Patent ID: 8918835

Claim:
A content router for managing content in a content oriented network (CON), the content router comprising: a memory; a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the memory contains instructions that when executed by the processor cause the apparatus to: instantiate a plurality of virtual private group (VPG) states for a plurality of VPG instances using a VPG content plane and a VPG control plane, wherein instantiation comprises applying at least one VPG management policy to each VPG instance; receive via a receiver a content from a VPG producer positioned in the CON and associated with a first of the VPG instances; cache in a storage the content from the VPG producer; upon receiving a request for the content, via the receiver, forwarding the content to a VPG consumer associated with a second of the VPG instances using a transmitter coupled to the storage; wherein the content is signed by the VPG producer, and wherein the content router communicates the content between the first VPG instance and the second VPG instance by employing different security levels for each VPG instance.