Patents by Inventor Kenneth E. Mueller, II

Kenneth E. Mueller, II has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method and apparatus for determining a multilayer switching path
    Patent number: 7411965
    Abstract: A method and apparatus that provide for determining a multilayer switching path are disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, a Layer 3 path and a Layer 2 path between a source device and destination device are first determined in order to identify the relevant switch engines that perform the multilayer switching. Determining whether the switch engines satisfy a set of criteria identifies the relevant switch engines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Clare Chu, Mehryar Garakani, Kenneth E. Mueller, II
  • Distributed network traffic load balancing technique implemented without gateway router
    Patent number: 7401159
    Abstract: The technique of the present invention provides a solution to the problem of routing or redirecting a given client to a replica or proxy server which has a relatively shortest propagation delay to the client. According to the technique of the present invention, a network device referred to as an intercept server sits in front of a host server, and intercepts packets routed to the host server. When desired, packets which are intercepted by the intercept server are replicated, encapsulated and tunneled to selected client servers in the overlay network. The tunneled packets are received and processed by each of the selected client servers, whereupon each of the selected client servers generates a respective spoofed response to the source device identified in the header of the originally intercepted packet. Further, according to the technique of the present invention, each of the selected client servers transmits its respective spoofed response to the identified source device at substantially the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: James Aviani, David Eric Swanson, Frederick Baker, Kenneth E. Mueller, II, Matthew Richard Gnagy
  • Method and apparatus for determining a multilayer switching path
    Patent number: 6954462
    Abstract: A method and apparatus that provide for determining a multilayer switching path are disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, a Layer 3 path and a Layer 2 path between a source device and destination device are first determined in order to identify the relevant switch engines that perform the multilayer switching. Determining whether the switch engines satisfy a set of criteria identifies the relevant switch engines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Clare Chu, Mehryar Garakani, Kenneth E. Mueller, II
  • Distributed network traffic load balancing technique implemented without gateway router
    Patent number: 6789125
    Abstract: The technique of the present invention provides a solution to the problem of routing or redirecting a given client to a replica or proxy server which has a relatively shortest propagation delay to the client. According to the technique of the present invention, a network device referred to as an intercept server sits in front of a host server, and intercepts packets routed to the host server. When desired, packets which are intercepted by the intercept server are replicated, encapsulated and tunneled to selected client servers in the overlay network. The tunneled packets are received and processed by each of the selected client servers, whereupon each of the selected client servers generates a respective spoofed response to the source device identified in the header of the originally intercepted packet. Further, according to the technique of the present invention, each of the selected client servers transmits its respective spoofed response to the identified source device at substantially the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: James Aviani, David Eric Swanson, Frederick Baker, Kenneth E. Mueller, II, Matthew Richard Gnagy
  • Determining a path through a managed network
    Patent number: 6785735
    Abstract: A method and apparatus that provides for determining a packet transmission path for a managed network using Internet Protocol is disclosed. A network management station can use a source-routed IP path tracing operation to determine a packet transmission path for a managed network even when an end-station from which the packet emanates (source node) in the managed network does not support source-routed IP path tracing operation by determining a first gateway used by the source node to reach the packet's destination (destination node). Further, a second gateway is determined based on the first gateway and destination node. The second gateway is used as the first hop from the source node to the destination node when the subnet associated with the source node is identical to the subnet associated with the second gateway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Cisco Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Mehryar K. Garakani, Kenneth E. Mueller, II
  • Distributed network traffic load balancing technique implemented without gateway router
    Patent number: 6742044
    Abstract: The technique of the present invention provides a solution to the problem of routing or redirecting a given client to a replica or proxy server which has a relatively shortest propagation delay to the client. According to the technique of the present invention, a network device referred to as an intercept server sits in front of a host server, and intercepts packets routed to the host server. When desired, packets which are intercepted by the intercept server are replicated, encapsulated and tunneled to selected client servers in the overlay network. The tunneled packets are received and processed by each of the selected client servers, whereupon each of the selected client servers generates a respective spoofed response to the source device identified in the header of the originally intercepted packet. Further, according to the technique of the present invention, each of the selected client servers transmits its respective spoofed response to the identified source device at substantially the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: James Aviani, David Eric Swanson, Frederick Baker, Kenneth E. Mueller, II, Matthew Richard Gnagy
  • Determining a path through a managed network
    Patent number: 6578087
    Abstract: A method and apparatus that provides for determining a packet transmission path for a managed network using Internet Protocol is disclosed. A network management station can use a source-routed IP path tracing operation to determine a packet transmission path for a managed network even when an end-station from which the packet emanates (source node) in the managed network does not support source-routed IP path tracing operation by determining a first gateway used by the source node to reach the packet's destination (destination node). Further, a second gateway is determined based on the first gateway and destination node. The second gateway is used as the first hop from the source node to the destination node when the subnet associated with the source node is identical to the subnet associated with the second gateway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Mehryar K. Garakani, Kenneth E. Mueller, II