NETWORK ACCESS AND PROFILE CONTROL

• US 20090089865A1
• Filed: 10/02/2007
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Baron, Andrew, Mandhana, Taroon, Zohrenejad, Amir
• Granted Patent: US 9,270,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing network profiles and/or access to a network. Network profiles stored in a computer may be deleted and/or a connection to a wireless network may be disabled when a corresponding access period for the network has been exhausted. The access period may define an amount of time, a number of connections, a number of bits or packets of information, or other measure of connectivity to a network and/or maintenance of profile information related to the network that may be limited in some fashion.

Claims

1. A method for managing wireless network profiles, comprising:

providing a computer constructed and arranged to communicate wirelessly with at least one other device in a wireless network;

storing one or more network profiles in a memory of the computer, each network profile including information regarding a corresponding wireless network that the computer has communicated with or is intended to communicate with and including at least a network name and a security setting of the wireless network, information in the network profile being useable by the computer in initiating a connection with the corresponding wireless network;

establishing an access period over which each of the network profiles will be maintained in the memory of the computer; and

deleting at least one network profile or disabling a connection to the corresponding wireless network when a corresponding access period for the network profile has been exhausted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the access period corresponds to a time period.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the computer deletes the at least one network profile after determining that an amount of time corresponding to the time period has passed since the corresponding wireless network was last communicated with.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the access period includes a date and time of day representing when the access period expires.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the access period includes a number of connections that the computer may make with the corresponding wireless network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the access period is a connection period required for the computer to receive policy information needed by the computer for connecting to the corresponding network in a secure way.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the access period defines a time period after which the computer is to disconnect from a network after the last network peer leaves the network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the access period corresponds to a time period, and the time period is reset when the computer connects to the corresponding network.

9. A computer readable medium including instructions that, when executed on a computer system, causes the computer system to perform a method, the computer system comprising a memory and at least one radio adapted for communication in a wireless network, the method comprising:

storing one or more network profiles in the memory, each network profile including information regarding a corresponding wireless network that the computer has communicated with or is intended to communicate with and including at least a network name and a security setting of the network, information in the network profile being useable by the computer in initiating a connection with the corresponding wireless network;

establishing an access period over which each of the network profiles will be maintained in the memory of the computer; and

deleting at least one network profile or disabling a connection to the network when a corresponding access period for the network profile has been exhausted.

10. A computer comprising:

a radio constructed and arranged to communicate with a wireless network;

a memory storing one or more network profiles, each network profile including information regarding a corresponding wireless network that the computer has communicated with or is intended to communicate with and including at least a network name and a security setting of the network, information in the network provide being useable by the computer in initiating a connection with the corresponding network; and

a connection engine that deletes a network profile in the memory and/or disables the radio from communicating with a network that corresponds to a network profile in the memory if an access period for the network has been exhausted.

11. The computer of claim 10, wherein the connection engine deletes the network profile and disables the radio from communicating with the corresponding network when the access period for the network profile is exhausted.

12. The computer of claim 10, wherein the access period corresponds to a time period.

13. The computer of claim 12, wherein the connection engine deletes the at least one network profile after determining that an amount of time corresponding to the time period has passed since the corresponding network was last communicated with by the radio.

14. The computer of claim 10, wherein the access period includes a date and time of day representing when the access period expires.

15. The computer of claim 10, wherein the access period is a number of connections that the computer may make with the corresponding network.

16. The computer of claim 10, wherein the access period is a connection period required for the computer to receive policy information needed by the computer for connecting to the corresponding network in a secure way.

17. The computer of claim 10, wherein the access period defines a time period after which the computer is to disconnect from a network after a last network peer leaves the network.

18. The computer of claim 10, wherein the access period corresponds to a time period, and the time period is reset when the computer connects to the corresponding network.

19. The computer of claim 10, wherein the access period corresponds to a time period, and the time period begins when the computer connects to the corresponding network.

20. The computer of claim 10, wherein the access period corresponds to a time period over which the computer is permitted to communicate with the corresponding network, and the connection engine causes the radio to disconnect from the network when the time period expires.