Controlling user-access to computer applications

• US 20050060565A1
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fernham Technologies LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hill, Timothy A., McMenamin, Marie Louise, Patrawala, Zakir S., Virani, Samira S., Chebolu, Anil Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,995 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for controlling access to to computer applications. Briefly described in architecture, some embodiments of a system provide at least one computer application stored on a computer, and a control unit to regulate user-access to computer applications stored on the computer. In this way, the control unit prohibits the displaying of information from a computer application that has been prohibited. Other systems and methods are also provided.

Claims

1. A system to control access to computer applications, comprising:

a control unit monitor configured to monitor requests from computer applications to display information to a user;

an identifier configured to identify a particular application that generated a particular request; and

a display inhibitor configured to prevent the display of information if the particular application is designated as prohibited.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the particular application is designated as prohibited for any user of the computer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the particular application is designated to be prohibited for any user of the computer, the access control monitor configured to identify the current user of the computer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the particular application is a Microsoft Windows Messenger Service.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the particular application is an Internet browsing application.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the particular application is an instant messaging application.

7. The system of claim 1, the display inhibitor further configured to prevent the display of the information if the particular application is designated as authorized and a particular service of the application that caused the request is designated as prohibited.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the particular application is a Microsoft Windows Messenger Service and the particular service is displaying a message from the Microsoft Windows Messenger Service.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the particular service is designated as prohibited for any user of the computer.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the particular service is designated as prohibited for a particular user of the computer, the control unit monitor further configured to identify the current user.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one user profile stored in the computer for a respective user, the user profile containing a list of applications and services that are designated as prohibited by the respective user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the information is a web page.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the list contains specific web page addresses that are designated as prohibited.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the list contains specific web page addresses that are not designated as prohibited.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the list contains categories of web pages that are designated as prohibited, the display inhibitor configured to determine if a requested web page is in one of the prohibited categories.

16. The system of claim 1, the control unit monitor further configured to visually notify the current when the current user has been prohibited access to the information.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the user profile is customized for the respective user.

18. A method for controlling access to computer applications, comprising the steps of:

monitoring requests from applications to display information to a user;

determining if the user is authorized to view the information; and

displaying the information if the user is authorized.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

determining a particular application making a request to display information;

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the user is authorized if the particular application is not prohibited.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

providing at least one list of applications that are prohibited by a respective user.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the list further contains application services that are prohibited by the respective user.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the application services include a request from an Internet browsing application to access a specific web page.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the application services include a request from an Internet browsing application to access a category of web page.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the list further contains categories of applications and services that are prohibited by the respective user.

26. A computer-readable medium for storing a program that controls computer access to Internet content, the program comprising the steps of:

monitoring requests from applications to display information to a user;

determining if the user is authorized to view the information; and

displaying the information if the user is authorized.

27. The medium of claim 26, the program further comprising the step of:

determining a particular application making a request to display information;

28. The medium of claim 27, wherein the user is authorized if the particular application is not prohibited.

29. The medium of claim 26, the program further comprising the step of:

providing at least one list of applications that are prohibited by a respective user.

30. The medium of claim 29, wherein the list further contains application services that are prohibited by the respective user.

31. The medium of claim 30, wherein the application services include a request from an Internet browsing application to access a specific web page.

32. The medium of claim 30, wherein the application services include a request from an Internet browsing application to access a category of web page.

33. The medium of claim 29, wherein the list further contains categories of applications and services that are prohibited by the respective user.