METHOD AND DEVICE FOR IDENTIFYING AND SELECTING AN INTERFACE TO ACCESS A NETWORK

• US 20100121946A1
• Filed: 08/06/2007
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Van De Poel, Dirk, Vincent, Stephen, Claes, Stan
• Granted Patent: US 8,751,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/677 Multiple interfaces, e.g. multihomed nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]

Abstract

The present invention concerns a networking device comprising interfacing means for accessing a first network or a second network, and comprising identifying means for detecting an access to the first network, and selecting means for picking an access among a plurality of accesses to the first network for accessing a third network.

Claims

1. Networking device comprising a plurality of interfaces for accessing a first network or a second network, comprising:

identifying means for requesting an access to the third network through all said interfaces simultaneously, and to classify an interface that receives a response to the request as an interface for accessing said first network, and

selecting means for picking an access among a plurality of accesses to the first network for accessing a third network.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein said selecting means is adapted to set up a selection rule for selecting a first interface for accessing a third network, and is adapted to apply the selection rule to said detected first interfaces.

3. Device according to claim 1, wherein the identifying means is adapted to identify an interface to a second network, said interfaces that provide an access to the second network being a second interface, and is adapted to request an access to the third network through said all interfaces but the second interfaces.

4. Device according to claim 1, wherein interfacing means comprises at least an interface (ETH12) adapted to simultaneously access said first network and said second network.

5. Device according to claim 4, wherein the identifying means is adapted to identify a second device connected to an interface, said device being adapted to connect to the second network.

6. Device according to claim 3, comprising means for identifying the reception of a traffic specific to said second network.

7. Device according to claim 1, wherein the first network is a wide area network and the second is a local area network.

8. Device according to Claim 1, wherein the third network is the Internet network.

9. Method for accessing a network, in a device comprising a plurality of interfaces adapted to connect to a first network or to a second network, said interface connected to said first network being a first interface, comprising at the level of the device the steps of

broadcasting a request for an access to the network to all said interfaces simultaneously,

receiving an answer to the request from some interfaces, identified as first interfaces, and

selecting an interface, among the first interfaces of said device, to access said network.