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:
May. 27, 1997
Filed:
Mar. 08, 1993
Yoshihiro Ashi, Yokohama, JP;
Toshihiko Fujita, Yokohama, JP;
Hiromi Ueda, Yokohama, JP;
Haruhiko Matsunaga, Yokosuka, JP;
Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A method and apparatus of tracing VP's (virtual paths) wherein operational information of VP connectors are collected through OAM (operation and maintenance) cells. The VP connectors establish a connection at a VP level within a network in which the cells are transferred in an ATM (asynchronous transfer mode). Each VP connector detects an OAM cell for VP tracing as received from another of the VP connectors, and judges if an area for affixing the operational information in the VP connector itself exists in the detected OAM cell. In the VP connector when the area exists, the detected OAM cell is specified to be the OAM cell for writing the operational information thereinto, and the specified OAM cell is sent out after affixing the operational information thereto. When the area does not exit, the OAM cell received from the other VP connector is sent out after indicating therein that the received OAM cell is not the rearmost cell, the OAM cell for the VP tracing is generated anew, and the generated cell is sent out after indicating therein that the generated OAM cell is the rearmost cell. Also the operational information is affixed to newly generated OAM cell.