Methods and apparatus for masking destination addresses to reduce traffic over a communication link

A computer network, comprising:

• a service-providing network including an address-assigning computer device;
• a gateway device connected to the service-providing network for:
• monitoring communications involving address assignment between the address-assigning computer device and one or more computer devices;
• storing at least one computer device identifier corresponding to at least one computer device that was assigned an address by the address-assigning computer device;
• receiving traffic from a computer device of the one or more computer devices;
• using the at least one computer device identifier, determining whether the computer device is one that was assigned an address by the address-assigning computer device;
• and
• if the computer device does not have an assigned address received on a communication on the communication link, blocking the traffic from the communication link;
• otherwise, transmitting the traffic through the gateway to the communication link based upon an assigned address for the computer device received on the communication link.

A fixed wireless system, comprising:

• a wireless transceiver unit;
• the wireless transceiver unit having an input for coupling to a plurality of computer devices;
• a wireless base unit;
• the wireless base unit and transceiver unit operative to communicate over a wireless communication link;
• an address-assigning computer device coupled to the wireless base unit;
• the wireless transceiver unit operative to transmit address requests for the computer devices to the address-assigning computer device;
• the wireless transceiver unit operative to transmit, over the wireless communication link, traffic from a computer device that was assigned an address by the addressing assigning computer device;
• and
• the wireless transceiver unit operative to inhibit transmission of traffic over the wireless communication link from one or more other computer devices that were not assigned an address by the address-assigning computer device.

A method for controlling the use of resources in a computer network, the method comprising:

• receiving, at an address-assigning computer device, an address request from a computer device of a local computer network;
• reading, at the address-assigning computer device, subscription data associated with the computer device, the subscription data including -data indicative of a maximum allowable number of addresses for simultaneous use by the local computer network;
• and
• determining, at the address-assigning computer device, whether to assign an address to the computer device based on the maximum allowable number of addresses and an actual number of addresses simultaneously assigned to the local computer network.

An address-assigning computer device for controlling use of resources in a computer network which involves a first local computer network and a second local computer network:

• wherein the address-assigning computer device is operative to:
• receive an address request from a first computer device of the first local computer network;
• read first subscription data associated with the first local computer network, where the first subscription data includes data indicative of a maximum allowable number of addresses for simultaneous use by the first local computer network;
• determine whether to assign an address to the first computer device based on the maximum allowable number of addresses and an actual number of addresses simultaneously assigned to the first local computer network;
• wherein the address-assigning computer device is further operative to:
• receive an address request from a second computer device of the second local computer network;
• read second subscription data associated with the second local computer network, where the second subscription data includes data indicative of a maximum allowable number of addresses for simultaneous use by the second local computer network;
• and
• determine whether to assign an address to the second computer device based on the maximum allowable number of addresses and an actual number of addresses simultaneously assigned to the second local computer network.

A computer network, comprising:

• a plurality of gateway devices, each gateway device for coupling to one or more computer devices associated therewith;
• a service-providing network including one or more servers;
• the plurality of gateway devices and the service-providing network operative to communicate over a communication link;
• each gateway device operative for:
• receiving traffic from a computer device;
• masking a destination address of the traffic with a mask which allows addressing to the service providing network but disallows direct addressing to computer devices associated with the plurality of gateway devices;
• and
• transmitting, over the communication link, traffic addressed to the service providing network.