Patent ID: 7684432

Claim:
A method of operating a data network between a routing gateway for a subscriber and an application data service provider providing an application data service wherein the routing gateway is at a customer premises remote from the data network, wherein the application data service provider is located remote from the data network, and wherein the routing gateway is coupled to the data network via a digital subscriber line, the method comprising: receiving at the data network from the application data service provider an identification of the routing gateway comprising a digital subscriber line identification of the routing gateway, an identification of the application data service provider, and data flow characteristics of the application data service for a session of the routing gateway using the application data service provided by the application data service provider wherein the application data service provider is remote from the data network, and wherein the data flow characteristics of the application data service include a bandwidth characterization for the application data service and a priority characterization for the application data service both received from the application data service provider; responsive to receiving at the data network the identification of the routing gateway, the identification of the application data service provider, and the data flow characteristics for the application data service, saving the data flow characteristics of the application data service for the routing gateway including the bandwidth characterization and the priority characterization at the data network; forwarding the data flow characteristics of the application data service from the data network to the routing gateway at the customer premises remote from the data network, wherein forwarding the data flow characteristics to the routing gateway includes forwarding the bandwidth characterization and the priority characterization over the digital subscriber line to the routing gateway at the customer premises remote from the data network; providing an interconnection between the routing gateway and the application data service provider through the data network and the digital subscriber in accordance with the data flow characteristics to thereby support a session of the routing gateway using the application data service provided by the application data service provider; after providing the interconnection and completing the session, deleting the data flow characteristics including the bandwidth characterization and the priority characterization saved at the data network for the session of the routing gateway using the application data service provided by the application data service provider; and after providing the interconnection and completing the session, terminating the interconnection between the routing gateway and the application data service provider to thereby terminate the session of the routing gateway using the application data service provided by the application data service provider.