Cisco Technology, Inc.

Roland Arthur Saville

Arthur Gerald Howarth

Ralph Droms

Vikas Butaney

Rajiv Singhal

Prasad Miriyala

Lawrence Rolfe Kreeger

Christopher Wiborg

Gary Dennis Vogel, Jr

Thomas Szigeti

Chandrodaya Prasad

Pascal Thubert

Patrick Wetterwald

Vincent Jean Ribiere

Jayesh Chokshi

Bruce D Moon

Michael De Leo

Chandroadya Prasad

Thomas Paul Szigeti

Exemplified system and method optimizes dynamic Quality of Service (QoS) operation across a network infrastructure to alleviate time constraints when applying dynamic QoS policy on newly initiated traffic flow, particularly for various data streams. Initially, and by default, the exemplified system and method temporarily applies a high QoS policy to a newly initiated traffic flow and then verifies the QoS legitimacy of the flow to which the high QoS policy for the newly initiated traffic flow is maintained or is reduced to a lower-priority QoS policy. This trust-but-verify QoS operation allows new traffic, e.g., with voice and video components, to receive a high QoS PHB treatment as transmission of the traffic is initiated without having a nominal delay at the beginning of the call before QoS is applied while allowing the QoS legitimacy to be validated and maintained.

Methods and systems using trust-but-verify dynamic quality-of-service (QoS)

Methods and devices are provided for identifying end devices and automatically configuring associated network settings. Preferred implementations of the invention do not require users to manually identify connection types (e.g., RFID, IPphone, manufacturing device, etc.) or to manually configure the network device. Accordingly, such implementations allow automatic switch configuration, even for devices that use inconsistent protocols and/or protocols that are not well known. Some methods of the invention employ DHCP options combined with traffic snooping to identify devices and automatically apply appropriate switch port configuration.

Automated configuration of network device ports

Some implementations of the invention involve forming 'logical' or 'virtual' devices by aggregating a plurality of physical devices. The physical devices may be, for example, controllers, RFID readers and/or storage devices. Some logical devices comprise components of physical devices, such as individual antennas from a plurality of RFID readers. The physical devices may be located near one another or may be distributed over a wide geographical area. Logical device definitions can also be concatenated to include devices having two or more levels of logical device definitions. A single logical device grouping may include physical devices at differing levels of a network hierarchy.

Virtual readers for scalable RFID infrastructures

A method and system for remotely configuring and/or provisioning a device that is nonoperational is provided. The device may be, in general, any electronic device that includes at least one setting ('device setting') that can be programmatically or otherwise established or adjusted to configure and/or provision the device for its operation. The method includes detecting, via a radio frequency identification ('RFID') tag, a state of a device that is communicatively coupled to the RFID tag; and providing the device setting via the RFID tag when the state signifies that the device is nonoperational.

Method and system for remotely provisioning and/or configuring a device

Mechanisms are provided to inventory groupings of components, e.g., the physical chassis of a networking device as well as the various cards, modules, and/or blades inserted within the chassis. The inventory may be performed remotely. Some implementations also provide mechanisms to determine remotely the physical location of the asset. Preferred implementations of the invention can provide such functionality regardless of whether a main power supply of the physical device is on or off. Some embodiments of the invention employ radio frequency identification ('RFID') technology.

Remote inventory of devices

Methods and devices are provided for locating, identifying and provisioning devices in a network. According to some implementations of the invention, a combination of EPC code information and existing networking standards form the basis of identifying and provisioning methods. For example, location information included in a DHCPDISCOVER request can be used to determine appropriate configurations for networked devices. In some such implementations, the location information is read from an RFID tag near the networked device and is inserted in the DHCPDISCOVER request. The location information may include any type of absolute or relative coordinate, positioning, cartographic or similar information and/or information from which such information may be derived.

Locating and provisioning devices in a network

Some implementations of the present invention provide methods and devices for detecting the theft of, and disabling, electronic devices such as computers and network devices. The devices may be disabled when a signal is not detected, e.g., for a predetermined period of time. For example, a radio frequency ('RF') signal (e.g., a beacon), an Internet Protocol ('IP') signal or the like may define a space within which the devices may be operated with complete functionality. Outside this space, the devices will be disabled, at least to some degree. The degree of disablement may depend on the length of time since the signal was last detected. Alternatively, the devices may be disabled when a signal is detected: some such implementations define &#x201c;portals,&#x201d; &#x201c;choke points&#x201d; or the like past which a device may not be transported without some degree of disablement.

Detecting theft and disabling stolen equipment

Methods and devices are provided for identifying, locating and provisioning individual RFID devices in a network with 'personalities' that are appropriate for the roles of the RFID devices. According to some implementations of the invention, a combination of EPC code information and existing networking standards form the basis of identifying and provisioning methods. For example, MAC address information and EPC information can be combined to identify a particular device and its location in a network. For implementations using the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol ('DHCP'), DHCP Options may be used to pass provisioning information. Some implementations employ Domain Name Service (&#x201c;DNS&#x201d;) and dynamic DNS (&#x201c;DDNS&#x201d;) to allow easy identification of RFID devices.

Methods and devices for assigning RFID device personality

Methods and devices are provided for locating, identifying and provisioning devices in a network. According to some implementations of the invention, a combination of EPC code information and existing networking standards form the basis of identifying and provisioning methods. For example, first location information included in a DHCPDISCOVER request can be used to determine appropriate configurations for networked devices. In some such implementations, the first location information is read from an RFID tag near the networked device and is inserted in the DHCPDISCOVER request. The first location information may include any type of absolute or relative coordinate, positioning, cartographic or similar information and/or information from which such information may be derived. Second location information, which may be a logical name, is provided to the device. If the device is an RFID reader, the second location information may be included with reads from RFID tags that are transmitted from the RFID reader.

Locating, provisioning and identifying devices in a network

According to some implementations of the present invention, RFID devices and middleware servers are automatically provisioned with a network address and with instructions for sending a request for a middleware server to a middleware server assigner. In some implementations, the middleware server assigner is a load balancer. In some implementations, a middleware server is associated with a plurality of RFID devices by associating a middleware server network address or names with the network addresses of the RFID devices. Preferred methods also provide for redundancy of middleware servers and dynamic re-assignment of RFID devices from an unavailable middleware server to an available middleware server.

Methods and devices for providing scalable RFID networks

Methods and devices are provided for identifying, locating and provisioning individual RFID devices in a network. According to some implementations of the invention, a combination of EPC code information and existing networking standards form the basis of identifying and provisioning methods. For example, MAC address information and EPC information can be combined to identify a particular device and its location in a network. For implementations using the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol ('DHCP'), DHCP Options may be used to pass provisioning information. Some implementations employ Domain Name Service ('DNS') and dynamic DNS (&#x201c;DDNS&#x201d;) to allow easy identification of RFID devices.

Methods and devices for locating and uniquely provisioning RFID devices

Methods and devices are provided for identifying and provisioning individual RFID devices in a network. According to some implementations of the invention, a combination of EPC code information and existing networking standards form the basis of identifying and provisioning methods. For example, MAC address information and EPC information can be combined to identify a particular device and its location in a network. For implementations using the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol ('DHCP'), DHCP Options may be used to pass provisioning information. Some implementations employ Domain Name Service ('DNS') and dynamic DNS (&#x201c;DDNS&#x201d;) to allow easy identification of RFID devices.

Growing community of inventors

Boca Raton, FL, United States of America

Roland Arthur Saville