Methods, Systems, and Products for Address Translation in Residential Networks

• US 20130007190A1
• Filed: 06/28/2011
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: KUMAR, SAURABH, DAS, JAYANTA, DOSHI, BHAVIN, SINGH, ANAND
• Granted Patent: US 8,838,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/25 of the same type
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/256 NAT traversal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2567 for reachability, e.g. inquiring the address of a correspondent behind a NAT server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2585 through application level gateway [ALG]

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products translate addresses in residential networks. A residential gateway translates requests for content such that the residential gateway appears as both a requestor and a destination for requested content, regardless of an actual requesting device or a desired output device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for content at a residential gateway sent from a requesting device in a residential network, the request for content specifying a requested content and an output device in the residential network to which the requested content is delivered;

sending a translated request for content from the residential gateway that identifies a gateway network address associated with the residential gateway as both a requestor and a destination for the requested content;

receiving the requested content at the gateway network address associated with the residential gateway; and

forwarding the requested content from the residential gateway to the output device specified in the request for content.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising performing an address translation that replaces an originating address associated with the requesting device with the gateway network address to identify the residential gateway as the requestor.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising performing an address translation that replaces the gateway network address with a destination network address associated with the output device to identify the output device as the destination.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein sending the translated request for content comprises sending the translated request for content to a source address associated with a content source.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising querying for an address associated with the output device specified in the request for content.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising logging the request for content.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising assigning a unique identifier to the request for content.

8. A system, comprising:

a processor executing an algorithm stored in memory that causes the processor to;

receive a request for content at a residential gateway sent from a requesting device in a residential network, the request for content specifying a requested content and an output device in the residential network to which the requested content is delivered;

send a translated request for content from the residential gateway that identifies a gateway network address associated with the residential gateway as both a requestor and a destination for the requested content;

receive the requested content at the gateway network address associated with the residential gateway;

query a residential network address table for the output device specified in the request for content;

retrieve an address associated with the output device from the residential network address table; and

forward the requested content from the residential gateway to the address associated with the output device.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the algorithm further causes the processor to perform an address translation that replaces an originating address associated with the requesting device with the gateway network address to identify the residential gateway as the requestor.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the algorithm further causes the processor to perform an address translation that replaces the gateway network address with the address associated with the output device to identify the output device as the destination.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the algorithm further causes the processor to send the translated request for content to a source address associated with a content source.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the algorithm further causes the processor to query for an address associated with the output device specified in the request for content.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the algorithm further causes the processor to log the request for content.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the algorithm further causes the processor to assign a unique identifier to the request for content.

15. A computer readable medium storing processor executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

receiving a request for content at a residential gateway sent from a requesting device in a residential network, the request for content specifying a requested content and an output device in the residential network to which the requested content is delivered;

sending a translated request for content from the residential gateway that identifies a gateway network address associated with the residential gateway as both a requestor and a destination for the requested content;

receiving the requested content at the gateway network address associated with the residential gateway;

querying a residential network address table for the output device specified in the request for content;

retrieving an address associated with the output device from the residential network address table; and

forwarding the requested content from the residential gateway to the address associated with the output device.

16. The computer readable medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for performing an address translation that replaces an originating address associated with the requesting device with the gateway network address to identify the residential gateway as the requestor.

17. The computer readable medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for performing an address translation that replaces the gateway network address with the address associated with the output device to identify the output device as the destination.

18. The computer readable medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for sending the translated request for content to a source address associated with a content source.

19. The computer readable medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for querying for an address associated with the output device specified in the request for content.

20. The computer readable medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for logging the request for content.