Optimal internet pathway selection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12301459-B2
Application number	US-202318531594-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2023
Priority date	Jun 11, 2020
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

An example method may include receiving upload packets, at an interconnect server center (ISC) device from a virtual private network (VPN) client device, and the upload packets may include a header identifying the (ISC) device and a destination server as destination fields, transmitting, via the ISC device, tests packets along a plurality of different Internet pathways to identify network characteristics of the Internet pathways, determining an amount of time until one or more responses to the test packets are received, and forwarding the upload packets to a VPN server for routing to the destination server via an Internet pathway selected based on the amount of time associated with the received test packets.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving upload packets, at an interconnect server center (ISC) device from a virtual private network (VPN) client device, wherein the upload packets comprise a header identifying the (ISC) device as a destination field and a destination server as an additional destination field;
replacing, via the ISC device, a source field of the upload packets with an additional source field identifying the ISC device;
transmitting, via the ISC device, tests packets along a plurality of different Internet pathways to identify network characteristics of the Internet pathways;
determining an amount of time until one or more responses to the test packets are received; and
forwarding the upload packets to a VPN server for routing to the destination server via an Internet pathway selected based on the amount of time associated with the received test packets.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising
replacing, via the ISC device a destination field of the upload packets with a new destination field identifying the VPN server to create modified upload packets.

3. The method of claim 2 , comprising
removing, via the VPN server, the source field, and the destination field; and
replacing the source field identifying the client device with a source field identifying the VPN server to create decapsulated upload packets.

4. The method of claim 3 , comprising
forwarding the decapsulated upload packets to the destination server.

5. The method of claim 4 , comprising
responsive to receiving the decapsulated upload packets at the destination server, creating download packets including a header comprising the destination server as the source field and the VPN server as the destination field.

6. The method of claim 5 , comprising
adding an additional header identifying the VPN server as an additional source field, and identifying the ISC device as an additional destination field, to create modified download packets; and
forwarding the modified download packets to the ISC.

7. The method of claim 6 , comprising
replacing, via the ISC device, the additional source field of the modified download packets with a new additional source field identifying the ISC device, and replacing the additional destination field of the modified download packets with a new additional destination field identifying the client device to create further modified download packets; and
forwarding the further modified download packets to the VPN client of the client device.

8. The method of claim 7 , comprising
removing, via the VPN client, the new additional source field and the new additional destination field.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network characteristics comprise one or more of jitter, latency and error rate of the available network routes.

10. A system comprising:
a virtual private network (VPN) a client device; and
an interconnect server center (ISC) device configured to
receive upload packets from the virtual private network (VPN) client device, wherein the upload packets comprise a header identifying the (ISC) device as a destination field and a destination server as an additional destination field;
replace, via the ISC device, a source field of the upload packets with an additional source field identifying the ISC device;
transmit tests packets along a plurality of different Internet pathways to identify network characteristics of the Internet pathways;
determine an amount of time until one or more responses to the test packets are received; and
forward the upload packets to a VPN server for routing to the destination server via an Internet pathway selected based on the amount of time associated with the received test packets.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the ISC device is further configured to replace a destination field of the upload packets with a new destination field identifying the VPN server to create modified upload packets.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the VPN server is configured to remove the source field and the destination field, and replace the source field identifying the client device with a source field identifying the VPN server to create decapsulated upload packets.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the decapsulated upload packets are forwarded to the destination server.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein responsive to receiving the decapsulated upload packets at the destination server, download packets are created including a header comprising the destination server as the source field and the VPN server as the destination field.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the VPN server is further configured to
add an additional header identifying the VPN server as an additional source field, and identifying the ISC device as an additional destination field, to create modified download packets; and
forward the modified download packets to the ISC.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the ISC device is further configured to replace the additional source field of the modified download packets with a new additional source field identifying the ISC device, and replace the additional destination field of the modified download packets with a new additional destination field identifying the client device to create further modified download packets, and forward the further modified download packets to the VPN client of the client device.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the VPN client device is configured to remove the new additional source field and the new additional destination field.

18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the network characteristics comprise one or more of jitter, latency and error rate of the available network routes.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform:
receiving upload packets, at an interconnect server center (ISC) device from a virtual private network (VPN) client device, wherein the upload packets comprise a header identifying the (ISC) device as a destination field and a destination server as an additional destination field;
replacing, via the ISC device, a source field of the upload packets with an additional source field identifying the ISC device;
transmitting, via the ISC device, tests packets along a plurality of different Internet pathways to identify network characteristics of the Internet pathways;
determining an amount of time until one or more responses to the test packets are received; and
forwarding the upload packets to a VPN server for routing to the destination server via an Internet pathway selected based on the amount of time associated with the received test packets.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform:
replacing, via the ISC device, a destination field of the upload packets with a new destination field identifying the VPN server to create modified upload packets.

Assignees

• Connectify Inc

Inventors

• Prodoehl Brian
• Cunningham Kevin

Classifications

• H04L12/4633

  Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling · CPC title

• H04L12/4641 Primary

  Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] (LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272) · CPC title

• H04L2212/00

  Encapsulation of packets · CPC title

• H04L45/74 Primary

  Address processing for routing · CPC title