Patent ID: 7099944

Claim:
A system for providing Internet Protocol (IP) services from different Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to a plurality of different IP enabled devices via an access provider network, the system comprising: a plurality of different IP enabled devices; an access provider network connected to said different ISPs; and an access device which connects said different IP enabled devices to said access provider network; wherein said access provider network assigns a first IP address to said access device; wherein said access device establishes a service session with one of said plurality of different ISPs by assigning a second IP address from said one of said plurality of different ISPs to said access device; wherein when said access device receives IP traffic from one of said different IP enabled devices, said access device determines whether a destination IP address associated with said IP traffic is associated with said access provider network; wherein said access device forwards, if said destination IP address is not associated with said access provider network, said IP traffic to said one of said plurality of different ISPs using said second IP address as a source address of said IP traffic; wherein said access device otherwise, if said destination IP address is associated with said access provider network, forwards said IP traffic to said access provider network using said first IP address as said source address of said IP traffic; wherein said access device receives additional IP traffic from one of said different ISPs; wherein said access device determines which one of said plurality of different IP enabled devices is an intended recipient of said additional IP traffic by consulting a mapping table which maps said one of said plurality of different IP enabled devices to said one of said different ISPs based on previously exchanged traffic; and wherein said additional IP traffic is forwarded to said one of said plurality of different IP enabled devices.