The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 17, 1995
Filed:
May. 10, 1993
Lawrence Baranyai, Howell, NJ (US);
Francis H Butler, Howell, NJ (US);
John C Cox, Oakhurst, NJ (US);
Chi H Lin, Holmdel, NJ (US);
Nattu V Srinivasan, Eatontown, NJ (US);
AT&T IPM Corp., Coral Gables, FL (US);
Abstract
An upgrade arrangement wherein the switching functions of an in-service switch or cross-connect system are transferred or 're-homed' onto a new, larger capacity switch via the existing input and output ports of the original system. The re-homing can be performed without loss of service, even if the original system is operating at full-capacity. By exploiting the protection redundancy engineered into existing telecommunication switching systems, all of the signals being routed through the original switch are temporarily consolidated onto only one-half of the switching fabric normally required to accommodate such connectivity. This signal consolidation allows half of the original switch ports to be brought off-line (without a service disruption), and linked to the new, higher capacity switching fabric. The signals that had been consolidated within the original switching fabric are then re-routed onto the new switching fabric (via the linked ports), and the other half of the original switch ports are brought off-line and linked to the new switching fabric. The re-routed signals (still being switched in a consolidated format within the new switching fabric) are then redistributed (unconsolidated) among the linked ports and the new switching fabric so that a normal switching pattern is reestablished. Re-homing the signals onto a single new switching fabric allows all connections to be managed from a single control point. In addition, the re-homing to the new switching fabric is operationally transparent (timing and protocols within the switching system are unaffected, and full non-blocking access is maintained), and all existing cabling to and from the original input and output ports remains intact and functioning. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the input and output ports of the original switching fabric are linked to the new switching fabric via electro/optic interfaces, which replace the standard input and output circuits of the original system.