Patent ID: 8976813
Filing Date: 2015-03-10
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of communicating a flow of related packets to a destination in a downstream communications network with a requested quality of service (QoS), the method comprising: receiving a request from a requesting device for a particular QoS for a subsequent packet flow from the requesting device; responsive to receiving the request, assigning a key value associated with the requested particular QoS to the subsequent packet flow; receiving a first packet of the subsequent packet flow from the requesting device and at a QoS enforcement routing device, the first packet including a first subsequent packet flow identification field, for identifying related packets in a packet flow, having a first value; determining, by the QoS enforcement routing device, a first reference value for the first subsequent packet flow identification field using the assigned key value; facilitating, by the QoS enforcement routing device, downstream transmission, toward the destination, of the first packet of the subsequent packet flow at the requested particular QoS when the first value matches the first reference value; receiving a second packet of the subsequent packet flow from the requesting device and at a QoS enforcement routing device, the second packet including a second subsequent packet flow identification field having a second value different from the first value; determining, by the QoS enforcement routing device, a second reference value for the second subsequent packet flow identification field using the assigned key value; facilitating, by the QoS enforcement routing device, downstream transmission, toward the destination, of the second packet of the subsequent packet flow at the requested particular QoS when the second value matches the second reference value; and facilitating, by the QoS enforcement routing device, a default QoS different from the requested particular QoS to a third packet of the subsequent packet flow when a third value from a third subsequent packet flow identification field of the third packet does not match a third reference value determined using the assigned key value.