Migrating Configuration Information Based on User Identity Information

• US 20100257584A1
• Filed: 06/21/2010
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meenan, Patrick, Semaan, Fady William
• Granted Patent: US 8,275,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0846 based on copy from other elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• 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

Techniques are provided for the configuration of a home-networking system. Home-networking configuration information may be stored on a host system in a manner accessible to the home-networking system and migrated to a home-networking gateway or router that has not yet been configured. Wireless configuration information may be stored on a home-networking gateway or router and used to configure one or more wireless access points through the use of a physical connection, such as a wired communications pathway. One or more wireless home-networking devices may be configured based on wireless configuration information stored in a central repository on a host system or a home-networking system. The wireless configuration information may be accessible only through the use of a security code.

Claims

1. A method for migrating home-networking configuration information from one router to another router, the method comprising:

associating home-networking configuration information received and stored at a trusted system from a first router on a home network with a user identity that corresponds to a user of the home network;

establishing a communications session between a user device connected to the home network and the trusted system through a second router that is on the home network and that is located between the user device and the trusted system;

determining that the home-networking configuration information that was to received from the first router and that is associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network is not maintained on the second router; and

based on a determination that the home-networking configuration information that was received from the first router and that is associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network is not maintained on the second router, accessing the home-networking configuration information stored on the trusted system and sending the accessed home-networking configuration information to the second router.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the trusted system, an indication that the received home-networking configuration information is to be associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network; and

determining that the communications session is associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network,

wherein associating the home-networking configuration information is in response to receiving the indication that the received home-networking configuration information is to be associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising removing the first router from the home network and replacing the first router on the home network with the second router.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising configuring the second router based on the sent home-networking configuration information.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising associating the second router with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a confirmation from the user that corresponds to the user identity confirming that the second router should be associated with the user identity, wherein the second router is associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network in response to receiving the confirmation.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein associating the second router with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network comprises associating the second router with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network in a manner that does not require user intervention.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the user identity comprises a master account, a family account, or a supervisory account.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the home-networking configuration information comprises a default parental control level for one or more devices that connect to the trusted system through the second router.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the home-networking configuration information comprises a parental control level for a particular device that connects to the trusted system through the second router.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the home-networking configuration information comprises an access restriction for a particular device that connects to the trusted system through the second router.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the home-networking configuration information comprises one or more of identifying information for a router, device information used to configure the second router, wireless configuration information used to configure wireless devices and wireless access points to communicate with the second router, and protocol information used to configure the second router, wireless devices, and wireless access points.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the trusted system is a system provided by an Internet service provider or a system provided by an Internet access provider.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a confirmation from the user that corresponds with the user identity confirming that the home-networking configuration information should be sent to the second router, wherein the home-networking configuration information stored on the trusted system is accessed and sent to the second router based on receiving the confirmation in addition to the determination that the communications session is associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network and the determination that the home-networking configuration information is not maintained on the second router.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing home-networking configuration information comprises accessing home-networking configuration information transparently to the user that corresponds to the user identity.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the accessed home-networking configuration information comprises sending the accessed home-networking configuration information transparently to the user that corresponds to the user identity.

17. A system for migrating home-networking configuration from one router to another router, the system comprising a processor connected to a storage device, wherein the processor is configured to:

associate home-networking configuration information received and stored at a trusted system from a first router on a home network with a user identity that corresponds to a user of the home network;

establish a communications session between a user device connected to the home network and the trusted system through a second router that is on the home network and that is located between the user device and the trusted system;

determine that the home-networking configuration information that was received from the first router and that is associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network is not maintained on the second router; and

based on a determination that the communications session is associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network and a determination that the home-networking configuration information that was received from the first router and that is associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network is not maintained on the second router, access the home-networking configuration information stored on the trusted system and sending the accessed home-networking configuration information to the second router.

18. A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program configured to migrate home-networking configuration information from one router to another router, the medium comprising one or more code segments configured to:

associate home-networking configuration information received and stored at a trusted system from a first router on a home network with a user identity that corresponds to a user of the home network;

establish a communications session between a user device connected to the home network and the trusted system through a second router that is on the home network and that is located between the user device and the trusted system;

determine that the home-networking configuration information that was received from the first router and that is associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network is not maintained on the second router; and

based on a determination that the communications session is associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network and a determination that the home-networking configuration information that was received from the first router and that is associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network is not maintained on the second router, access the home-networking configuration information stored on the trusted system and sending the accessed home-networking configuration information to the second router.

19. A method for migrating home-networking configuration information from a first router to a second router on a home network, the method comprising:

associating home-networking configuration information received and stored at a trusted system from the first router with a user identity that corresponds to a user of the home network;

establishing a communications session between a user device connected to the home network and the trusted system through the second router that is on the home network and that is located between the user device and the trusted system;

determining whether to send the home-networking configuration information that was received from the first router and that is associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network to the second router; and

based on a determination to send the home-networking configuration information that was received from the first router and that is associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network to the second router, accessing the home-networking configuration information stored on the trusted system and sending the accessed home-networking configuration information to the second router.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

determining that the communications session is associated with the user identity that corresponds to the user of the home network; and

removing the first router from the home network and replacing the first router on the home network with the second router.