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:
Aug. 11, 1998
Filed:
Feb. 20, 1996
David Alan Clarke, Bristol, GB;
Jan Schiefer, Bristol, GB;
Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
A network discovery method is provided for determining the functionality existing at the nodes of a signalling network. Such a network typically comprises a plurality of nodes (BSC, MSC, GSMC, HLR, VLR, EIR) each exhibiting one or more types of functionality, and point-to-point links inter-connecting the nodes and carrying messages exchanged between nodes, the messages having characteristics dependent on the nature of the functionality of the nodes between which they are exchanged. The discovery method involves using probes and a central station to monitor one or more links and to identify from at least one message associated with a particular node, a predetermined set of message characteristics sufficient to identify a type of node functionality possessed by that node. The predetermined set of message characteristics may be derived from a single message, from several messages on the same or different links, or by observing the message transfer characteristics of the node concerned.