Cloud Application Recognition for Thin CPE Traffic Steering

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Thin customer premises equipment (CPE) devices lack the capability to perform resource-intensive application recognition, hindering their ability to leverage advanced networking functionalities such as application steering and firewalling, which are crucial for secure and optimized network operations in software-defined wide area networks (SD-WANs).

Innovation Solution

Offloading application recognition functions to a server in the core network or network edge, which identifies applications and provides mappings to CPE devices, enabling them to implement application-aware functionalities.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If application recognition is performed on thin CPE devices, then application-aware functionality can be implemented, but the resource-intensive processing exceeds the capabilities of thin CPE devices

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveapplication-aware functionalityVSAvoidprocessing capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the resource-intensive application recognition function from the thin CPE device and relocates it to a server in the core network or network edge. The CPE device only needs to forward packets for inspection, while the server performs deep packet inspection and application identification, returning results to the CPE for policy enforcement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a server as an intermediary between the thin CPE device and the applications. This intermediary performs the resource-intensive application recognition tasks that the CPE cannot handle, enabling the CPE to provide application-aware services without having the processing capability itself.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If application recognition is offloaded to the cloud, then thin CPE devices can leverage advanced networking functionalities, but network latency and dependency on cloud connectivity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadvanced networking functionalitiesVSAvoidnetwork latency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The server performs application recognition in advance by inspecting packets as they pass through the network, generating application identifiers and mappings before the CPE device needs to make routing decisions. This preliminary action reduces latency at the CPE device, as the heavy processing is already completed upstream.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Measurement precision

If deep packet inspection is performed to identify applications, then accurate application recognition is achieved, but processing resources and computational power are excessively consumed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveapplication recognition accuracyVSAvoidcomputational power

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the deep packet inspection function from the CPE device and places it on a server with superior processing capabilities. This allows accurate application recognition through resource-intensive deep inspection without burdening the thin CPE device with the computational load.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS20260081874A1Cloud-based application recognition to support application-aware functionality on customer premises equipment

Publication Date: 2026.03.19 AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I L P

AI summary

An example method for performing application recognition in the cloud to support application-aware functionality on customer premises equipment includes detecting a data flow associated with a customer premises equipment device, identifying an application associated with the data flow, generating a mapping that maps the application to an identifier, and providing the mapping to the customer premises equipment device.