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Network watermark

  • US 8,625,574 B2
  • Filed: 08/01/2011
  • Issued: 01/07/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2007
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A network communications method utilizing a network watermark process, the network watermark process comprising the step of creating a verifiable communications path through a network of nodes between a first end node and a second end node, the verifiable communications path being collectively created,(a) by the first end node performing the step of sending a communication including a class identifier of the first end node and an identification of the second end node to an immediately succeeding node in the verifiable communications path;

  • (b) by each respective intermediate node, if any, between the first end node and the second end node in the verifiable communications path, performing the steps of,(i) receiving a communication from an immediately preceding node, the communication including the class identifier and respective first path data,(ii) verifying the communication that is received from the immediately preceding node using first maintained class rules corresponding to the class identifier, and(iii) upon successful verification of the communication from the immediately preceding node, sending a communication to an immediately succeeding node of the respective intermediate node, the communication including the class identifier and respective second path data that at least identifies a network communications path from the first end node to the respective intermediate node; and

    (c) by the second end node performing the steps of,(i) receiving a communication from the immediately preceding node, the communication including the class identifier and path information that at least identifies a network communications path from the first end node to the immediately preceding node,(ii) verifying the communication that is received from the immediately preceding node using class rules corresponding to the class identifier that are maintained by the second end node, and(iii) validating the communications path through the network of nodes between the first end node and the second end node.

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