Patent ID: 8811402

Claim:
A method for disabling an operative coupling to a network, the method comprising: forwarding first data, received for forwarding between a first node in a first network and a second node in a second network, by a network relay via at least one of a first operative coupling to the first network of a first network interface hardware component in the network relay and a second operative coupling to the second network of a second network interface hardware component in the network relay; determining a specified decoupling condition is met while a third enabled operative coupling exists between a third network interface hardware component and the second network; and subsequent to forwarding the first data and in response to determining the decoupling condition is met, disabling the second operative coupling while the first operative coupling remains enabled for receiving second data for forwarding, wherein performing at least one of the preceding actions comprising the method includes execution of an instruction by a processor; wherein the forwarding the first data includes determining that a forwarding condition is met; wherein the determining the forwarding condition is met includes determining whether an attribute of the first data matches a forwarding criterion; wherein at least one of the attribute or the forwarding criterion is based on at least one of: the first network, the second network, the first node, the second node, a protocol for at least one of sending or receiving the first data, at least one of an application sending the first data or an application identified as a recipient of the first data, a user, a node in a network path in a route in communicating the first data, a type of at least a portion of the first data, a pattern included in the first data, a value included in the first data, a geospatial location of a node included in communicating the first data, a sender of the first data, a receiver of the first data, a relationship between a sender of the first data and a receiver of the first data, a protocol for communicating received data, a network address or a portion of a network address, a port number, an attribute or content of a payload portion of a packet, at least portion of a header of a packet, at least a portion of a footer of a packet, at least a portion of a name in a network naming domain, a geospatial location of a node in a path included in at least a portion of the first network or the second network, at least one of a format or vocabulary of data in a communication as specified by a particular protocol, a group, a security attribute, a distance between a node in the first network and a node in the second network included in a communication, an owner of a node in a network path, an administrative authority of a node in a network path, a measure of trust associated with a node in a path in a communication, a cost associated with a communication, an attribute of a legal agreement, or a quality of service attribute.