# US 2025/0158960 A1 · Prioritization For Time-Deterministic Firewalls

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- Number: US 2025/0158960 A1
- Document ID: US20250158960A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/833,196
- Filed: 2023-02-17
- Published: 2025-05-15
- Earliest claimed: 2022-02-18
- Assignees: Hirschmann Automation and Control GmbH; Hochschule Esslingen
- Applicants: Hirschmann Automation and Control GmbH; Hochschule Esslingen
- Inventors: Tobias HEER; Lukas BECHTEL
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250158960A1

## CPC

- H04L 63/0227: {Filtering policies (mail message filtering H04L51/212)}
- H04L 63/0263: {Rule management}
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

The invention relates to a method for allowing data packets in a network to arrive at the recipient at definable times. The method requires a firewall in a computer network. Each data packet is processed within the firewall according to filter rules. Each data packet which is transmitted through the firewall to a recipient is assigned a prioritization for processing in the firewall. Each data packet is transmitted after the filter rules have been processed, but this transmission can be interrupted as soon as another data packet with a higher prioritization arrives at the firewall. The data packet, the processing of which was interrupted, is then stored in the buffer for processing at a later time.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

-14. (canceled)

### Claim 15

A method for allowing data packets in a network to arrive at the recipient at definable times, with a firewall in a computer network, which contains filter rules, with a buffer in the firewall,
wherein each data packet is assigned a prioritization for processing in the firewall,
wherein a firewall action is provided for each data packet after the filter rules have been processed,
wherein the processing of the filter rules is interrupted as soon as a further data packet with a higher prioritization than the prioritization of the data packet currently in processing arrives at the firewall, and the data packet for which processing was interrupted is stored in the buffer for later processing.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method according to claim 15, wherein the firewall action includes forwarding the data packet to an output of the firewall.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method according to claim 15, wherein the firewall action includes discarding the data packet.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method according to claim 15, wherein the firewall action includes marking the data packet.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method according to claim 18, wherein the marking contains the outstanding filter rules that have not yet been processed by the firewall.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The method according to claim 15, wherein a respective data packet is deleted from the buffer after removal from the latter.

### Claim 21 (depends on 15)

The method according to any claim 15, wherein a time recording of the data packets takes place upon arrival at the input of the firewall.

### Claim 22 (depends on 15)

The method according to claim 15, wherein the data packets stored in the buffer are ordered according to their prioritization.

### Claim 23 (depends on 15)

The method according to claim 15, wherein the prioritization of the data packets is carried out by the firewall.

### Claim 24 (depends on 15)

The method according to claim 15, wherein the prioritization of the data packets is carried out by further network participants.

### Claim 25 (depends on 15)

The method according to claim 15, wherein the prioritization is added to the data packet.

### Claim 26 (depends on 15)

The method according to claim 15, wherein a plurality of processing operations are carried out simultaneously by the firewall.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The method according to claim 26, wherein the interruption of the processing of a data packet takes place if one of the processing operations is processing a lower-priority data packet.

### Claim 28 (depends on 15)

The method according to claim 15, wherein the buffer is designed as a non-volatile memory.