Patent ID: 7328266

Claim:
A method for communicating real-time specially-composed bulletin messages to subscribers of an Internet Service Provider (ISP), comprising the steps of: a. Accessing, by a redirecting device, only subscriber upstream traffic to a destination informational web site requested by the subscriber, wherein the redirecting device inter-connects to one or more Ethernet ports of an access concentrator of a broadband cable system operator; b. Identifying, by the redirecting device, the subscriber's unique identification based on the accessed subscriber upstream traffic automatically provided by the subscriber during communication via the cable access concentrator; c. Providing, by the redirecting device, the unique subscriber identification to a consolidating and management device located at the cable system operator providing data services and management control to the redirecting device, wherein the consolidating and management device is separate from the redirecting device; d. Determining, by the consolidating and management device, the subscriber associated with the unique subscriber identification, and if the specially-composed bulletin message for the subscriber is desired to be communicated: Sending, by the consolidating ad management device, policy information related to the data services and management control, to the redirecting device, wherein the policy information includes an IP address of the subscriber's device, and the specially-composed bulletin message or a modification of the message to be performed for the IP address; examining, by the redirecting device, the accessed upstream traffic to determine if it is possible to send a redirection, wherein the examining occurs without modifying the accessed upstream traffic; and forcing a delivery of the specially-composed message according to policies set by the ISP or the cable system operator irrespective of the subscriber's intended destination; e. If the specially-composed bulletin message for the subscriber is not desired when no policy is in force for the subscriber, allowing, by the redirecting device, a direct connection form the subscriber to the destination site to proceed normally, and sending, only by the destination site, downstream web traffic to the subscriber without forwarding the downstream web traffic through or by the redirecting device; f. Based on the policy information, sending to the subscriber by the redirecting device, the redirection for a different destination site, wherein the specially-composed bulletin message originates from the different destination site.