Forced network portal

• US 6,460,084 B1
• Filed: 04/09/1999
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Van Horne, Peter, Van Horne, Edwin James
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, OANH
• Application Number:
  US09/288,880
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/227, 709/228, 709/229, 709/225, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

A system manages communications between a user and a network by receiving a user request for access to a network file during a user network connection session with a connecting network, determining whether the user has a connected user session state or a disconnected user session state with respect to a portal server, responding to a disconnected user session state by determining a user identity that specifies a physical location for the user and providing the user with a redirected page for display in a user graphical interface program in accordance with the determined user physical location user identification and in accordance with service selection information, and then changing the user session state to a connected state, and responding to a connected user session state by routing the user request for access to the network file to a network server. The system thereby controls user access to web pages, but does not require any specialized client-side software, and permits different content to be delivered according to the location of the user who will receive it.

Claims

1. A method of providing communication between a user and a network, the method comprising:

receiving a user request for access to a network file during a user network connection session with a connecting network;

determining whether the user has a connected user session state or a disconnected user session state with respect to a portal server;

responding to a disconnected user session state by determining a user identity that specifies a physical location for the user and providing the user with a redirected page for display in a user graphical interface program in accordance with the determined user physical location and in accordance with user identification and service selection information, and then changing the user session state to a connected state; and

responding to a connected user session state by routing the user request for access to the network file to a network server.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein responding to a disconnected user session state comprises providing the user with a redirected display page having authorization and identification forms that define a service selection.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein responding to a disconnected user session state comprises providing the user with a redirected display page having authorization and identification forms that specify a network access provider.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the network communications protocol comprises the Internet protocol (IP) and the step of receiving a user request for access to a network file comprises intercepting a user network GET request for a page file from a network server.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the portal server maintains a user IP address table containing session states for each user and determines the user session state by examining the user'"'"'s entry in the IP address table.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the step of determining a user identity that specifies a physical location for a disconnected user state comprises the portal server sending an IP redirect page that is not displayed by the user'"'"'s browser but contains an SNMP query that obtains from the connecting network the physical location of the user.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the step of providing the user with a redirected page for display in a user graphical interface program comprises displaying a forced portal page as the redirected page.

8. A method of providing communication between a user and a network, the method comprising:

connecting the user to a local network and generating a network request for a network file from a network server;

intercepting the network request at a portal server and thereby determining the network address of the user to identify the connection state of the user;

responding to a disconnected connection state by sending the user a redirected query page that requests user identification that will identify the physical location of the user, determining a redirected portal page in accordance with the user physical location user identification and user service selection information, sending the user the redirected portal page, and changing the user connection state to connected; and

responding to a connected connection state by routing the original network request to a network server and thereby providing the user with access to the requested network file.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the network communications protocol comprises the Internet protocol (IP) and the step of receiving a user request for access to a network file comprises intercepting a user network GET request for a page file from a network server.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the portal server maintains a user IP address table containing session states for each user and determines the user session state by examining the user'"'"'s entry in the IP address table.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein the step of determining a user identity that specifies a physical location for a disconnected user state comprises the portal server sending an IP redirect page that is not displayed by the user'"'"'s browser but contains an SNMP query that obtains from the connecting network the physical location of the user.

12. A method of providing communication between a user and a network, the method comprising:

connecting the user to a local connecting network;

generating a network request at the user for access to a network file stored at a network server;

intercepting the network request at a portal server and determining the network address of the user and the connection state of the user;

responding to a disconnected user state by sending the user a redirected query page that requests user identification that will identify the physical location of the user;

determining a redirected portal page in accordance with the user physical location user identification and user service selection information;

sending the user the redirected portal page, and changing the user connection state to connected; and

responding to a connected user state by routing the original network request to a network server and thereby providing the user with access to the requested network file.

13. A server that manages access by a user to a network, the server comprising a computer with:

a central processing unit that communicates with network information sources; and

memory that contains programming instructions executed by the central processing unit to cause the computer to perform steps such that it receives a user request for access to a network file during a user network connection session with a connecting network, determines whether the user has a connected user session state or a disconnected user session state with respect to a portal server, responds to a disconnected user session state by determining a user identity that specifies a physical location for the user and providing the user with a redirected page for display in a user graphical interface program in accordance with the determined user physical location user identification and in accordance with service selection information, and then changing the user session state to a connected state, and responds to a connected user session state by routing the user request for access to the network file to a network server.

14. A server as defined in claim 13, wherein the server responds to a disconnected user session state by providing the user with a redirected display page having authorization and identification forms that define a service selection.

15. A server as defined in claim 13, wherein the server responds to a disconnected user session state by providing the user with a redirected display page having authorization and identification forms that specify a network access provider.

16. A server as defined in claim 13, wherein the network communications protocol comprises the Internet protocol (IP) and the server receives a user request for access to a network file by intercepting a user network GET request for a page file from a network server.

17. A server as defined in claim 16, wherein the server maintains a user IP address table containing session states for each user and determines the user session state by examining the user'"'"'s entry in the IP address table.

18. A server as defined in claim 17, wherein the server determines a user identity that specifies a physical location for a disconnected user state by sending an IP redirect page that is not displayed by the user'"'"'s browser but contains an SNMP query that obtains from the connecting network the physical location of the user.

19. A server as defined in claim 18, wherein the server provides the user with a redirected page for display in a user graphical interface program by displaying a forced portal page as the redirected page.

20. A program product for use in a computer system that executes program steps recorded in a computer-readable media to perform a method for providing communication between a user and a network, the program product comprising:

a recordable media; and

a program of computer-readable instructions executable by the computer system to perform method steps comprising

receiving a user request for access to a network file during a user network connection session with a connecting network;

determining whether the user has a connected user session state or a disconnected user session state with respect to a portal server;

responding to a disconnected user session state by determining a user identity that specifies a physical location for the user and providing the user with a redirected page for display in a user graphical interface program in accordance with the determined user physical location and in accordance with user identification and service selection information, and then changing the user session state to a connected state; and

responding to a connected user session state by routing the user request for access to the network file to a network server.

21. A program product as defined in claim 20, wherein responding to a disconnected user session state comprises providing the user with a redirected display page having authorization and identification forms that define a service selection.

22. A program product as defined in claim 20, wherein responding to a disconnected user session state comprises providing the user with a redirected display page having authorization and identification forms that specify a network access provider.

23. A program product as defined in claim 20, wherein the network communications protocol comprises the Internet protocol (IP) and the step of receiving a user request for access to a network file comprises intercepting a user network GET request for a page file from a network server.

24. A program product as defined in claim 23, wherein the portal server maintains a user IP address table containing session states for each user and determines the user session state by examining the user'"'"'s entry in the IP address table.

25. A program product as defined in claim 24, wherein the method step of determining a user identity that specifies a physical location for a disconnected user state comprises the portal server sending an IP redirect page that is not displayed by the user'"'"'s browser but contains an SNMP query that obtains from the connecting network the physical location of the user.

26. A program product as defined in claim 25, wherein the method step of providing the user with a redirected page for display in a user graphical interface program comprises displaying a forced portal page as the redirected page.