Methods, systems, and products for address translation in residential networks

• US 8,838,735 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2011
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• 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 A., Singh, Anad K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): KRISHNAN, RAJESHWARI
• Application Number:
  US13/170,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20130007190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 370252-401, 709203-238, 710/244, 726/12, 455/557, 455/420, 455/3, 455/418
• 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 associated with a requesting address in a residential network, the request for content specifying the requesting address, a requested content, and a destination address of an output device in the residential network to which the requested content is delivered, wherein the output device is different from the requesting device;

generating, by the residential gateway, a translated request for content that replaces the requesting address of the requesting device with a gateway network address of the residential gateway;

storing an entry in a log, the log associating the request for content to the requesting device, to the output device, and to an identifier of the requested content;

sending the translated request for content from the residential gateway that identifies the 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 the log to determine the output device associated with the identifier of the requested content;

querying a residential network address table to determine the destination address associated with the output device; and

forwarding the requested content from the residential gateway to the destination address of the output device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising populating the residential network address translation table with addresses of devices discovered in the residential network.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending the translated request for content to a source address associated with a content source.

4. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that when executed causes the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a request for content at a residential gateway sent from a requesting device associated with a requesting address in a residential network, the request for content specifying the requesting address, a requested content, and a destination address of an output device in the residential network to which the requested content is delivered, wherein the output device is different from the requesting device;

generating a translated request for content that replaces the requesting address of the requesting device with a gateway network address of the residential gateway;

storing an entry in a log, the log associating the request for content to the requesting device, to the output device, and to an identifier of the requested content;

sending the translated request for content from the residential gateway that identifies the 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 the log to determine the output device associated with the identifier of the requested content;

querying a residential network address table to determine the destination address associated with the output device; and

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

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise populating the residential network address translation table with addresses of devices discovered in the residential network.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise sending the translated request for content to a source address associated with a content source.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise formatting the requested content.

8. A memory storing instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a request for content at a residential gateway sent from a requesting device associated with a requesting address in a residential network, the request for content specifying the requesting address, a requested content, and a destination address of an output device in the residential network to which the requested content is delivered, wherein the output device is different from the requesting device;

generating a translated request for content that replaces the requesting address of the requesting device with a gateway network address of the residential gateway;

storing an entry in a log, the log associating the request for content to the requesting device, to the output device, and to an identifier of the requested content;

sending the translated request for content from the residential gateway that identifies the 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 the log to determine the output device associated with the identifier of the requested content;

querying a residential network address table to determine the destination address associated with the output device; and

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

9. The memory according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise populating the residential network address translation table with addresses of devices discovered in the residential network.

10. The memory according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise sending the translated request for content to a source address associated with a content source.

11. The memory according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise formatting the requested content.