IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,592,893
Granted Patent B2
US 12,592,893 · App. 18/669,024 · Granted Mar 31, 2026

Traffic identifiers for user device profiles

Inventors: Srinath Gundavelli (San Jose, CA); Shree N. Murthy (San Jose, CA); Matthew Stephen MacPherson (Cary, NC); Ravi Kiran Guntupalli (Cumming, GA)
Assignee: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
H04L47/2483
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,592,893
App. No.
18/669,024
Granted
Mar 31, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method including: obtaining, at a network device from a user device, a request for a network session, the request including an indication of a user device profile; determining a traffic identifier to associate with the user device profile; binding the traffic identifier to a network policy to be applied to traffic associated with the user device profile; and providing the traffic identifier to the user device.

Claims (46)

1 . A method comprising:

obtaining, at a network device from a user device, a request for a network session, the request comprising an indication of at least a first user device profile and a second user device profile;

determining a first traffic identifier to associate with the first user device profile and a second traffic identifier to associate with the second user device profile;

binding the first traffic identifier to a first network policy to be applied to traffic associated with the first user device profile and binding the second traffic identifier to a second network policy to be applied to traffic associated with the second user device profile; and

providing the first traffic identifier and the second traffic identifier to the user device.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first traffic identifier- and the second traffic identifier comprise one or more of:

a Layer 2 identifier,

a Layer 3 identifier,

an Internet Protocol version 6 prefix, and/or

a security group tag.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the first traffic identifier or providing the second traffic identifier comprises providing the first traffic identifier as part of a network service header or providing the second traffic identifier as part of a network service header.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the first traffic identifier or providing the second traffic identifier comprises providing the first traffic identifier as part of a User Equipment Route Selection Policy or providing the second traffic identifier as part of a User Equipment Route Selection Policy.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the first traffic identifier to the user device comprises providing a first network session identifier associated with the first user device profile and providing the second traffic identifier to the user device comprises providing a second network session identifier for the second user device profile.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user device profile corresponds to an enterprise profile for a user of the user device and the second user device profile corresponds to a personal profile of the user of the user device.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network policy indicates a first Quality of Service (QoS) and the second network policy indicates a second QoS that is different than the first QoS.

8 . A method comprising:

determining, at a user device, at least a first user device profile and a second user device profile;

providing, to a network device, a request for a network session, the request comprising an indication of the first user device profile and the second user device profile;

obtaining, from the network device, a response comprising a first traffic identifier bound to a first network policy for the first user device profile and a second traffic identifier bound to a second network policy for the second user device profile; and

providing traffic over the network session for the first user device profile using the first traffic identifier and providing traffic for the second user device profile using the second traffic identifier.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein each of the first traffic identifier and the second traffic identifier comprise one or more of:

a Layer 2 identifier,

a Layer 3 identifier,

an Internet Protocol version 6 prefix, and/or

a security group tag.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein obtaining the first traffic identifier or obtaining the second traffic identifier comprises obtaining the first traffic identifier as part of a network service header or obtaining the second traffic identifier as part of a network service header.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein obtaining the first traffic identifier or obtaining the second traffic identifier comprises obtaining the first traffic identifier as part of a User Equipment Route Selection Policy or obtaining the second traffic identifier as part of a User Equipment Route Selection Policy.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first user device profile corresponds to an enterprise profile for a user of the user device and the second user device profile corresponds to a personal profile of the user of the user device.

13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first network policy indicates a first Quality of Service (QoS) and the second network policy indicates a second QoS that is different than the first QoS.

14 . An apparatus comprising:

one or more network interfaces; and

one or more processors configured to perform operations on behalf of a network device, the operations comprising:

obtaining, at the network device via the one or more network interfaces from a user device, a request for a network session, the request comprising an indication of at least a first user device profile and a second user device profile;

determining a first traffic identifier to associate with the first user device profile and a second traffic identifier to associate with the second user device profile;

binding the first traffic identifier to a first network policy to be applied to traffic associated with the first user device profile and binding the second traffic identifier to a second network policy to be applied to traffic associated with the second user device profile; and

providing the first traffic identifier and the second traffic identifier to the user device.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein each of the first traffic identifier and the second traffic identifier comprise one or more of:

a Layer 2 identifier,

a Layer 3 identifier,

an Internet Protocol version 6 prefix, and/or

a security group tag.

16 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein providing the first traffic identifier or providing the second traffic identifier comprises providing the first traffic identifier as part of a network service header or providing the second traffic identifier as part of a network service header.

17 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein providing the first traffic identifier or providing the second traffic identifier comprises providing the first traffic identifier as part of a User Equipment Route Selection Policy or providing the second traffic identifier as part of a User Equipment Route Selection Policy.

18 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the network device comprises a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol server.

19 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein providing the first traffic identifier to the user device comprises providing a first network session identifier associated with the first user device profile and providing the second traffic identifier to the user device comprises providing a second network session identifier for the second user device profile.

20 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first user device profile corresponds to an enterprise profile for a user of the user device and the second user device profile corresponds to a personal profile of the user of the user device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 22, 2024
From: GUNDAVELLI, SRINATH; MURTHY, SHREE N.; MACPHERSON, MATTHEW STEPHEN; GUNTUPALLI, RAVI KIRAN
To: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 067488/0196 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250358232A1 · Nov 20, 2025
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