Methods, systems, and products for address translation

• US 9,521,111 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2014
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• 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: Das, Jayanta, Doshi, Bhavin A., Singh, Anand Kumar, Kumar, Saurabh
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): KRISHNAN, RAJESHWARI
• Application Number:
  US14/460,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20140359164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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, by a gateway, an electronic request for content sent from a requesting device, the electronic request for the content specifying a different output device to which the content is delivered;

storing, by the gateway, log entries that electronically log the electronic request for the content to a requesting address associated with the requesting device, to a destination address associated with the different output device, and to an identifier associated with the content;

generating, by the gateway, a translated electronic request for the content, the translated electronic request for the content substituting a gateway network address associated with the gateway as both a requestor and a destination for the content;

sending, by the gateway, the translated electronic request for the content into a data network;

receiving, by the gateway, the content;

querying, by the gateway, the log entries for the identifier associated with the content;

retrieving, by the gateway, the destination address from the log entries, the destination address electronically logged in association with the identifier associated with the content received by the gateway; and

forwarding, by the gateway, the content to the destination address associated with the output device that is different from the requesting device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the content addressed to the gateway network address.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a selection of the different output device in a graphical listing of output devices.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising populating the graphical listing with the output devices.

5. A system, comprising:

a processor operating in a gateway; and

a memory device, the memory device storing instructions, the instructions when executed causing the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving an electronic request for content sent from a requesting device, the electronic request for the content specifying an output device that is different from the requesting device;

storing log entries that electronically associate the electronic request for the content to a requesting address associated with the requesting device, to a destination address associated with the output device, and to an identifier associated with the content;

generating a translated electronic request for the content, the translated electronic request for the content substituting a gateway network address associated with the gateway as both a requestor and a destination for the content;

sending the translated electronic request for the content from the gateway into a data network;

receiving the content at the gateway;

querying the log entries for the identifier associated with the content received at the gateway;

retrieving the destination address from the log entries, the destination address electronically logged in association with the identifier associated with the content received by the gateway; and

forwarding the content received by the gateway to the destination address associated with the output device that is different from the requesting device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise querying a network address table to retrieve the destination address associated with the output device.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the content addressed to the gateway network address.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving the destination address associated with the output device.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a selection of the output device in a graphical listing of output devices.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise populating the graphical listing.

11. A memory device storing computer readable instructions that when executed by a processor at a gateway cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving an electronic request for content sent from a requesting device, the electronic request for the content specifying a different output device from the requesting device;

storing an entry in an electronic log, the entry electronically associating the electronic request for the content to a requesting address associated with the requesting device, to a destination address associated with the different output device, and to an identifier associated with the content;

generating a translated electronic request for the content, the translated electronic request for the content substituting a gateway network address associated with the gateway as both a requestor and a destination for the content;

sending the translated electronic request for the content from the gateway into a data network;

receiving the content at the gateway in response to the translated electronic request;

querying the electronic log for the identifier associated with the content received at the gateway to determine the different output device;

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

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

12. The memory device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise populating the network address table.

13. The memory device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the content addressed to the gateway network address.

14. The memory device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving the destination address.

15. The memory device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise sending the content to the destination address.

16. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a selection of the different output device in a graphical listing of output devices.