Cisco Technology, Inc.

Louis F Menditto

Chris O'Rourke

Mark Albert

Tzu-Ming Tsang

Pranav Kumar Tiwari

Richard A Howes

Edward A Kersey

James A Jordan

Robert Michael Batz

William Monte LeBlanc

Richard Gray

Jacob Mark McGuire

Pranav Tiwari

Gaurang Shah

Bruce F Wong

Barron Cornelius Housel, Iii

Michael Sutton

Jayaraman R Iyer

Jan Vilhuber

Kenneth W Davidson

John G White

Scott W Brim

Mauro Zallocco

Anurag Bhargava

Robert A Mackie

Biswaranjan Panda

Walter Glenn Dixon

Frank Gerard Bordonaro

Laurent Andriantsiferana

Christopher O'Rourke

Thomas R Bakita

Keith Richard Schomburg

Dwight Rodney Frye, Jr

Frank W Pittenger

Sean W Hull

Shannon Nix

Mark Grayson

Kent Kinchu Leung

Timothy Peter Stammers

Steven Robert Donovan

Alpesh S Patel

Kevin Shatzkamer

Gopal K Dommety

Bhaskar Bhupalam

Edward Curt Kersey

Eric Philippe Hamel

Marco Cesare Centemeri

Robert M Broberg

Ashish A Chandwadkar

Humberto M Tavares

Rafael Mantilla Montalvo

John M Glotzer

Rabih A Dabboussi

Ravishankar Chandrasekaran

Haihong Zhu

James A Jordon

Pranav K Tiwari

Michael S Sutton

Richard L Gray

Christopher C O'ROURKE

Kenneth Davidson

Techniques for separately accounting for multiple transactions in the same data packets communicated over a network using Transport Control Protocol (TCP) include receiving an Internet Protocol (IP) data packet that includes Transport Control Protocol (TCP) payload data. The TCP payload is parsed to determine boundary data that indicates a byte location on a boundary between a first transaction and a second transaction. A byte count that indicates a number of bytes in the TCP payload associated with the first transaction is determined based on the boundary data. Accounting data for the first transaction is determined based at least in part on the byte count. These techniques allow a service gateway to bill separately for different requests and responses carried in TCP data packets, such as those for Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP).

Techniques for accounting for multiple transactions in a transport control protocol (TCP) payload

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving quality if service difference data. Quality of service difference data indicates how a particular flow of data packets between a first end node of a particular subscriber and a different second end node differs from a particular quality of service level. The particular quality of service level is one of multiple quality of service levels available over the network. Quality of service data based on the quality of service difference data is sent to billing server that charges the particular subscriber based on the quality of service data.

Charging for network services based on delivered quality of service

In one embodiment, a request for content is received. An electronic advertisement is associated with the content. A status of a device that transmitted the request for the content is determined. Data corresponding to the status is included in the request for the content. The electronic advertisement or receipt of the electronic advertisement is provided as a function of the included data.

Controlling receipt of electronic advertising

Providing service information includes receiving session initiation protocol (SIP) packets from a SIP proxy. Service information is extracted from the SIP packets. The service information describes a service provided to an access terminal associated with a subscriber. The service information is sent to a charging/enforcement point operable to charge the subscriber for the service.

Providing service information for charging a subscriber for a service

Techniques for responding to intrusions on a packet switched network include receiving user data at a subscriber-aware gateway server between a network access server and a content server. The user data includes subscriber identifier data that indicates a unique identifier for a particular user, network address data that indicates a network address for a host used by the particular user, NAS data that indicates an identifier for the network access server, flow list data that indicates one or more open data packet flows, and suspicious activity data. The suspicious activity data indicates a value for a property of the open data packet flows that indicates suspicious activity. It is determined whether an intrusion condition is satisfied based on the suspicious activity data. If the intrusion condition is satisfied, then the gateway responds based at least in part on user data other than the network address data.

Techniques for network protection based on subscriber-aware application proxies

In one embodiment, at least one portion of a request for an electronic advertisement is received. The request includes an indicator indicative of one of a plurality of demographic servers. The at least one portion is analyzed. The at least one portion includes data of a user. Demographic information is identified as a function of the user data. A request for a selection of the electronic advertisement as a function of the demographic information is transmitted.

Electronic advertising using distributed demographics

In one embodiment, a method can include: (i) receiving an outbound packet in a network device, where the outbound packet includes a packet header; (ii) modifying the outbound packet by adding a service identifier to a cleartext portion of the packet header; (iii) when the outbound packet represents an event boundary, adding an event delimiter to the packet header; and (iv) passing the outbound packet to an encryption process for packaging and transmitting across a tunnel.

Allowing differential processing of encrypted tunnels

A method for communicating in a loadbalancing environment is provided that in a particular embodiment includes receiving a request packet from a network access server (NAS) to initiate a communication session. The request packet is then communicated to a tunneling protocol network server (TPNS) and a response packet is received in response to the request packet. The response packet establishes a tunnel that facilitates the communication session and that includes an identification element associated with the TPNS such that a data transfer associated with the communication session is executed between the NAS and the TPNS.

System and method for communicating in a loadbalancing environment

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a packet at a network processor, and determining the packet is to be directed to a selected one of a plurality of traffic processors if a tunnel endpoint identifier of the packet is associated with a subscriber terminal. The method further includes determining that the packet is to be directed to the selected one of the plurality of traffic processors if a destination address of the packet is associated with the subscriber terminal. The method still further includes distributing the packet to the selected one of the plurality of traffic processors.

System and method for providing single IP tunnel

An apparatus for managing information in a network environment is provided that includes a content service gateway operable to communicate with an end user in order to facilitate a communication session. The communication session relates to a request by the end user for content or for a service. A quota server coupled to the content service gateway is operable to receive a service authorization request from the content service gateway relating to the communication session. The service authorization request operates to authorize access to the service or to the content for the end user.

System and method for managing end user approval for charging in a network environment

A method for managing network access is provided that includes receiving a signal indicating a change in a network parameter, the change reflecting that an end user associated with a communication session has changed from using a first network node to a second network node. Each of the network nodes is operable to facilitate the communication session associated with the end user. The method also includes communicating with a billing system element to notify the billing system element of the change in the network parameter and receiving quota information for the end user associated with the second network node. The billing information associated with the second network node may be applied to the communication session, the billing information being based on the quota information.

System and method for managing network access for an end user

A method for distributing information in a network environment is provided that includes receiving one or more packets from a communication flow initiated by an end user and selectively communicating information associated with the communication flow to a network element so that the network element may correlate a source with the communication flow.

System and method for distributing information in a network environment

In one embodiment, a method for providing correlation of billing entries for a mobile communications network is provided. A correlating network element in a bearer path determines a plurality of billing entries for a flow. One or more of the billing entries may be received from other network elements and includes traffic altering information for a flow. The correlating network element correlates the plurality of billing entries using state information included in the billing entries. The state information is used to determine information in billing entries that may be related, such as billing entries for a single flow. Also, the correlating network element uses the traffic altering information to determine a data volume sent for the flow. A correlated billing entry may then be generated using the data volume for the flow. The correlated billing entry is then sent to a billing system from the correlating network element. Billing entries are not sent from other network elements that may be generating billing entries in a link to the billing system.

Correlation of billing information by a network element

Growing community of inventors

Raleigh, CA, United States of America

Louis F Menditto