US6466977B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Proxy on demand
Assignee: Cisco Technology Inc
•
Filing: 1999-05-06
•
Granted: 2002-10-15
•
Expires: 2019-05-06
Abstract
Abstract In a first aspect of the present invention, a Wholesaler dynamically identifies one of a plurality of AAA services at a remote domain to route an access request to. The AAA service is selected based upon a set of rules applied to information which has been received dynamically from the plurality of AAA services and is indicative of load and status of the plurality of AAA services. In a second aspect of the present invention, a Wholesaler, based upon a Service Level Agreement (SLA) between the Wholesaler and a user, routes the user to one of a plurality of sub-service providers.
Inventors
- 👤 Aravind Sitaraman
- 👤 Craig Michael Alesso
- 👤 Charles Troper Yager
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 21:40
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L67/00; H04L67/01; H04L67/10; H04L67/1001; H04L67/1004; H04L67/1008; H04L61/00; H04L61/35; H04L63/00; H04L63/02; H04L63/0281; H04L63/08; H04L63/0892; H04L67/1012; H04L67/1017; H04L67/1019; H04L67/1036; H04M; H04M11/00; H04M11/06; H04M11/062
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
128 words
A method for managing network access requests to a data communications network, said method comprising: receiving at a point of presence (PoP) in a first domain of the data communications network a network access request from a user, said network access request specifying a second domain which is not the same as said first domain; forwarding the network access request to a proxy service at the PoP; determining the user's domain; looking up information regarding a plurality of authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) services associated with the user's domain; checking the information to determine which of the plurality of AAA services associated with the user's domain are available; selecting an available AAA service associated with the user's domain; and proxying an access request to said selected AAA service.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
128 words
A method for managing network access requests to a data communications network, said method comprising: receiving at a point of presence (PoP) in a first domain of the data communications network a network access request from a user, said network access request specifying a second domain which is not the same as said first domain; forwarding the network access request to a proxy service at the PoP; determining the user's domain; looking up information regarding a plurality of authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) services associated with the user's domain; checking the information to determine which of the plurality of AAA services associated with the user's domain are available; selecting an available AAA service associated with the user's domain; and proxying an access request to said selected AAA service.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method according to claim 1 , further comprising: load balancing a plurality of network access requests to a user's domain among a plurality of said available AAA services associated with the user's domain.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method according to claim 2 , wherein said load balancing includes assigning access requests to said plurality of AAA services associated with the user's domain in a round robin fashion.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method according to claim 2 , wherein said load balancing includes assigning access requests to said plurality of AAA services associated with the user's domain in a pseudo-random fashion.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
54 words
A method according to claim 2 , wherein said load balancing includes checking the information to determine a recent load factor for at least one of the plurality of AAA services associated with the user's domain, and wherein said selecting includes choosing an AAA service the load factor of which is below a threshold.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 5 , wherein choosing includes picking an AAA service having the least load factor of the plurality of available AAA services.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to claim 1 , wherein said selecting includes: determining a value related to the load and capacity of each available AAA service.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method according to claim 7 , wherein said selecting further includes: choosing one of said available AAA services wherein said value is below a predetermined threshold.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to claim 7 , wherein said selecting further includes: choosing the one of said available AAA services having the least said value.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
88 words
A method for managing sub-service network access requests to a data communications network, said method comprising: receiving at a point of presence (PoP) of the data communications network a network access request to use the sub-service from a user; authenticating the user; looking up a service level agreement applicable to the user; looking up available sub-service-providers and corresponding service level agreements; determining the “best” sub-service provider to match with the user's request; requesting the sub-service provider to render the sub-service; and having the sub-service provider render the service.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
88 words
A method for managing sub-service network access requests to a data communications network, said method comprising: receiving at a point of presence (PoP) of the data communications network a network access request to use the sub-service from a user; authenticating the user; looking up a service level agreement applicable to the user; looking up available sub-service-providers and corresponding service level agreements; determining the “best” sub-service provider to match with the user's request; requesting the sub-service provider to render the sub-service; and having the sub-service provider render the service.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
54 words
A method according to claim 10 , wherein said determining includes comparing the service level agreements of each available sub-service provider with the requested service and the user's service level agreement and selecting a best sub-service provider on the basis of revenue maximization subject to the constraints imposed by the user's service level agreement.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
77 words
An authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) service, comprising: means for receiving a network access request from a user; means for determining a domain corresponding to the user; a memory containing a record corresponding to said domain, said record having a plurality of entries corresponding to AAA services available at said domain; means for selecting one of the plurality of entries; and means for proxying said network access request to the AAA service specified in the selected entry.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
77 words
An authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) service, comprising: means for receiving a network access request from a user; means for determining a domain corresponding to the user; a memory containing a record corresponding to said domain, said record having a plurality of entries corresponding to AAA services available at said domain; means for selecting one of the plurality of entries; and means for proxying said network access request to the AAA service specified in the selected entry.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 1 , wherein said determining includes parsing a user's fully qualified domain name (FQDN).
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method according to claim 1 , wherein said determining includes checking a user's calling line identification (CLID) against a stored list of telephone numbers to determine a corresponding domain identification stored therewith.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method according to claim 1 , wherein said determining includes checking an incoming digital number identification service identification (DNIS ID) against a stored list of telephone numbers to determine a corresponding domain identification stored therewith.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
148 words
A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for managing network access requests to a data communications network, said method comprising: receiving at a point of presence (PoP) in a first domain of the data communications network a network access request from a user, said network access request specifying a second domain which is not the same as said first domain; forwarding the network access request to a proxy service at the PoP; determining the user's domain; looking up information regarding a plurality of authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) services associated with the user's domain; checking the information to determine which of the plurality of AAA services associated with the user's domain are available; selecting an available AAA service associated with the user's domain; and proxying an access request to said selected AAA service.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
148 words
A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for managing network access requests to a data communications network, said method comprising: receiving at a point of presence (PoP) in a first domain of the data communications network a network access request from a user, said network access request specifying a second domain which is not the same as said first domain; forwarding the network access request to a proxy service at the PoP; determining the user's domain; looking up information regarding a plurality of authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) services associated with the user's domain; checking the information to determine which of the plurality of AAA services associated with the user's domain are available; selecting an available AAA service associated with the user's domain; and proxying an access request to said selected AAA service.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
108 words
A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for managing sub-service network access requests to a data communications network, said method comprising: receiving a point of presence (PoP) of the data communications network a network access request to use the sub-service from a user; authenticating the user; looking up a service level agreement applicable to the user; looking up available sub-service providers and corresponding service level agreements; determining the “best” sub-service provider to match with the user's request; requesting the sub-service provider to render the sub-service; and having the sub-service provider render the sub-service.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
108 words
A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for managing sub-service network access requests to a data communications network, said method comprising: receiving a point of presence (PoP) of the data communications network a network access request to use the sub-service from a user; authenticating the user; looking up a service level agreement applicable to the user; looking up available sub-service providers and corresponding service level agreements; determining the “best” sub-service provider to match with the user's request; requesting the sub-service provider to render the sub-service; and having the sub-service provider render the sub-service.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-10-14 | 2006-04-15 | 2006-10-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-10-14 | 2010-04-15 | 2010-10-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-10-14 | 2014-04-15 | 2014-10-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |