Wireless control apparatus, system, control method, and program

• US 20060114872A1
• Filed: 11/30/2005
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamada, Masashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,437,145 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A network system is provided which includes an Enterprise-mode authentication server on a host network, a wireless access point (AP) on a wired local network, and wireless terminals on a wireless local network. The AP obtains a result of user authentication performed by the Enterprise-mode authentication server by monitoring an authentication sequence between the Enterprise-mode authentication server and a wireless terminal that is performing association in a wireless section and obtains information indicating a relationship between a MAC address and an IP address with respect to the wireless terminal by monitoring an ARP table. The AP determines the connection mode of the wireless terminal on the basis of the obtained information and sets a service (e.g., filtering) according to the mode.

Claims

1. A wireless control apparatus for controlling connection activity between a wireless local network and a network including an authenticating device, the wireless control apparatus comprising:

a first obtaining unit configured to obtain information indicating a relationship between a MAC address and an IP address with respect to a wireless device;

a second obtaining unit configured to obtain at least one of information indicating a result of user authentication performed by the authenticating unit and information indicating a login name of the wireless device by monitoring an authentication sequence between the wireless device and the authenticating device;

a determining unit configured to determine a connection mode of the wireless device to the wireless control apparatus on the basis of the information obtained by the first obtaining unit and the information obtained by the second obtaining unit; and

a selecting unit configured to select a service to be provided to the wireless device in accordance with a determination performed by the determining unit.

2. The wireless control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit is configured to determine whether the connection mode is a first mode of connecting to the wireless control apparatus in accordance with a result of authentication performed by the authenticating device or a second mode of connecting to the wireless control apparatus in accordance with a decision of the wireless control apparatus.

3. The wireless control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storing device configured to store the MAC address, user identification information, the result of authentication performed by the authenticating device, and the IP address, with respect to the wireless device, in association with each other,

wherein the second obtaining unit is configured to further obtain the user identification information and the MAC address with respect to the wireless device by monitoring the authentication sequence and to store the obtained user identification information and MAC address in the storing device, and

the first obtaining unit is configured to store the obtained information indicting the relationship between the MAC address and the IP address in the storing device.

4. The wireless control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the determining unit is configured to determine the connection mode on the basis of the information stored in the storing device.

5. The wireless control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storing device configured to store the information obtained by the first obtaining unit and the information obtained by the second obtaining unit,

wherein the determining unit is configured to determine the connection mode, depending on whether at least one of the result of user authentication and the login name with respect to the wireless device whose MAC address and IP address have been stored in the storing device has been stored.

6. The wireless control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the storing device is updated when one of the result of user authentication is obtained, the information indicating the relationship between the MAC address and the IP address is obtained, and an internal database of the wireless control apparatus is updated.

7. The wireless control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selecting unit is configured to select a setting for at least one of, with respect to the wireless device, an access restriction service, an address translation service, and a method for assigning the IP address.

8. The wireless control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selecting unit is configured to select the service on the basis of the connection mode determined by the determining unit and information preset in the wireless control apparatus.

9. A system including an authenticating device;

and

a wireless control apparatus adapted to control connection activity between a wireless local network and a network having an authenticating device, wherein the wireless control apparatus comprises;

a first obtaining unit configured to obtain information indicating a relationship between a MAC address and an IP address with respect to a wireless device;

a second obtaining unit configured to obtain at least one of information indicating a result of user authentication performed by the authenticating device and information indicating a login name of the wireless device by monitoring an authentication sequence between the wireless device and the authenticating device;

a determining unit configured to determine a connection mode of the wireless device to the wireless control apparatus on the basis of the information obtained by the first obtaining unit and the information obtained by the second obtaining unit; and

a selecting unit configured to select a service to be provided to the wireless device in accordance with a determination performed by the determining unit.

10. A method for controlling a wireless control apparatus configured to control connection activity between a wireless local network and a network which includes an authenticating device, the method comprising:

a first obtaining step of obtaining information indicating a relationship between a MAC address and an IP address with respect to a wireless device;

a second obtaining step of obtaining at least one of information indicating a result of user authentication performed by the authenticating device and information indicating a login name of the wireless device by monitoring an authentication sequence between the wireless device and the authenticating device;

a determining step of determining a connection mode of the wireless device to the wireless control apparatus on the basis of the information obtained by the first obtaining step and the information obtained by the second obtaining step; and

a selecting step of selecting a service to be provided to the wireless device in accordance with the determined connection mode.

11. A computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for controlling a wireless control apparatus configured for controlling connection activity between a wireless local network and a network which includes an authenticating device, the computer readable medium comprising:

computer-executable instructions for determining a connection mode of the wireless device to the wireless control apparatus on the basis of information indicating a relationship between a MAC address and an IP address with respect to the wireless device and at least one of first information indicating a result of user authentication performed by the authenticating device and second information indicating a login name of the wireless device, the first and second information being obtained by monitoring an authentication sequence between the wireless device and the wireless control apparatus; and

computer-executable instructions for selecting a service to be provided to the wireless device in accordance with the determined connection mode.