The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 28, 2011
Filed:
May. 04, 2004
Lionel Florit, Greenbrae, CA (US);
Robert W. Klessig, Los Altos Hills, CA (US);
Lionel Florit, Greenbrae, CA (US);
Robert W. Klessig, Los Altos Hills, CA (US);
Cisco Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
Methods and systems for distributing multicast messages in a network are disclosed. The use of such a method or system in an Ethernet network can result in a reduction in the number of flooded multicast messages. One method can involve receiving a companion message, which includes a multicast address, at a network device and extracting the multicast address from the companion message. The multicast address can then be associated with a VLAN and an interface of the network device. Another method involves receiving a join message, which identifies a multicast group being joined, and generating a companion message corresponding to the join message. The companion message includes an address of the multicast group.