US 7969880

Patent Analyst Report: US 7,969,880 B2

Date of Analysis: April 26, 2026

This report provides a summary of United States Patent 7,969,880 B2, including its key bibliographic data, a plain-language explanation of its independent claims, and the current status of the patent.

I. Bibliographic Information

• Title: Device and method for relaying packets
• Assignee: The current assignee of record is Athena Security LLP. The original assignee was Alaxala Networks Corp.
• Inventors: Hiroki Yano, Kazuo Sugai, Shinichi Akahane, Takao NARA
• Filing Date: July 31, 2007
• Issue Date: June 28, 2011
• Abstract: "Computing process with a computational expression is executed using seed information including at least one of destination information and source information associated with a received packet. It is preferable to select a physical port for transmission of the received packet based on the result of the computation. It is also preferable to select a port group for transmission of the received packet based on the result of the computation. Here, the computational expression is capable of being modified. Meanwhile, the physical port for transmission of the received packet is selected from a plurality of candidate ports among the plurality of physical ports. The port group for transmission of the received packet is selected from among a plurality of port groups including a mutually different candidate port."

II. Plain-Language Summary of Independent Claims

US Patent 7,969,880 contains two independent claims. Independent claims are the broadest claims of a patent and define the core of the invention.

• Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a network relay device, such as a switch or a router, designed to handle network traffic more efficiently. The device has multiple physical ports for connecting to network lines. When a data packet arrives, a "computing module" uses a special formula (a "computational expression") to decide which port to send the packet through. This formula uses information from the packet itself, such as the sender's or receiver's address. The key part of this invention is a "modifying module" that can change this formula. This allows the device to adapt and balance the network load, preventing any single connection from becoming overloaded. The device then uses the result of this calculation to select an output port from a group of possible "candidate ports," all of which can reach the packet's final destination.

• Independent Claim 9: This claim is similar to the first but describes a method or process for relaying packets, rather than the device itself. The method involves a series of steps:

  1. Using a special, modifiable formula (a "computational expression") that takes into account the sender's or receiver's information from a data packet.
  2. Based on the result of that formula, selecting not just a single port, but a "port group" to send the packet to. A port group is a collection of one or more physical ports that can all lead to the packet's destination.
  3. The ability to change the formula is a central feature, allowing for the adjustment of how traffic is distributed among these different groups of ports to avoid congestion.

In essence, both independent claims protect a system and method for intelligently and dynamically routing network traffic across multiple paths by using a modifiable formula to distribute the load, thereby preventing bottlenecks and improving overall network performance.

III. Litigation Search

A search of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) dockets for the year 2026 was conducted for cases involving US Patent 7,969,880. As of the date of this report, no specific litigation involving this patent was identified in the publicly available CAFC dockets for 2026. However, it should be noted that district court level litigation may be ongoing. The provided information indicates litigation in the Texas Western and Eastern District Courts.