Systems and Methods for Controlling Network Access

• US 20140115668A1
• Filed: 10/19/2012
• Published: 04/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnissa, LLC
• Original Assignee: AirWatch LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stuntebeck, Erich, Burnett, Michelle
• Granted Patent: US 9,247,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for systems and methods for controlling access of networks. In one embodiment, an access control service receives requests to access network beacons from client devices. In response, the access control service determines whether the client devices satisfy authorization rules associated with the network beacons. If the access control service determines that the client devices satisfy the authorization rules associated with the network beacons, the access control service authorizes the client devices to access the network beacons. Subsequently, if the client devices cease to satisfy the authorization rules associated with the network beacons, the access control service terminates the authorization of the client devices to access the network beacons.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memory devices including program code instructions, the one or more memory devices and program code instruction being configured to, with the one or more processors, direct the apparatus to at least;

receive one or more requests to access one or more network beacons from one or more client devices;

access one or more device profiles describing one or more states of the one or more client devices;

determine, based at least in part on the one or more states, whether the one or more client devices satisfy one or more authorization rules associated with the network beacons, the one or more authorization rules specifying one;

or more permitted states;

responsive to a determination that the client devices satisfy the authorization rules associated with the network beacons, authorize, the client devices to access the network beacons; and

,

terminate the authorization of the client devices to access the network beacons in an instance in which the one or more client devices no longer satisfy the authorization rules associated with the network beacons.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the requests comprise the one or more device profiles.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is directed to authorize the client devices to access the network beacons by causing one or more resources associated with the network beacons to be transmitted to the client devices.

5. The system apparatus of claim 1, wherein a stringency of the authorization rules associated with the network beacons may be one or more of increased, reduced, or eliminated based at least in part on the one or more state of the one or more client devices.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is directed to terminate the authorization of the client devices to access the network beacons by causing the resources associated with the network beacons to be removed from the client devices.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network beacons are associated with one or more service providers and the one or more client devices are associated with one ore more customers of the service provider.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more authorization rules comprise one or more environment-related requirements.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more authorization rules comprise one or more device-related requirements.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more authorization rules comprise one or more resource-related requirements.

3. (canceled)

8. A method, comprising:

accessing at least one device profile describing at least one state of at least one client device;

causing one or more requests to access one or more network beacons to be transmitted from the at least one client device;

receiving, at the at least one client device, one or more resources associated with the one or more network beacons; and

,

accessing the one or more network beacons from the at least one client device in an instance in which a determination has been made that me at least one client device satisfies one ore more authorization rules;

wherein the determination is made based at least in part on the at least one state of the at least one client device, and further wherein the one ore more authorization rules specify one ore more permitted states.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the resources comprise a key configured to permit the client devices to access one or more networks associated with the network beacons.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

ceasing to access the network beacons from the at least one client devices in an instance in which the client devices do not satisfy one or more authorization rules associated with the network beacons.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a stringency of the authorization rules associated with the network beacons may be one or more of increased, reduced, or eliminated based on the state of the client devices.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

removing the resources from the client device in an instance in which the at least one client device does not satisfy the one or more authorization rules associated with the network beacons.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a stringency of the one or more authorization rules associated with the network beacons may be one or more of increased, reduced, or eliminated based on the at least one state of the at least one client device.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the network beacons are associated with one or more service providers and the at least one client device is associated with at least one customer of the service provider.

10. (canceled)

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying one or more programs executable in one or more computing devices, the programs comprising code that, when executed, direct the one or more computing devices to at least:

identify at least one client devices located within one or more transmission ranges of one or more network beacons;

access at least one device profile describing at least one state of the at least one client device;

determine, based at least in part on the at least one state, whether the at least one client devices satisfies one or more authorization rules associated with the network beacons, the one or more authorization rules specifying one or mere permuted states; and

,

responsive to a determination that the at least one client devices satisfies the authorization rules associated with the network beacons, cause one or more resources associated with the network beacons to be transmitted to the at least one client device.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more computing devices are directed to identify the at least one client device located within the transmission ranges of the network beacons by receiving one or more requests to access the network beacons from the at least one client device.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein a stringency of the authorization rules associated with the network beacons may be one or more of increased, reduced, or eliminated based at least in part on the at least one state of the client devices.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more computing devices are further directed to at least:

responsive to a determination that the client devices satisfy the one or more authorization rules associated with the network beacons, authorize the client devices to access the network beacons.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more computing devices are further directed to at least:

terminate the authorization of the at least one client device to access the network beacons in an instance in which the at least one client device no longer satisfies the one or more authorization rules associated with the network beacons.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the resources comprise a key configured to permit the at least one client device to access one or more networks associated with the network beacons.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more computing devices are further directed to at least:

cause the resources to be removed from the at least one client device in an instance in which the at least one client device no longer satisfies the one or more authorization rules associated with the network beacons.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the network beacons are associated with one or more service providers and the at least one client device is associated with at least one customer of the service provider.

20. (canceled)