Patent ID: 7962626

Claim:
A method for negotiating network characteristics between a first endpoint and a second endpoint on a network connection, the method comprising steps of: receiving, at the second endpoint, at least one negotiation request from the first endpoint, the at least one negotiation request seeking to alter a present state of the network characteristics, wherein the at least one negotiation request is transmitted within a TCP header of a first data packet sent by the first endpoint to the second endpoint by: encoding the at least one negotiation request within a sequence number field of the TCP header of the first data packet; and setting a portion of an urgent pointer field of the TCP header of the first data packet to a bit pattern that indicates that the sequence number field and the urgent pointer field contain negotiation data, wherein an urgent bit in the TCP header of the first data packet is not set; responding, by the second endpoint, to the at least one negotiation request, when the second endpoint is aware of the at least one negotiation request, wherein the responding comprises: recognizing the bit pattern in the urgent pointer field, with the urgent bit not set; and executing at least one requested negotiation; and acknowledging the at least one negotiation request by modifying an urgent pointer field in a TCP header of a second data packet sent from the second endpoint to the first endpoint, wherein the modifying comprises setting a portion of the urgent pointer field in the TCP header of the second data packet to a bit pattern that indicates that the at least one negotiation request will be fulfilled and wherein an urgent bit in the TCP header of the second data packet is not set; and maintaining, by the second endpoint, the present state of the network characteristics, when the second endpoint is not aware of the negotiation request, wherein the at least one negotiation request, and a response to the at least one negotiation request, are transmitted within transmission control protocol (TCP) headers of data packets sent between the first endpoint and the second endpoint.