# US 8,751,664 B2 · Custodian-based routing in content-centric networks > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,751,664 B2 - Document ID: US8751664B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/970,740 - Filed: 2010-12-16 - Published: 2012-06-21 - Granted: 2014-06-10 - Earliest claimed: 2010-12-16 - Assignees: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated - Applicants: Van L. Jacobson; Marc E. Mosko - Inventors: Van L. Jacobson; Marc E. Mosko - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8751664B2 ## CPC - H04L 45/64: using an overlay routing layer - H04L 61/301: Name conversion - H04L 65/1069: Session establishment or de-establishment - H04L 67/63: Routing a service request depending on the request content or context - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for facilitating custodian-based routing. During operation, the system receives, at a computing device, a request for a piece of content from a user, and determines whether the content is available locally. In response to the content not being available locally, the system identifies a remote custodian device that stores the content. The custodian device is not identified by its physical address. The system then identifies a communication endpoint associated with the identified custodian device, and maps a physical address corresponding to the identified communication endpoint. The system establishes a connection to the communication endpoint using the mapped physical address to obtain the requested content. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-executable method, comprising: receiving, by a computing device, a request for a piece of content that indicates the content by name; determining whether the content is available locally; in response to the content not being available locally, determining a custodian identifier of a remote custodian device that stores the content, wherein determining the custodian identifier involves determining a preference level of the remote custodian device, and performing a content-prefix-to-custodian lookup to obtain a mapping from a prefix of the content's name to the custodian identifier, and wherein the custodian identifier does not indicate a network address for the remote custodian device; identifying a communication endpoint, which corresponds to the custodian identifier of the remote custodian device, through which the computing device is to obtain the content, wherein the communication endpoint indicates one of a plurality of communication interfaces associated with the remote custodian device; verifying that the computing device satisfies one or more conditions for accessing a namespace specified by the content name's prefix, wherein the namespace is associated with the remote custodian device's communication endpoint; determining a network address mapped to the identified communication endpoint of the remote custodian device; and establishing a connection to the communication endpoint using the mapped network address to obtain the requested content. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device and the remote custodian device are coupled via a content-centric network (CCN). ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein determining the custodian identifier of the remote custodian device that stores the content involves performing a lookup based on the content's name. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising constructing a CCN interest for mapping information associated with the content's name. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the communication endpoint involves performing a lookup based on the remote custodian device's name. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the communication endpoint involves determining a preference level of the communication endpoint. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the communication endpoint is a wireless interface, and wherein the network address includes at least one of: a service set identifier (SSID); a media access control (MAC) address of an access point associated with the wireless interface; and an Internet protocol (IP) address. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the connection to the communication endpoint includes a session initiation protocol (SIP) connection. ### Claim 9 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising: receiving, by a computing device, a request for a piece of content that indicates the content by name; determining whether the content is available locally; in response to the content not being available locally, determining a custodian identifier of a remote custodian device that stores the content, wherein determining the custodian identifier involves determining a preference level of the remote custodian device, and performing a content-prefix-to-custodian lookup to obtain a mapping from a prefix of the content's name to the custodian identifier, and wherein the custodian identifier does not indicate a network address for the remote custodian device; identifying a communication endpoint, which corresponds to the custodian identifier of the remote custodian device, through which the computing device is to obtain the content, wherein the communication endpoint indicates one of a plurality of communication interfaces associated with the remote custodian device; verifying that the computing device satisfies one or more conditions for accessing a namespace specified by the content name's prefix, wherein the namespace is associated with the remote custodian device's communication endpoint; determining a network address mapped to the identified communication endpoint of the remote custodian device; and establishing a connection to the communication endpoint using the mapped network address to obtain the requested content. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the computing device and the remote custodian device are coupled via a content-centric network (CCN). ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein determining the custodian identifier of the remote custodian device that stores the content involves performing a lookup based on the content's name. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises constructing a CCN interest for mapping information associated with the content's name. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein identifying the communication endpoint involves performing a lookup based on the remote custodian device's name. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein identifying the communication endpoint involves determining a preference level of the communication endpoint. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the communication endpoint is a wireless interface, and wherein the network address includes at least one of: a service set identifier (SSID); a media access control (MAC) address of an access point associated with the wireless interface; and an Internet protocol (IP) address. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the connection to the communication endpoint includes a session initiation protocol (SIP) connection. ### Claim 17 A computing device, comprising: a receiving mechanism configured to receive a request for a piece of content that indicates the content by name; a determining mechanism configured to determine whether the content is available locally; a routing agent, in response to the content not being available locally, configured to: determine a custodian identifier of a remote custodian device that stores the content, wherein determining the custodian identifier involves determining a preference level of the remote custodian device, and performing a content-prefix-to-custodian lookup to obtain a mapping from a prefix of the content's name to the custodian identifier, and wherein the custodian identifier does not indicate a network address for the remote custodian device; identify a communication endpoint, which corresponds to the custodian identifier of the remote custodian device, through which the computing device is to obtain the content, wherein the communication endpoint indicates one of a plurality of communication interfaces associated with the remote custodian device; verify that the computing device satisfies one or more conditions for accessing a namespace specified by the content name's prefix, wherein the namespace is associated with the remote custodian device's communication endpoint; and determining a network address mapped to the identified communication endpoint of the remote custodian device; and a connection mechanism configured to establish a connection to the communication endpoint using the mapped network address to obtain the requested content. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computing device of claim 17, wherein the computing device is coupled to the remote custodian device via a content-centric network (CCN). ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The computing device of claim 18, wherein determining the custodian identifier of the remote custodian device that stores the content involves performing a lookup based on the content's name. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The computing device of claim 19, further comprising an interest construction mechanism configured to construct a CCN interest for mapping information associated with the content's name. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The computing device of claim 17, wherein identifying the communication endpoint involves performing a lookup based on the remote custodian device's name. ### Claim 22 (depends on 17) The computing device of claim 17, wherein the communication endpoint is a wireless interface, and wherein the network address includes at least one of: a service set identifier (SSID); a media access control (MAC) address of an access point associated with the wireless interface; and an Internet protocol (IP) address. ### Claim 23 (depends on 17) The computing device of claim 17, wherein the connection to the communication endpoint includes a session initiation protocol (SIP) connection.