Transferring messages in networks made up of subnetworks with different namespaces
US6473426B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 21, 1999 |
| Grant date | Oct 29, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 21, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L12/66
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Techniques employed in packet networks for transferring a packet across subnetworks with different namespaces. When a packet enters a given subnetwork and has a destination in a subnetwork with a different namespace, the given subnetwork encapsulates the packet by adding a header which specifies a decapsulator in the namespace. When the packet arrives at the decapsulator, the decapsulator strips the header and provides the packet to a subnetwork with a different namespace. A particular use of the technique is in a network used for broad-band interactive service. The network has two sub-networks. The first subnetwork is a TV channel which functions as a high-bandwidth forward channel and the second subnetwork is a packet network accessible via a public modem pool which functions as a lower-bandwidth return channel. The encapsulator establishes a connection with the public modem pool and receives an address in the second subnetwork which is temporarily associated with the connection. When the encapsulator receives a packet which is produced in response to a packet received from the TV channel and has a destination address in the sub-network of the TV channel, the encapsulator places …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.