# US 2014/0153576 A1 · Sharing IP Network Resources

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- Number: US 2014/0153576 A1
- Document ID: US20140153576A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/889,236
- Filed: 2013-05-07
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2000-08-23
- Assignees: At Home Bondholders' Liquidating Trust
- Applicants: At Home Bondholders' Liquidating Trust
- Inventors: Jeremy T. Johnson; Milo S. Medin, JR.
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140153576A1

## CPC

- H04L 47/787: {Bandwidth trade among domains}
- H04L 12/2856: {Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access (asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W)}
- H04L 12/2863: {Arrangements for combining access network resources elements, e.g. channel bonding (modem pooling H04L25/14; routing of packets H04L45/00; multichannel or multilink protocols H04L69/14)}
- H04L 45/30: Routing of multiclass traffic
- H04L 45/50: using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
- Y02D 30/50: in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

A system and method for sharing access to an internet protocol (IP) network among multiple internet service providers (ISPs) uses multiprotocol label switching (MPLS). End-users are coupled to a broadband customer access network. Each end-user is also associated with at least one of the ISPs. An aggregation router interfaces the customer access network with a network backbone. The network backbone includes a border router for interfacing between the network backbone and the network of an ISP. When the border router is activated, it creates a forwarding equivalency class (FEC) corresponding to the ISP. The border router stores a label for the FEC and the interface for reaching the ISP in an FEC table. The border router advertises the label binding for the FEC to all upstream nodes. An intermediate node receiving the label binding creates its own FEC table, associates a new label with the FEC, and advertises the new label binding to its upstream nodes. The aggregation router receives and builds a FEC table containing the label bindings for all ISPs reachable over the network backbone. When the aggregation router receives a data packet from an end-user, the aggregation router determines the ISP associated with the end-user, labels the data packet with the label corresponding to the FEC for that ISP, and routes the packet on the network backbone. The packet eventually reaches the border router, which pops off the label and passes the packet to the ISP.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for sharing bandwidth among a plurality of internet service providers (ISPs) coupled to a backbone network, the system comprising:
a headend device in communication with a customer access network and the backbone network, the headend device configured to:
receive a data packet from an end-user associated with one of the plurality of ISPs; and
source-route the data packet to the ISP associated with the end-user; and
a tailend node in communication with the backbone network and the ISP associated with the end-user, the tailend node storing a forwarding equivalency class (FEC) for the ISP associated with the end-user, the tailend node configured to:
receive the data packet source-routed by the headend device and pass the data packet to the ISP associated with the end-user based on the FEC for the ISP.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising:
an intermediate node between the headend device and the tailend node, the intermediate node configured to receive the data packet source-routed by the headend device and route the data packet to the tailend node.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the intermediate node is further configured to:
store an intermediate FEC table that maps data packets to FECs for ISPs and maps each FEC to a next hop for source-routing the data packet to that ISP.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The system of claim 3, wherein the intermediate node is further configured to:
receive an upstream label and the FEC from the tailend;
store the upstream label for the FEC in the intermediate FEC table; and
pass the upstream label and the FEC from the intermediate node to the headend.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the intermediate node is further configured to:
determine a next hop for the data packet by accessing an intermediate FEC table that maps data packets to FECs and specifies for each FEC a next hop for routing the data packet.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the tailend node is further configured to determine an autonomous system number (ASN) of the ISP associated with the end-user and to store for each FEC, the ASN and an address of the next server for reaching the ISP.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the tailend node is further configured to store FECs reachable from the tailend in an FEC table.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the tailend node is further configured to:
account for an amount of data passed to the ISP associated with the end-user.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the tailend node is configured to account for an amount of data passing through the tailend node to each of the one or more ISPs coupled to the tailend node.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the tailend is configured to send messages advertising existence of the tailend node to upstream nodes in communication with the tailend in the backbone network.

### Claim 11

A method for sharing bandwidth among a plurality of internet service providers (ISPs) coupled to a backbone network, the method comprising:
receiving, by a headend device, a data packet from an end-user associated with a particular one of a plurality of ISPs, the headend device in communication with a customer access network and a backbone network;
source-routing, by the headend device, the data packet to an ISP associated with the end user;
receiving, by a tailend node, the data packet source-routed by the headend device;
identifying, by the tailend node, an FEC class corresponding to the ISP associated with the end-user; and
forwarding, by the tailend node, the data packet to the ISP associated with the end-user according to the FEC class corresponding to the ISP.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein, source-routing the data packet by the headend device comprises:
sending the data packet to an intermediate node between the headend device and the tailend node, the intermediate node configured to receive the data packet from the headend device and route the data packet to the tailend node.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising:
storing, by the intermediate node, an intermediate FEC table that maps data packets to FECs for ISPs and maps each FEC to a next hop for source-routing the data packet to that ISP.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising:
determining a next hop for the data packet by accessing an intermediate FEC table that maps data packets to FECs and specifies for each FEC to a next hop for routing the data packet.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising:
receiving, by the intermediate node, an upstream label and the FEC from the tailend;
storing the upstream label for the FEC in the intermediate FEC table; and
passing the upstream label and the FEC from the intermediate node to the headend.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising:
determining an autonomous system number (ASN) of the ISP associated with the end-user; and
storing for each FEC, the ASN and an address of the next server for reaching the ISP.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising:
storing FECs reachable from the tailend in an FEC table.

### Claim 18 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising:
accounting for an amount of data passed to the ISP associated with the end-user.

### Claim 19 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising:
accounting for an amount of data passing through the tailend to each of the one or more ISPs coupled to the tailend.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising:
sending, by the tailend node, messages advertising existence of the tailend node to upstream nodes in communication with the tailend in the backbone network.