Method and system for prioritizing network services

• US 8,914,543 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NetPrecept Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Catchfire Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Jasen, Mark, Daley, Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): TANG, KIET G
• Application Number:
  US11/606,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20070079005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,937 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-250, 370/230.1, 370/393, 370/338
• 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 length of time or for a given transaction. The modes of prioritization may comprise remapping TCP ports to which a communication is directed, remapping uniform resource locators and/or Internet Protocol addresses to which a communication is directed and/or tagging communications with quality of service 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 computer program product including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer program code to cause a computer to perform a method of prioritizing access to a server, the server access including one or more associated communications traffic connections, the method comprising:

determining that the communications traffic connection(s) with a source, the source being i) a client computer, ii) a user of a computer, iii) a server computer, or iv) any combination of i) to iii), receives prioritization;

causing installation of a coupon at a computer of the source; and

applying a mode of prioritization, responsive to the coupon, to all subsequent communications traffic associated with that server access from the source in the communications traffic connection(s) until the mode of prioritization is terminated or modified, the mode of prioritization comprising denying or delaying one or more communications traffic connections in favor of the communications traffic associated with the server access.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the determining is based upon data in the coupon, the coupon uniquely identifying the source.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the coupon is used in combination with information associated with requested server content, application function or business service to define a level of prioritization and applying the mode of prioritization further comprises applying the level of prioritization to the communications traffic associated with the server access.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the level of prioritization is defined in relation to (a) the server content, (b) the application function, (c) the business service, (d) a value associated with any of the foregoing, (e) customer value, (f) content value, (g) transaction value, (h) temporal value, or (i) any combination of (a) to (h).

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the mode of prioritization comprises remapping a TCP port, URL, IP address, or any combination thereof, associated with the communications traffic connection(s).

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein determining that the communications traffic connection(s) receives prioritization comprises determining that the communications traffic connection(s) receives prioritization based upon a port, URL or IP address associated with the communications traffic.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing a client to a user of the server to perform the determining that the communications traffic connection(s) receives prioritization.

18. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the mode of prioritization comprises tagging quality of service (QoS) information into the communications traffic associated with the server access.

19. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the coupon comprises an HTTP cookie.

20. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the remapping comprises a HTTP redirect to another TCP port, URL, IP address, or any combination thereof, associated with the communications traffic connection(s).

8. A client to prioritize access to a server having one or more communications traffic connection(s) with the client and receiving the communications traffic from the client, the client comprising:

a coupon management unit including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer program code to receive a coupon from a computer, cause a computer of the client to install the coupon on the client computer, and to determine, based upon data associated with the coupon, that access to the server and associated communications traffic receives prioritization; and

a remapping unit to apply a mode of prioritization to communications traffic associated with the server access in the communications traffic connection(s), the mode of the prioritization including remapping a TCP port, URL, IP address, or any combination thereof, associated with the communications traffic associated with the server access.

9. The client of claim 8, wherein the coupon management unit is further configured to determine that the communications traffic receives prioritization based upon the TCP port, URL or IP address associated with the communications traffic.

10. The client of claim 8, wherein the coupon references a level of prioritization and the remapping unit is configured to apply the level of prioritization referenced by the coupon to the communications traffic associated with the server access.

11. The client of claim 10, wherein the level of prioritization is defined in relation to (a) server content, (b) application function, (c) business service requested, (d) value associated with any of the foregoing, (e) customer value, (f) content value, (g) transaction value, (h) temporal value, or (i) any combination of (a) to (h).

12. The client of claim 8, wherein the mode of prioritization includes tagging quality of service (QoS) information into the communications traffic and further comprises a QoS tagging unit to apply the QoS information referenced by the coupon to the communications traffic associated with the server access.

21. The client of claim 8, wherein the coupon comprises an HTTP cookie.

13. A server to prioritize access to an accessed server, the server comprising:

a coupon management unit including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer program code to cause a computer to cause installation of a coupon at a computer of a source, the accessed server having one or more communications traffic connection(s) with the source and receiving the communications traffic from the source; and

a prioritization unit configured to, responsive to data associated with the coupon, determine the communications traffic associated with the server access receives prioritization and apply a mode of prioritization to the communications traffic associated with the server access, the mode of prioritization for the server access including remapping a TCP port, URL, IP address, or any combination thereof, associated with the communications traffic associated with the server access and the mode of prioritization comprising denying or delaying one or more communications traffic connections in favor of the communications traffic associated with the server access.

14. The server of claim 13, wherein the prioritization unit is further configured to determine the communications traffic receives prioritization based upon the TCP port, URL or IP address associated with the communications traffic.

15. The server of claim 13, wherein the prioritization unit is further configured, based on the coupon in combination with information associated with requested server content, application function or business service, to define a level of prioritization and apply the level of prioritization to the communications traffic associated with the server access.

16. The server of claim 15, wherein the level of prioritization is defined in relation to (a) server content, (b) application function, (c) business service requested, (d) value associated with any of the foregoing, (e) customer value, (f) content value, (g) transaction value, (h) temporal value, or (i) any combination of (a) to (h).

17. The server of claim 13, wherein the mode of prioritization includes tagging quality of service (QoS) information into the communications traffic and the server is configured to apply the QoS information referenced by the coupon to the communications traffic associated with the server access.

22. The server of claim 13, wherein the coupon comprises an HTTP cookie.