Loading patent…
AssigneeBritish Telecommunications public limited company
InventorsPhilip Everett, Trevor Linney, Gary Dalby, Christopher M. Croot, Ashley Pickering
Estimating the term…
Providing an interface device interfacing between an access network and a back-bone network comprises: providing a management device, receiving data readings from a transceiver device indicative of the current or recent line rate of a DSL connection of the access network, and providing the interface device to restrict data flowing to the DSL connection to a new maximum rate selected in accordance with the received data readings from the transceiver device indicative of the current or recent line rate of the DSL connection. When the new maximum rate is greater than the existing maximum rate for the DSL connection at which the interface device is currently provided, the interface device is provisioned (or re-provisioned) only after a delay period. The delay period depends upon the increase amount of in the new maximum rate compared to the existing maximum rate so that the greater the increase, the shorter the delay period.
A method of provisioning an interface device, the interface device interfacing between an access network and a back-bone network, the access network including a Digital Subscriber Line, DSL, connection to an end user terminal and a transceiver device including a DSL transceiver for modulating and demodulating signals sent to and from the end user terminal over the DSL connection, the arrangement of the access network the interface device and the back-bone network being such that data from a device connected to the back-bone network which is destined for the end user terminal passes through the interface device and then through the access network and wherein the interface device is operable to constrain the rate of flow of data from the backbone network through the interface device towards the end user terminal to an existing maximum rate specified for the end user terminal, the method comprising:
A management device for assisting the making of a broadband data connection to an end user terminal having an associated end user DSL modem from an Internet Service Provider, ISP, having a Point Of Presence, POP, on a backbone network, the data connection extending from the ISP POP across the backbone network to an interface device between the backbone network and an access network to which the end user terminal is connected, the access network including a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer, DSLAM, and a local loop extending between the DSLAM and the end user DSL modem, the management device including:
A management device for managing an interface device which provides an interface between (i) an access network having a DSL connection and a transceiver device and (ii) an IP network, the management device comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors: using different frequency bands for speech and…
Configuration setting: for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
Characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings: the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks: comprising specially…
About 2 years 2 months of term left · ends 22 Dec 2028 (estimated)
This application is the U.S. national phase of International Application No. PCT/GB2008/002388 filed 11 Jul. 2008 which designated the U.S. and claims priority to GB Application No. 0713659.1 filed 13 Jul. 2007 and EP Application No. 08250637.9 filed 25 Feb. 2008, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for communicating data over a data network. In particular, it relates to controlling the bandwidth with which a user can transmit or receive data over a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connection (especially an Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) connection and an access network to the user's Internet Service Provider (ISP).
ITU recommendation G992.1 specifies how the maximum bandwidth which can be supported over a particular ADSL connection between a particular Remote ADSL Transceiver Unit (ATU-R) and a particular Central office or network operator ADSL Transceiver Unit (ATU-C) may be determined at the time of initiation of the ADSL connection (see G992.1 Chapter 10) and may even be periodically re-negotiated during a connection (see G992.1 Appendix II); the maximum bandwidth in fact depends upon various factors which will differ from line to line and from time to time depending on things such as the amount of electromagnetic noise present in the environment of the ATU-R, etc.
In order that the present invention may be better understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a telecommunications network incorporating a management device according to a first aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the management device of FIG. 1 in more detail;
Referring to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in overview. A copper pair loop 19 (which forms part of the access network which extends between customer premises equipment 10 and the BRAS 40) connects customer premises equipment 10 to a DSLAM 20 located within a local exchange (also known as a central office in the US). The DSLAM separates normal voice traffic and data traffic and sends the voice traffic to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 70. The data traffic is passed on through an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network 30 which forms the remainder of the access network 19, 20, 30 (in the present embodiment, the ATM network 30 is British Telecom (BT)'s Multi Service intranet Platform (MSiP) ATM network). Connected to the ATM network 30 is a Broadband Remote Access Server (BRAS) 40 at which several IP traffic flows or ATM circuits from (and to) multiple Service Providers (SP's) 62, 64, 66 are aggregated (and disaggregated) via an IP network 50 (which in this case is BT's Colossus IP network)—which itself may run over an ATM network or networks. Within the customer premises equipment 10, there is an ADSL splitter filter 18, a telephone 12, an ADSL modem 16 and a computer 14.
In some cases the first hop of an IP packet travelling from computer 14 towards an ISP 62, 64, 66 would be the BRAS 40; whereas in other cases the first hop from an IP perspective could be beyond the BRAS 40.
In all cases, the end user's modem 16 creates a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) session 30 from the modem to another device in the network. This is a logical end to end connection that carries the end users traffic from the modem to the target IP network.