-ahead Contention Resolution (“LCR”) technique for application in burst switching networks is described. The LCR technique takes advantage of the existing separation of data bursts and their BHPs in time (offset or “τ”). Through a look-ahead window (“LAW”) W time units wide, a network scheduler can process a group of BHPs prior to the arrival of their respective bursts and gain a collective knowledge of the state of the switch in the futures, rather than processing a single slot τ time units in the future.

7801126, Sep 21, 2010

Jul 15, 2005

11/182234

John Blanton - Dallas TX, US

Alcatel-Lucent USA Inc. - Murray Hill NJ

H04L 12/56

370389, 370392, 370394

Method and system for encoding packet interdependency in a packet data stream. In one embodiment, the scheme comprises providing, for each packet in the packet data stream, a dependency relationship field associated therewith; and representing dependency of a first packet on a second packet of the packet data stream by a binary code in the dependency relationship field of the first packet, the binary code for describing the dependency as a subset relationship between the first and second packets.

2007020, Aug 30, 2007

Jan 23, 2006

11/337403

Frederick Skoog - Colleyville TX, US
John Blanton - Dallas TX, US

H04L 12/26
H04J 1/16

370230100, 370235000

A IP video delivery system () includes a multiplexer () for transmitting multiple data streams of packets over link () to a site having one or more receivers (). During times of congestion, the multiplexer will discard packets from its internal queues. Packets are intelligently chosen to minimize the effects on the output from the receivers () by taking into account timing information related to the packets and priority.