Patent ID: 7660305

Claim:
A method for use in transmitting data packets on a network, the network including a network device including a designated network interface over which data packets having a feature are received, the method comprising the steps of: (a) determining if two data packets include the same feature; (b) determining if the two data packets were received by said network device within a predetermined period of time; (c) determining whether a latter-received of the two data packets was received over a network interface on the network device other than the designated network interface; and (d) the network device: (i) transmitting said latter-received of the two data packets if said two data packets were received over the designated network interface and the two data packets were received within the predetermined period of time; (ii) transmitting said latter-received of the two data packets if said two data packets were received over the designated network interface and the two data packets were not received within the predetermined period of time; (iii) transmitting said latter-received of the two data packets if the two data packets were not received by the network device within the predetermined period of time and said latter-received of the two data packets was received over a network interface on the network device other than the designated network interface; and (iv) discarding said latter-received of the two data packets if the two data packets were received by the network device within the predetermined period of time and said one of the two data packets was received over a network interface on the network device other than the designated network interface.