# US 2025/0097137 A1 · Data processing system and data processing method

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- Number: US 2025/0097137 A1
- Document ID: US20250097137A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/705,398
- Filed: 2022-11-08
- Published: 2025-03-20
- Earliest claimed: 2021-11-12
- Assignees: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
- Applicants: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
- Inventors: Naoki Miura; Takeshi Sakamoto; Yuki Arikawa; Tsuyoshi Ito; Kenji Tanaka; Masaru Katayama; Yuta Ukon
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250097137A1

## CPC

- H04L 45/037: Routes obligatorily traversing service-related nodes
- H04L 45/0377: for service chaining
- H04L 45/306: {Route determination based on the nature of the carried application}
- H04L 45/50: using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
- H04L 45/64: using an overlay routing layer
- H04L 45/655: Interaction between route computation entities and forwarding entities, e.g. for route determination or for flow table update
- H04L 47/24: Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

A user management apparatus adds a tag in which route information is described to a packet received from a user and transmits the packet to a data transfer device. The data transfer device transfers the packet to one of data processing devices under control and other data transfer devices based on the route information included in the received packet. The data processing device performs processing of a service function for data included in the received packet. A communication management apparatus calculates a route of a service chain necessary for implementing the service requested by the user and transmits route information to the user management apparatus.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-8. (canceled)

### Claim 9

A data processing system comprising:
a user management apparatus configured to manage information of a user requesting use of a service, and transfer control of a packet received from the user;
one or more data processing devices configured to perform data processing of a service function for data included in the packet;
one or more data transfer devices configured to control the one or more data processing devices under control;
a communication management apparatus configured to calculate a route of a service chain for implementing the service requested by the user, transmit route information of the route to the user management apparatus, and update a routing table registered in one or more first data transfer devices among the one or more data transfer devices based on the route calculation, the one or more first data transfer devices being on the route of the service chain; and
an external transmission apparatus configured to return, to the user, a processed packet, the processed packet being the packet that has undergone data processes of the service chain,
wherein the user management apparatus is further configured to add to the packet received from the user, a tag in which the route information is described, and transmit the packet to the one or more first data transfer devices on the route of the service chain,
wherein the one or more data transfer devices are further configured to transfer the packet to the one or more data processing devices or another data transfer device on the route of the service chain based on the route information included in the tag and the routing table, and
wherein the one or more data processing devices are configured to return the processed packet to a transmission source of the packet among the one or more data transfer devices.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The data processing system according to claim 9, wherein the user management apparatus comprises:
a user management circuit configured to manage the information of the user, issue a user ID, and notify the user of the user ID;
a tag generation circuit configured to generate the tag;
a tag addition circuit configured to add the tag to the packet received from the user;
a packet transmission circuit configured to transmit the packet with the tag to the one or more first data transfer devices on the route of the service chain;
a QoS controller configured to decide, based on the information of the user managed by the user management circuit, priority of transfer of the packet for the user amongst packets for a plurality of users; and
a data management circuit configured to transfer the packet received from the user to the tag addition circuit at a timing according to the priority,
wherein the user ID is added to the packet received from the user.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The data processing system according to claim 10, wherein:
before service use by the user, the user management apparatus is configured to transmit a user-specific parameter for processing of the service function to the one or more first data processing devices on the route of the service chain based on the route information; and
after an end of service use, the user management apparatus is configured to recover the user-specific parameter from the one or more first data processing devices.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The data processing system according to claim 10, wherein:
in response to a new service function being requested for implementing the service requested by the user, the communication management apparatus is configured to add the new service function to a data processing device, among the one or more data processing devices, under operation stop, and after the end of service use, delete the new service function from the data processing device used to implement the service.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The data processing system according to claim 10, further comprising a storage device configured to temporarily store the packet received from the user, wherein the data management circuit comprises:
a user selection circuit configured to selectively extract the packet from the storage device based on information of the priority;
a user determination circuit configured to determine whether the packet received from the user has the same user ID as a user ID of a second packet that is currently being output to the tag addition circuit; and
an output selection circuit configured to selectively output, to the tag addition circuit, a packet output from one of the user determination circuit and the user selection circuit, and
the user determination circuit transfers the packet received from the user to one of the storage device and the output selection circuit based on a result of determining whether the packet received from the user has the same user ID as the user of the second packet that is currently being output to the tag addition circuit.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The data processing system according to claim 13, wherein:
before service use by the user, the user management apparatus is configured to transmit a user-specific parameter for processing of the service function to the one or more first data processing devices on the route of the service chain based on the route information; and
after an end of service use, the user management apparatus is configured to recover the user-specific parameter from the one or more first data processing devices.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The data processing system according to claim 13, wherein:
in response to a new service function being requested for implementing the service requested by the user, the communication management apparatus is configured to add the new service function to a data processing device, among the one or more data processing devices, under operation stop, and after the end of service use, delete the new service function from the data processing device used to implement the service.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The data processing system according to claim 13, wherein the data management circuit comprises a plurality of memory controllers each provided by the user determination circuit, the user selection circuit, and the output selection circuit, and further comprising:
a packet distribution circuit configured to decide the memory controller that is a distribution destination of the packet received from the user and output the packet received from the user to the decided memory controller; and
an output controller configured to select, in accordance with a predetermined control method, a packet output from the output selection circuit of each of the plurality of memory controllers, and output the packet to the tag addition circuit.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The data processing system according to claim 16, wherein:
before service use by the user, the user management apparatus is configured to transmit a user-specific parameter for processing of the service function to the one or more first data processing devices on the route of the service chain based on the route information; and
after an end of service use, the user management apparatus is configured to recover the user-specific parameter from the one or more first data processing devices.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The data processing system according to claim 16, wherein:
in response to a new service function being requested for implementing the service requested by the user, the communication management apparatus is configured to add the new service function to a data processing device, among the one or more data processing devices, under operation stop, and after the end of service use, delete the new service function from the data processing device used to implement the service.

### Claim 19 (depends on 9)

The data processing system according to claim 9, wherein:
before service use by the user, the user management apparatus is configured to transmit a user-specific parameter for processing of the service function to the one or more first data processing devices on the route of the service chain based on the route information; and
after an end of service use, the user management apparatus is configured to recover the user-specific parameter from the one or more first data processing devices.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The data processing system according to claim 19, wherein:
in response to a new service function being requested for implementing the service requested by the user, the communication management apparatus is configured to add the new service function to a data processing device, among the one or more data processing devices, under operation stop, and after the end of service use, delete the new service function from the data processing device used to implement the service.

### Claim 21 (depends on 9)

The data processing system according to claim 9, wherein:
in response to a new service function being requested for implementing the service requested by the user, the communication management apparatus is configured to add the new service function to a data processing device, among the one or more data processing devices, under operation stop, and after the end of service use, delete the new service function from the data processing device used to implement the service.

### Claim 22

A data processing method comprising:
transmitting, by a user management apparatus, information of a user applying for a service to a communication management apparatus and an external transmission apparatus;
calculating, by the communication management apparatus, a route of a service chain for implementing the service requested by the user, based on service information included in the information of the user, and transmitting route information to the user management apparatus, and updating a routing table registered in a data transfer device on the route of the service chain calculated based on a result of route calculation;
adding, by the user management apparatus, a tag in which the route information is described to a packet received from the user and transmitting the packet to one or more first data transfer devices of the one or more data transfer devices on the route of the service chain;
transferring, by the data transfer device, the packet to the one or more first data processing devices or another data transfer devices on the route of the service chain based on the route information included in the tag and the routing table managed by a self-device;
performing, by the data processing device, processing of a service function for data included in the packet to generate a processed packet, and returning the processed packet to a transmission source of the packet among the one or more data transfer devices; and
returning, by the external transmission apparatus to the user, a processed packet.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The data processing method according to claim 22, further comprising:
transmitting, before service use by the user, by the user management apparatus, a user-specific parameter necessary for processing of the service function to the data processing device on the route of the service chain based on the route information; and
recovering, after an end of service use, by the user management apparatus, the user-specific parameter from the first data processing device.
