Secure, standards-based communications across a wide-area network

• US 20050223111A1
• Filed: 11/04/2004
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: U4EA Wireless, Inc. (Gos networks limited)
• Original Assignee: U4EA Wireless, Inc. (Gos networks limited)
• Inventors: Morris, David, Hassan, Owais U., Carrafiello, Michael, Lew, Albert, Gaidos, Webster, Mueller, Martin, Cook, Michael, Bhandaru, Nehru, Vakulenko, Michael, Hares, Susan
• Application Number:
  US10/982,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20050223111A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4604 LAN interconnection over a backbone network, e.g. Internet, Frame Relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/164 at the network layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols

Abstract

The invention includes systems and methods to extend security from enterprise networks to wide-area networks by allowing secure connectivity to the enterprise layer 2 network across a wide-area layer 3 network, such as the Internet

Claims

1. A method of facilitating secure communications between an enterprise network and a user communicating over a wide-area network accessible to the enterprise network, the method comprising:

generating a set of encapsulated packets, generating the set of encapsulated packets further including encapsulating, within a first protocol, data packets originating with the user, wherein the user-originated data packets are encoded in a second protocol, and the second protocol is below the first protocol in a hierarchy of protocols;

transmitting the encapsulated packets to the enterprise network over the wide-area network;

receiving the encapsulated packets at the enterprise network;

un-encapsulating the encapsulated packets to retrieve the user-originated data packets encoded in the second protocol;

forwarding the user-originated data packets across the enterprise network via the second protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchy of protocols is an ISO hierarchy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first protocol is a layer 3 protocol.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second protocol is a layer 2 protocol.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the user communicates with the wide-area network using a wireless protocol.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the wireless protocol is WiFi.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the user communicates over a local area network using a wireless protocol.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the wireless protocol is WiFi.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein first protocol is a WiFi VPN protocol that rides on top of UDP/IP.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

encrypting the encapsulated packets prior to transmitting the encapsulated packets to the enterprise network.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

after receiving the encapsulated packets, decrypting the encapsulated packets.