Patent ID: 7506036

Claim:
A proxy network for a windowing Internet Protocol (IP) data network, comprising: a first proxy device configured to receive a first window of data packets transmitted from a source, transmit a first acknowledgement to the source in response, replace an original destination address of each data packet of the first window of data packets with a second proxy device address to create a first modified window of data packets, and transmit the first modified window of data packets to a second proxy device corresponding to the second proxy device address; wherein the first proxy device comprises a communication interface configured to communicate over the windowing Internet Protocol (IP) data network, receive a third window of data packets, transmit a third acknowledgement to the source, and transmit a third modified window of data packets; wherein the first proxy device further comprises a processing system configured to communicate with the communication interface, create a third modified window of data packets by replacing a destination address of each data packet of the third window of data packets with a subsequent proxy device address if the third modified window of data packets will be transmitted to a subsequent proxy device or replacing the destination address with an original destination address if the third modified window of data packets will not be transmitted to the subsequent proxy device; and the second proxy device configured to receive the first modified window of data packets, transmit a second acknowledgement to the first proxy device in response, replace the second proxy device address with a third proxy device address to create a second modified window of data packets if the second modified window of data packets will be transmitted to a third proxy device or replace the second proxy device address with the original destination address to create the second modified window of data packets if the window of data packets will not be transmitted to the third proxy device, and transmit the second modified window of data packets.