NETWORK-BASED CONTENT FILTERING UTILIZING USER-SPECIFIED PARAMETERS

• US 20140029615A1
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baldwin, Christopher, Barnes, Bruce, Heinmiller, Wayne Robert, Kenny, Patrick, Khoshaba, Shadi, Mallian, Dolores J., Marathe, Nikhil Shreerang
• Granted Patent: US 9,385,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data

Abstract

Network-based content filtering utilizing user-specified parameters is disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein to perform network-based content filtering include receiving, at an incoming edge router of a provider network, incoming data to be routed in the provider network to a destination device, and before routing the incoming data in the provider network, determining whether to restrict the routing of the incoming data in the provider network to the destination device based on a parameter associated with the destination device, the parameter being related to a content classification of the incoming data.

Claims

1. A method to perform network-based content filtering, the method comprising:

receiving, at an incoming edge router of a provider network, incoming data to be routed in the provider network to a destination device; and

before routing the incoming data in the provider network, determining whether to restrict the routing of the incoming data in the provider network to the destination device based on a parameter associated with the destination device, the parameter being related to a content classification of the incoming data.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the parameter is a first parameter comprising a content restriction preference specified by a user associated with the destination device, the content restriction preference identifying a content category to be restricted from being routed to the destination device.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the content category comprises at least one of a content type, a data type, a source type, a data size range, a bandwidth range or a quality of service.

4. The method as defined in claim 2 further comprising determining whether to restrict the routing of the incoming data in the provider network to the destination device based on a second parameter specified by the user, the second parameter comprising a triggering condition that is to trigger whether the content restriction preference is to be enabled to restrict the routing of the incoming data.

5. The method as defined in claim 4 wherein the preference triggering condition comprises at least one of a service plan status, a billing cycle status, a time of day or an authorization status.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising retrieving the parameter based on an identifier associated with the destination device, the identifier being included in the incoming data.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the incoming data is received in response to a request from the destination device, the incoming data comprises first data provided by a first source to which the request was directed and second data provided by a second source to which the request was not directed, and further comprising:

preventing the second data from being routed to the destination device based on the parameter; and

routing the first data to the destination device.

8. A tangible machine readable storage medium storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

identifying a parameter specified by a user associated with a destination device to which incoming data received at an incoming edge router of a provider network is to be routed; and

before the incoming data undergoes routing in the provider network, determining whether to restrict the routing of the incoming data in the provider network to the destination device based on the parameter, the parameter being related to a content classification of the incoming data.

9. The storage medium as defined in claim 8 wherein the parameter is a first parameter comprising a content restriction preference specified by the user, the content restriction preference identifying a content category to be restricted from being routed to the destination device.

10. The storage medium as defined in claim 9 wherein the content category comprises at least one of a content type, a data type, a source type, a data size range, a bandwidth range or a quality of service.

11. The storage medium as defined in claim 9 wherein the operations performed by the machine further comprise determining whether to restrict the routing of the incoming data in the provider network to the destination device based on a second parameter specified by the user associated with the destination device, the second parameter comprising a triggering condition that is to trigger whether the content restriction preference is to be enabled to restrict the routing of the incoming data.

12. The storage medium as defined in claim 11 wherein the preference triggering condition comprises at least one of a service plan status, a billing cycle status, a time of day or an authorization status.

13. The storage medium as defined in claim 8 wherein the operations performed by the machine further comprise retrieving the parameter based on an identifier associated with the destination device, the identifier being included in the incoming data.

14. An apparatus to perform network-based content filtering, the apparatus comprising:

a memory to store machine readable instructions; and

a processor responsive to the machine readable instructions to perform operations comprising;

retrieving a first parameter and a second parameter associated with a destination device to which incoming data received at a provider network is to be routed, the first parameter and the second parameter being specified by a user associated with the destination device, at least one of the first parameter or the second parameter being related to a content classification of the incoming data; and

filtering the incoming data based on the first parameter and the second parameter prior to the incoming data being routed to the destination device.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein the first parameter comprises a content restriction preference identifying a content category to be restricted from being routed to the destination device.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein the content category comprises at least one of a content type, a data type, a source type, a data size range, a bandwidth range or a quality of service.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein the content restriction preference is a first content restriction preference, and the second parameter comprises a second content restriction preference identifying a second content category to be restricted from being routed to the destination device.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein the second parameter comprises a triggering condition that is to trigger whether the content restriction preference is to be enabled to restrict the routing of the incoming data.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 18 wherein the preference triggering condition comprises at least one of a service plan status, a billing cycle status, a time of day or an authorization status.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 18 wherein the operations to be performed by the processor further comprise retrieving the first parameter and the second parameter based on an identifier associated with the destination device, the identifier being included in the incoming data.