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:
Apr. 27, 1999
Filed:
Jul. 07, 1997
Ted N Mawhinney, Clearwater, FL (US);
Richard A Mundwiler, Safety Harbor, FL (US);
Paradyne Corporation, Largo, FL (US);
Abstract
A system and method are provided for providing non-disruptive diagnostics between a first device and a second device in communication through a virtual circuit of a frame relay network. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the method defines a diagnostic channel by assigning it a unique channel address, transmits a test command from the first device to the second device across the unique channel address, monitors the unique channel address for a response to the test command, and then evaluates the response to determine whether it reflects a fault in the virtual circuit. In accordance with one embodiment, the test command could be a pattern message, a connectivity request, a start send pattern command, a start loopback command, a start monitor pattern command, and a start send pattern command. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a number of differing test commands, patterns, and sequences could be employed, consistent with the concepts and teachings of the present invention, which provides for such testing to be conducted over a dedicated logical channel and, therefore, non-disruptively of the other data and channels multiplexed in the single virtual circuit.