US 12,225,100 B2
System, devices and/or processes for executing service functions
Zijin Tao, Shanghai (CN); Zaiping Bie, Shanghai (CN); and Song Zhu, Shanghai (CN)
Assigned to Arm Limited, Cambridge (GB)
Filed by Arm Limited, Cambridge (GB)
Filed on Mar. 17, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/697,767.
Prior Publication US 2023/0300219 A1, Sep. 21, 2023
Int. Cl. H04L 67/60 (2022.01); H04L 45/302 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 67/60 (2022.05) [H04L 45/306 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
responsive to one or more signals received from a communication network, initiating via a service function forwarder a request to execute an instance of a first service function in a service function chain comprising an ordered sequence of service functions to be traversed;
determining in the service function forwarder a capability of a subsequent service function in the service function chain to be predictively executed;
initiating via the service function forwarder a request to execute an instance of the subsequent service function in the service function chain prior to receipt in the service function forwarder of a response to the request to execute the instance of the first service function responsive to the capability of the subsequent service function to be predictively executed; and
receiving in the service function forwarder the response to the request to execute the instance of the first service function and a separate response to the request to execute the instance of the first service function.