PatentBrief

Load balancing of client connections across a network using server based algorithms

A plurality of web servers (16, 18, and 20) have a common host name, and their authoritative domain server (24 or 26) responds to requests from a local domain-name server (22) for the network address corresponding to the…

Granted 2001activeExpired 2017Owned by Cisco Technology IncInvented by Derek W. Bolton, Rajesh Agrawal

Original patent title: “Load balancing of client connections across a network using server based algorithms

What this patent covers

The actual claim

A plurality of web servers (16, 18, and 20) have a common host name, and their authoritative domain server (24 or 26) responds to requests from a local domain-name server (22) for the network address corresponding to their common host name by making an estimate of the performance costs of adding a further client to each of the web servers and then sending the local domain-name server (22) the network address of the server to which the addition of a further client will result in the least performance cost. The performance cost is defined as the difference in the average number of waiting clients, and it takes into account both the additional response time for existing clients and the projected response time for the prospective new client.

What this patent does NOT cover

The boundaries

    These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.

    Load balancing of client conne…(Primary claim)

    Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.

    Patent Abstract

    Patent abstract

    A plurality of web servers (16, 18, and 20) have a common host name, and their authoritative domain server (24 or 26) responds to requests from a local domain-name server (22) for the network address corresponding to their common host name by making an estimate of the performance costs of adding a further client to each of the web servers and then sending the local domain-name server (22) the network address of the server to which the addition of a further client will result in the least performance cost. The performance cost is defined as the difference in the average number of waiting clients, and it takes into account both the additional response time for existing clients and the projected response time for the prospective new client.

    Patent Journey

    From filing to expiry

    Patent Filed

    1997

    Patent Granted

    2001 · 3yr after filing

    Highly Cited

    123 patents cite this

    Patent Expired

    2017

    PatentBrief Score

    Impact Score

    68/ 100

    Strong

    Citation count

    40/40

    Highly cited

    Claim breadth

    8/20

    Moderate scope

    Recency

    0/20

    Older than 20 years

    Assignee scale

    20/20

    Major technology company

    PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.

    The original legal language

    Original claims

    12 claims as filed with the patent office.

    Citations

    Patent lineage

    Cites earlier patents

    4

    earlier patents this invention cites as foundations

    View prior art →

    Cited by later patents

    123

    later patents that build on this invention

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