Method and system for prioritizing network services

• US 7,162,540 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2001
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NetPrecept Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Catchfire Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Jasen, Mark, Daley, Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell; Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLETT, STEPHAN F
• Application Number:
  US09/855,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20020019879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,065 Days
• Field of Search: 709/242, 709/226, 709/220, 370/235, 370/395.4, 370/254, 370/236, 370/395.21, 370/232
• US Class Current: 709/242
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/543 based on requested quality, e.g. QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0875 with assigned priorities based access

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product of prioritizing network services is provided. Such prioritization may comprise a better level of service, more timely system response and/or preferential treatment of traffic. In an embodiment, prioritization is controlled by defining modes and levels of prioritization typically based on criteria, such as the value of a transaction, the standing of a user, or the type of transaction. Prioritization can also be established, for example, for a preset length of time or for one or more given transactions. The modes of prioritization may comprise remapping TCP ports to which a communication is directed, remapping (including redirecting) uniform resource locators (URLs) and/or Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to which a communication is directed and/or tagging communications with quality of service (QoS) information. The levels of prioritization define the type(s) of priority service offered to a user, such as timeliness of system response and preference of traffic treatment, and may be arbitrarily defined.

Claims

1. A method of prioritizing network communications, comprising:

providing a plurality of TCP ports with each TCP port receiving network communications of a different level of priority;

providing an electronic coupon indicating a level of priority of a network communication;

determining at a server based upon data, received from a client or user, from the electronic coupon the level of priority of the network communication; and

directing the network communication from the client or user to one of the plurality of TCP ports receiving communications of the determined level of priority until the level of priority is terminated or modified.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if the network communication should be provided prioritization based upon a URL or IP address associated with the network communication.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein if it is determined that the network communication should not be provided prioritization, handling the network communication in a normal manner without prioritization.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining from the electronic coupon quality of service (QoS) information; and

applying the QoS information to the network communication.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the network communications are Internet Protocol communications.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the level of priority of a network communication is defined in relation to any one of customer value, content value, transaction value, or temporal value.

7. A method for prioritizing network services, the network services including communications traffic, the method comprising:

determining at a server based upon data, received from a client or user, in a coupon associated with the client or user, the coupon defining a mode of prioritization, that the communications traffic should receive prioritization; and

applying the mode of prioritization defined by the coupon to all subsequent communications traffic from the client or user until the mode of prioritization is terminated or modified.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the coupon further defines a level of prioritization and applying the mode of prioritization further comprises applying the level of prioritization defined by the coupon to the communications traffic.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the level of prioritization is defined in relation to any one of customer value, content value, transaction value, or temporal value.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the mode of prioritization comprises any one of remapping a TCP port associated with the communications traffic to another TCP port, remapping a URL or IP address associated with the communications traffic to another URL or IP address, or tagging quality of service (QoS) information into the communications traffic.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the network services are Internet services and the communications traffic is Internet communications traffic.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein determining that the communications traffic should receive prioritization comprises determining that the communications traffic should receive prioritization based upon a URL or IP address associated with the communications traffic.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining that the communications traffic should not receive prioritization; and

handling the communications traffic in a normal manner without prioritization.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing a client to a user of the network services to perform the determining that the communications traffic should receive prioritization and applying the mode of prioritization defined by the coupon to the communications traffic.

15. A method for prioritizing network services, the network services including communications traffic, the method comprising:

determining at a server based upon data, received from a client or user, in a coupon associated with the client or user that the communications traffic from the client or user should receive a mode of prioritization; and

applying the mode of prioritization to all subsequent communications traffic from the client or user until the mode of prioritization is terminated or modified.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising determining that the communications traffic should receive a level of prioritization and applying the mode of prioritization further comprises applying the level of prioritization to the communications traffic.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the level of prioritization is defined in relation to any one of customer value, content value, transaction value, or temporal value.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the mode of prioritization comprises any one of remapping a TCP port associated with the communications traffic to another TCP port, remapping a URL or IP address associated with the communications traffic to another URL or IP address, or tagging quality of service (QoS) information into the communications traffic.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the network services are Internet services and the communications traffic is Internet communications traffic.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein determining that the communications traffic should receive prioritization comprises determining that the communications traffic should receive prioritization based on log-in information of a user associated with the communications traffic.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining that the communications traffic should not receive prioritization; and

handling the communications traffic in a normal manner without prioritization.

22. A server for prioritizing communications traffic, comprising:

an in-line prioritization unit to determine based upon data, received from a client or user, in a coupon associated with the client or user that the communications traffic from the client or user should receive a mode of prioritization; and

a prioritization mode unit to apply the mode of prioritization to all subsequent communications traffic from the client or user until the mode of prioritization is terminated or modified.

23. The server of claim 22, wherein the in-line prioritization unit is configured to determine that the communications traffic should receive a level of prioritization and the prioritization mode unit further is configured to apply the level of prioritization to the communications traffic.

24. The server of claim 23 wherein the level of prioritization is defined in relation to any one of customer value, content value, transaction value, or temporal value.

25. The server of claim 22, wherein the mode of prioritization includes any one of remapping a TCP port associated with the communications traffic to another TCP port, remapping a URL or IP address associated with the communications traffic to another URL or IP address, or tagging quality of service (QoS) information into the communications traffic.

26. The server of claim 22 wherein the communications traffic is Internet communications traffic.

27. The server of claim 22, wherein the in-line prioritization unit is configured to determine that communications traffic should receive a mode of prioritization based on log-in information of a user associated with the communications traffic.

28. A system for prioritizing network services, the network services including communications traffic, the system comprising:

means for determining at a server based upon data, received from a client or user, in a coupon associated with the client or user, the coupon defining a mode of prioritization, that the communications traffic should receive prioritization; and

means for applying the mode of prioritization defined by the coupon to all subsequent communications traffic from the client or user until the mode of prioritization is terminated or modified.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the coupon further defines a level of prioritization and the means for applying the mode of prioritization further comprises means for applying the level of prioritization defined by the coupon to the communications traffic.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the level of prioritization is defined in relation to any one of customer value, content value, transaction value, or temporal value.

31. The system of claim 28 wherein the mode of prioritization comprises any one of remapping a TCP port associated with the communications traffic to another TCP port, remapping a URL or IP address associated with the communications traffic to another URL or IP address, or tagging quality of service (QoS) information into the communications traffic.

32. The system of claim 28 wherein the network services are Internet services and the communications traffic is Internet communications traffic.

33. The system of claim 28, wherein the means for determining that the communications traffic should receive prioritization comprises means for determining that the communications traffic should receive prioritization based upon a URL or IP address associated with the communications traffic.

34. A system for prioritizing network services, the network services including communications traffic, the system comprising:

means for determining at a server based upon data, received from a client or user, in a coupon associated with the client or user that the communications traffic from the client or user should receive a mode of prioritization; and

means for applying the mode of prioritization to all subsequent communications traffic from the client or user until the mode of prioritization is terminated or modified.

35. The system of claim 34 further comprising means for determining that the communications traffic should receive a level of prioritization and the means for applying the mode of prioritization further comprises means for applying the level of prioritization to the communications traffic.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein the level of prioritization is defined in relation to any one of customer value, content value, transaction value, or temporal value.

37. The system of claim 34 wherein the mode of prioritization comprises any one of remapping a TCP port associated with the communications traffic to another TCP port, remapping a URL or IP address associated with the communications traffic to another URL or IP address, or tagging quality of service (QoS) information into the communications traffic.

38. The system of claim 34 wherein the network services are Internet services and the communications traffic is Internet communications traffic.

39. The system of claim 34, wherein the means for determining that the communications traffic should receive prioritization comprises means for determining that the communications traffic should receive prioritization based on log-in information of a user associated with the communications traffic.

40. The system of claim 34, further comprising:

means for determining that the communications traffic should not receive prioritization; and

means for handling the communications traffic in a normal manner without prioritization.

41. A computer program product including computer program code to cause a computer to perform a method for prioritizing network services, the network services including communications traffic, the method comprising:

determining at a server based upon data, received from a client or user, in a coupon associated with the client or user, the coupon defining a mode of prioritization, that the communications traffic should receive prioritization; and

applying the mode of prioritization defined by the coupon to all subsequent communications traffic from the client or user until the mode of prioritization is terminated or modified.

42. The computer program product of claim 41 wherein the coupon further defines a level of prioritization and applying the mode of prioritization further comprises applying the level of prioritization defined by the coupon to the communications traffic.

43. The computer program product of claim 42 wherein the level of prioritization is defined in relation to any one of customer value, content value, transaction value, or temporal value.

44. The computer program product of claim 41 wherein the mode of prioritization comprises any one of remapping a TCP port associated with the communications traffic to another TCP port, remapping a URL or IP address associated with the communications traffic to another URL or IP address, or tagging quality of service (QoS) information into the communications traffic.

45. The computer program product of claim 41 wherein the network services are Internet services and the communications traffic is Internet communications traffic.

46. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein determining that the communications traffic should receive prioritization comprises determining that the communications traffic should receive prioritization based upon a URL or IP address associated with the communications traffic.

47. The computer program product of claim 41, the method further comprising:

determining that the communications traffic should not receive prioritization; and

handling the communications traffic in a normal manner without prioritization.

48. The computer program product of claim 41, the method further comprising providing a client to a user of the network services to perform the determining that the communications traffic should receive prioritization and applying the mode of prioritization defined by the coupon to the communications traffic.

49. A computer program product including computer program code to cause a computer to perform a method of prioritizing network communications, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of TCP ports with each TCP port receiving network communications of a different level of priority;

providing an electronic coupon indicating a level of priority of a network communication;

determining at a server based upon data, received from a client or user, from the electronic coupon the level of priority of the network communication; and

directing the network communication from the client or user to one of the plurality of TCP ports receiving communications of the determined level of priority until the level of priority is terminated or modified.

50. The computer program product of claim 49, the method further comprising determining if the network communication should be provided prioritization based upon a URL or IP address associated with the network communication.

51. The computer program product of claim 50 wherein the level of priority is defined in relation to any one of customer value, content value, transaction value, or temporal value.

52. The computer program product of claim 49, wherein if it is determined that the network communication should not be provided prioritization, handling the network communication in a normal manner without prioritization.

53. The computer program product of claim 49, further comprising:

determining from the electronic coupon quality of service (QoS) information; and

applying the QoS information to the network communication.

54. The computer program product of claim 49 wherein the network communications are Internet communications.

55. A computer program product including computer program code to cause a computer to perform a method for prioritizing network services, the network services including communications traffic, the method comprising:

determining at a server based upon data, received from a client or user, in a coupon associated with the client or user that the communications traffic from the client or user should receive a mode of prioritization; and

applying the mode of prioritization to all subsequent communications traffic from the client or user until the mode of prioritization is terminated or modified.

56. The computer program product of claim 55, the method further comprising determining that the communications traffic should receive a level of prioritization and applying the mode of prioritization further comprises applying the level of prioritization to the communications traffic.

57. The computer program product of claim 56 wherein the level of prioritization is defined in relation to any one of customer value, content value, transaction value, or temporal value.

58. The computer program product of claim 57 wherein the mode of prioritization comprises any one of remapping a TCP port associated with the communications traffic to another TCP port, remapping a URL or IP address associated with the communications traffic to another URL or IP address, or tagging quality of service (QoS) information into the communications traffic.

59. The computer program product of claim 57 wherein the network services are Internet services and the communications traffic is Internet communications traffic.

60. The computer program product of claim 57, wherein determining that the communications traffic should receive prioritization comprises determining that the communications traffic should receive prioritization based on log-in information of a user associated with the communications traffic.

61. The computer program product of claim 57, the method further comprising:

determining that the communications traffic should not receive prioritization; and

handling the communications traffic in a normal manner without prioritization.