# US 2014/0153583 A1 · Method and multi-homed equipment for establishing a multipath connection > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0153583 A1 - Document ID: US20140153583A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/093,459 - Filed: 2013-11-30 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: Thomson Licensing - Applicants: Thomson Licensing - Inventors: Stephane GOUACHE; Luis Montalvo; Charline Taibi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140153583A1 ## CPC - H04L 45/24: Multipath - H04L 12/6418: {Hybrid transport} - H04L 67/141: Setup of application sessions (admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70) - H04L 69/14: Multichannel or multilink protocols - H04L 69/163: In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract According to the invention, the method for establishing a multipath connection across multiple communication paths between a first and a second multi-homed equipments within a least one communication network, both equipments being able to support a multipath protocol, wherein said method comprises the successive steps of: sending, from the first equipment, main connection establishment requests across at least two communication paths between said first and second equipments; receiving, from the second equipment, at least one acknowledgement message across one of said communication paths; and determining, at the first equipment, as a main communication path, the communication path whereby the first one of said at least one acknowledgement message from the second equipment has been received by the first equipment, in order to establish the main connection of said multipath connection across said main communication path. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for establishing a multipath connection across multiple communication paths between a first and a second equipments within a least one communication network, both equipments being able to support a multipath protocol, wherein said method comprises the successive steps of: sending, from the first equipment, main connection establishment requests across at least two communication paths between said first and second equipments; receiving, from the second equipment, at least one acknowledgement message across one of said communication paths; and determining, at the first equipment, as a main communication path, the communication path whereby the first one of said at least one acknowledgement message from the second equipment has been received by the first equipment, in order to establish the main connection of said multipath connection across said main communication path. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: sending, from the first equipment, an acknowledgement with a first data message across said determined main communication path; and receiving, from the second equipment, an establishment acknowledgement message to establish the main connection of said multipath connection between the first and second equipments. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of sending, from the first equipment, a reset request across each of auxiliary communication paths, which differ from the determined main communication path, for aborting the connection along those auxiliary communication paths. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of: sending, from the first equipment, an auxiliary connection establishment request across at least one of the auxiliary communication paths; receiving, from the second equipment, at least one acknowledgement message across said auxiliary communication path; and sending, from the first equipment, an acknowledgement message across said auxiliary communication path, so that an auxiliary connection of said multipath connection is established between the first equipment and the second equipment across said auxiliary communication path. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) A method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of: sending, from the first equipment, an information message representative of the first equipment possible auxiliary communication paths, across said main communication path; receiving, from the second equipment, an auxiliary connection establishment request across at least one of the auxiliary communication paths; receiving, from the first equipment, at least one acknowledgement message across said auxiliary communication path; and sending, from the second equipment, an acknowledgement message across said auxiliary communication path, so that an auxiliary connection of said multipath connection is established between the first equipment and the second equipment across said auxiliary communication path. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein said main connection establishment requests are sent essentially simultaneously from the first equipment. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the multipath protocol is the Multi Path Transmission Control Protocol over the Internet Protocol. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of listing the communication paths between the first equipment and the second equipment, according to at least one performance criteria. ### Claim 9 A first equipment adapted for establishing a multipath connection across multiple communication paths between said first multi-homed equipment and a second multi-homed equipment within at least one communication network, both equipments being able to support a multipath protocol, wherein it comprises: a sender configured for sending to the second equipment, main connection establishment requests across at least two communication paths between said equipments; a receiver configured for receiving from the second equipment, at least one acknowledgement message across one of said known communication paths; an estimator configured for determining as a main communication path, the communication path whereby the first one of said at least one acknowledgement message from the second equipment has been received by said first equipment, in order to establish the main connection of said multipath connection across said main communication path. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A multi-homed equipment according to claim 9, wherein the sender is further configured for sending to the second equipment a reset request across each of auxiliary communication paths, which differ from the determined main communication path, for aborting the connection along those communication paths.