Method and apparatus for detecting the IP address of a computer, and location information associated therewith

• US 20080140841A1
• Filed: 01/12/2007
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: UBS Ag
• Original Assignee: UBS Ag
• Inventors: Ott, Robert
• Application Number:
  US11/652,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20080140841A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a computer network, a computer network, and an apparatus for use in the network. According to an aspect of the invention, a method for operating a computer network comprises: from a first device of the network, requesting access to a second device of the network; redirecting the request to a third device of the network; detecting location information associated with the first device by use of the third device; and redirecting the request to the second device.

Claims

1. A method for operating a computer network comprising the steps:

from a first device of the network, requesting access to a second device of the network;

redirecting the request to a third device of the network;

detecting location information associated with the first device by use of the third device; and

redirecting the request to the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the access request from the first device is a secure Internet/Intranet connection request.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the secure Internet/Intranet connection is a TLS (Transport Layer Security)/SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the redirected request is a normal, unsecure Internet/Intranet connection request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting location information comprises detecting an address of the first device within the network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the address is an IP address.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the address is comprised in an HTTP header.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein detecting location information comprises determining location information associated with the detected IP address.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information is information regarding the country where the first device is located.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein redirecting the request comprises transmitting the detected location information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the detected location information is transmitted by performing URL encoding.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein redirecting the request comprises transmitting a key.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein redirecting the request comprises transmitting a time stamp.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the detected location information is transmitted together with a digital signature.

15. A computer network, comprising:

at least a first, second, and third device, wherein the second device is adapted to redirect an access request of the first device to the third device for detecting location information associated with the first device.

16. The network of claim 15, wherein the access request of the first device is a secure Internet/Intranet connection request, and the redirected request is a normal, un-secure Internet/Intranet connection request.

17. The network of claim 16, wherein the secure Internet/Intranet connection request is a TLS (Transport Layer Security)/SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) connection request.

18. The network of claim 15, wherein the third device detects the location information by detecting the IP address of the first device within the network.

19. The network of claim 18, wherein the third device transmits the detected location information by again redirecting the access request.

20. The network of claim 19, wherein the detected location information is transmitted by use of URL encoding.

21. An apparatus for use in a computer network, adapted to redirect an access request of a first device in the network to a further device in the network for detecting location information associated with the first device.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the access request of the first device is a secure Internet/Intranet connection request, and the redirected request is a normal, un-secure Internet/Intranet connection request.

23. An apparatus for use in a computer network, adapted to detect location information of a first device in the network by detecting the IP address of the first device, and to transmit the detected location information by redirecting an access request to a further device.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the detected location information is transmitted by performing URL encoding.

25. A method for operating a computer network comprising:

from a first device of the network, requesting access to a second device of the network;

redirecting the request to a third device of the network;

detecting the address of the first device within the network by use of the third device; and

redirecting the request to the second device.

26. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method for operating a computer network comprising:

from a first device of the network, requesting access to a second device of the network;

redirecting the request to a third device of the network;

detecting location information associated with the first device by use of the third device; and

redirecting the request to the second device.