ASSIGNING PRIORITY TO NETWORK TRAFFIC AT CUSTOMER PREMISES

• US 20080162659A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Services Organization Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Patka, Andrew F., Jia, Lujun R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,725,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5061 Pools of addresses

Abstract

A device may receive a message from a client device and determine whether the message includes particular data. The device may identify an address within a particular address group when the message includes the particular data. The traffic associated with addresses within the particular address group are assigned priority over traffic associated with addresses outside the particular address group. The device may provide the identified address to the client device so that traffic associated with the client device receives priority over other traffic

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a message from a client device;

determining whether the message includes particular data;

identifying an address within a particular address group when the message includes the particular data, where traffic associated with addresses within the particular address group are assigned priority over other traffic associated with addresses outside the particular address group; and

providing the identified address to the client device so that traffic associated with the client device receives priority over the other traffic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes a discover message and the particular data includes vendor class identifier data;

and

wherein determining whether the message includes the particular data includes determining whether the discover message includes the vendor class identifier data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) discover message and the particular data includes vendor class identifier data that indicates that the client device is a video device or an audio device;

and

wherein determining whether the message includes the particular data includes determining whether the DHCP discover message includes the vendor class identifier data that indicates that the client device is a video device or an audio device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular data includes data that indicates whether the client device is a video device or an audio device;

and

wherein determining whether the message includes the particular data includes determining whether the message includes the data that indicates that the client device is a video device or an audio device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

maintaining a list of video devices or audio devices; and

wherein determining whether the message includes the data that indicates that the client device is a video device or an audio device includes determining whether the client device is a video device or an audio device on the list of video devices or audio devices.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an address that is not included in the particular address group when the message does not include the particular data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the identified address includes generating an offer message that includes the identified address;

and

wherein providing the identified address includes transmitting the offer message to the client device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving traffic associated with the client device;

determining whether an address associated with the traffic is included within the particular address group; and

processing the traffic to give the traffic priority over other traffic when the associated address is included within the particular address group.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining whether the address associated with the traffic is included within the particular address group includes:

identifying a source address or a destination address associated with the traffic, and

determining whether the source address or the destination address is an address included within the particular address group.

10. A device, comprising:

means for receiving a message from a client device that is located on a same local network as the device;

means for determining whether the message includes data that indicates that the client device is a video device or an audio device;

means for identifying an address within a particular address group when the message includes the data that indicates that the client device is a video device or an audio device, where traffic associated with addresses within the particular address group are assigned priority over traffic associated with addresses outside the particular address group; and

means for providing the identified address to the client device.

11. A device, comprising:

a memory to store a pool of available addresses; and

a processor to;

receive a message from a client device that is located on a same local network as the device,

determine whether the message includes particular data,

identify an address within a particular group of addresses in the pool of available addresses when the message includes the particular data, where traffic associated with addresses within the particular group of addresses are assigned priority over traffic associated with addresses outside the particular group of addresses, and

provide the identified address to the client device.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the message includes a discover message and the particular data includes vendor class identifier data.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the message includes a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) discover message and the particular data includes vendor class identifier data that indicates that the client device is a video device or an audio device.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the particular data includes data that indicates whether the client device is a video device or an audio device.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to:

maintain a list of video devices or audio devices; and

determine whether the client device is a video device or an audio device on the list of video devices or audio devices.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to identify an address that is not included in the particular group of addresses when the message does not include the particular data.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to:

generate an offer message that includes the identified address, and

transmit the offer message to the client device.

18. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive traffic associated with the client device,

determine whether an address associated with the traffic is included within the particular group of addresses, and

process the traffic to give the traffic priority over other traffic when the associated address is included within the particular group of addresses.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein when determining whether the address associated with the traffic is included within the particular group of addresses, the processor is configured to:

identify a source address or a destination address associated with the traffic, and

determine whether the source address or the destination address is an address included within the particular group of addresses.

20. A device, comprising:

a memory to store a pool of available addresses, where a first group of the addresses has a first priority that is higher than a second priority associated with a second group of the addresses; and

a processor to;

assign addresses to client devices that are located on a same local network as the device,

receive traffic associated with one of the client devices,

determine whether an address associated with the traffic is included in the first group or the second group of addresses,

process the traffic with the first priority when the address is included in the first group of addresses, and

process the traffic with the second priority when the address is included in the second group of addresses.