US Patent 9800514 Prioritizing data packets in a network

Data packets being communicated through a communications network can be prioritized. For example, a processor can receive a data packet via the communications network. The data packet can be formed according to a communications protocol and have a header field with an initial value. The processor can determine an updated value for the header field of the data packet based on the initial value from the header field and a user account associated with the data packet. The processor can update the header field to have the updated value. The processor can then prioritize the data packet with respect to at least one other data packet based on the updated value of the header field.