US 12,355,723 B2Granted

Dynamic VPN address allocation

AssigneeVirnetX, Inc.

InventorsRobert Dunham Short, III, Michael Williamson, Victor Larson

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Methods and related systems are presented that relate to automatically avoiding address conflicts when establishing a secure communications link over a public network between a local computer, associated with a local network, and a remote device, located outside the local network. Local network addresses on the local network reserved for use, and a block of local network addresses that do not conflict with the reserved local network addresses, are identified. At least one local network address is selected from the block and assigned as an address of the local device for use in communicating with the remote device securely over the public network. Communication is facilitated with the remote device using the network driver based on the assigned at least one local network address.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A local device, associated with a local network, for automatically avoiding address conflicts when communicating securely over a public network with a remote device, located outside the local network, the local device comprising:

a network driver;
and
at least one processor, coupled to memory, is configured to:
identify a block of local network addresses that are available for use, wherein each of the local network addresses includes an IP address and network mask;
send, to the remote device, the block of local network addresses that are available for use;
receive, from the remote device, at least one local network address, including corresponding IP addresses and corresponding network masks;
assign, to the network driver, the selected at least one local network address as an address of the local device for use in communicating with the remote device securely over the public network;
identify at least one remote network address based at least in part on the selected at least one local network address for the remote device for use in communicating with the local device securely over the public network;
encapsulate at least one of a private address of the local device or a private address of the remote device with the at least one local network address;
add the at least one remote network address to a list of reserved local network addresses;
and
communicate with the remote device using the network driver based on the assigned at least one local network address.

9 more elements

A method, associated with a local network, for automatically avoiding address conflicts when communicating securely over a public network with a remote device, located outside the local network, the method comprising:

identifying, by a local device comprising at least one processor, a block of local network addresses that are available for use, wherein each of the local network addresses includes an IP address and network mask;
sending, to the remote device, the block of local network addresses that are available for use;
receiving, from the remote device, at least one local network address, including corresponding IP addresses and corresponding network masks;
assigning, by the local device and to a network driver, the at least one local network address as an address of the local device for use in communicating with the remote device securely over the public network;
identifying, by the local device, at least one remote network address based at least in part on the at least one local network address for the remote device for use in communicating with the local device securely over the public network;
encapsulating at least one of a private address of the local device or a private address of the remote device with the at least one local network address;
adding, by the local device, the at least one remote network address to a list of reserved local network addresses;
and
communicating with the remote device using the network driver based on the assigned at least one local network address.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/656,444Filed 25 Mar 2022 · continuation
Priority: 8 Jul 2011
Published: US 2022/0286427 A18 Sep 2022
Granted: 8 Jul 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

H04L 61/5046
Address allocation: resolving address allocation conflicts; Testing of addresses
G06F 16/9017
Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures: using directory or table look-up
H04L 61/2514
Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses: between local and global IP addresses
H04L 61/2592
Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses: using tunnelling or encapsulation

Family

Application61/505,754Us provisional application · filed 8 Jul 2011
Application13/544,582Parent of this continuation · filed 9 Jul 2012
Application14/687,875Parent of this continuation · filed 15 Apr 2015
US 9,027,116 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 5 May 2015
Application16/834,718Parent of this continuation · filed 30 Mar 2020
US 10,608,986 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 31 Mar 2020
US 2022/0286427 A1Pre-grant publication · published 8 Sep 2022
US 11,290,420 B2Parent of this continuation
US 10,560,425 B2Related patent
US 2013/0179580 A1Published application
US 2016/0072763 A1Published application
US 2020/0296074 A1Published application
US 12,355,723 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.