Method for managing computer network access

• US 20020099825A1
• Filed: 01/23/2002
• Published: 07/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weserve Access, LLC
• Original Assignee: Pearl Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Field, Joseph I. Jr., Fertell, David A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,958,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A client computer initiates a first communication session at a first network address and receives therefrom a second network address. The client computer then initiates a second communication session at the second network address and receives therefrom an access configuration including a control setting for a communication protocol capable of being utilized during a third communication session. Concurrent with the second communication session, the client computer initiates a third communication session at a third network address whereupon the conveyance of data to or from an instantiated process on the client computer via the third communication session is controlled based on the control setting for the communication protocol.

Claims

1. A method for controlling computer network access, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) initiating at a client computer a first communication session at a first network address;

(b) receiving at the client computer via the first communication session a second network address;

(c) initiating at the client computer a second communication session at the second network address;

(d) receiving at the client computer via the second communication session an access configuration including a control setting for at least one communication protocol capable of being utilized during a third communication session;

(e) instantiating on the client computer a process which initiates a third communication session at a third network address; and

(f) in connection with the third communication session, controlling the conveyance of data at least one of (i) to and (ii) from the process instantiated on the client computer based on the control setting for the one communication protocol.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the access configuration includes a list related to the control setting for the one communication protocol; and

the conveyance of data via the third communication session is controlled based on the list.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the one communication protocol includes one of:

World Wide Web (Web);

file transfer protocol (FTP);

E-mail;

News;

Chat;

Instant Messaging;

Telnet; and

Peer-to-Peer.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control setting is one of:

unrestricted computer network access (Allow All);

no computer network access (Block All);

limited computer network access to network addresses included in an allow list (Allow Listed); and

unrestricted computer network access except to network addresses included in a block list (Block Listed).

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the access configuration further includes at least one of the following global control settings;

access prohibited to conveyed data including a predetermined word or phrase;

access prohibited to data of at least one predetermined data type;

access prohibited to data conveyed during at least one of a predetermined time and day-of-week; and

access prohibited based on a rating for a category included with the conveyed data; and

step (f) further includes the step of controlling the conveyance of data at least one of (i) to and (ii) from the process instantiated on the client computer based on the at least one global control setting.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5, wherein the at least one predetermined data type includes an Internet cookie.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, further including at least one of:

after step (b), the step of terminating the first communication session; and

after step (d), the step of terminating the second communication session.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, further including the steps of:

transmitting from the client computer via the second communication session a request to receive another access configuration including a control setting for the one communication protocol;

receiving at the client computer via the second communication session the other access configuration; and

performing step (f) based on the control setting included in the other access configuration.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein step (f) further includes the steps of:

determining from the conveyed data the communication protocol thereof, and

determining from the thus determined communication protocol the control setting therefor.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, further including the step of transferring at least part of the conveyed data to the second network address via the second communication session.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the transferred data includes at least one of the following:

a network address; and

a subject of the third communication session.

12. The method as set forth in claim 10, further including the step of transferring with the data a login name received by the client computer during a login procedure by a user thereof.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein the first and second server computers are the same server computer.

15. The method as set forth in claim 13, further including at least one of:

after step (c), the step of terminating the first communication session; and

after step (e), terminating the second communication session.

16. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein:

the access configuration further includes at least one of the following global control settings;

access prohibited to conveyed data including at least one of a predetermined word and a predetermined phrase;

access prohibited to data including at least one predetermined data type;

access prohibited to data conveyed during at least one of a predetermined time and day-of-week; and

access prohibited based on a rating for a category included with the computer data; and

step (g) further includes the step of controlling the conveyance of data at least one of (i) to and (ii) from the process instantiated on the client computer based on the at least one global control setting.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein:

prior to receipt of the access configuration at the client computer, the control setting for the one communication protocol is selected from a plurality of different control settings therefor; and

each global control setting is selected nonexclusively of any other global control settings.

18. The method as set forth in claim 13, further including the steps of:

initiating at the client computer via the second communication session a request to the second server computer to transmit another access configuration;

receiving at the client computer from the second server computer the other access configuration; and

performing step (g) based on a control setting included in the other access configuration for the one communication protocol.

19. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein:

the access configuration includes for the control setting for the one communication protocol a list; and

the conveyance of data in step (g) is controlled based upon an entry included in the list.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19, wherein the entry comprises a network address.

21. The method as set forth in claim 13, further including the step of determining the communication protocol from the conveyed data.

13. A method for controlling computer network access comprising the steps of:

(a) storing at a client computer a first network address;

(b) initiating a first communication session between the client computer and a first server computer at the first network address;

(c) receiving at the client computer from the first server computer via the first communication session a second network address;

(d) initiating a second communication session between the client computer and a second server computer at the second network address;

(e) receiving at the client computer from the second server computer an access configuration including a control setting for at least one communication protocol capable of being utilized during a third communication session;

(f) instantiating on the client computer concurrent with the second communication session a process which initiates a third communication session between the client computer and a remote computer at a third network address; and

(g) in connection with the third communication session, controlling data conveyed at least one of (i) to and (ii) from the instantiated process on the client computer based on the control setting for the one communication protocol.