Automatic and secure system for remote access to electronic mail and the internet

• US 6,678,727 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1999
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Veicon Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Veicon Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Neal, Charles E., Lee, Chong C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US09/404,924
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/220, 709/221, 709/227, 709/217, 709/229, 709/222, 709/228, 455/412, 345/428, 707/501.1, 235/381, 235/375
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A system and method for providing a remote user with secure, temporary access to electronic mail and/or the Internet. The invented system includes one or more remote terminals, each including an input device and a display, and a system server for communicating with the terminals. The server is capable of displaying prompts on each of the displays and reading user inputs on each of the input devices. Furthermore, the server is operatively connected with the user'"'"'s home system, typically via an electronic network. The system further includes a program executing on the system server for prompting one or more users located at the one or more remote terminals to enter inputs and for automatically configuring a configuration file for each remote user. Each configuration file contains information responsive to a corresponding one of the user'"'"'s inputs, and each of the files is usable by the system server to operatively connect the corresponding user with that user'"'"'s home system via the electronic network, based at least in part on the user'"'"'s individual inputs. The system server executes the configuration file in such a manner as to provide each user with customized remote access to the user'"'"'s home system in a secure operating environment dictated at least in part by the user'"'"'s network client choices. A method of using the system is also described, as well as an embodiment of the system in which the system server and one or more remote terminals are the same computing device.

Claims

1. A system for providing a remote user with access to that user'"'"'s home system via an electronic network, comprising:

a remote computing device including an input device, a display and a memory device, wherein the remote computing device is configured to cause prompts to be displayed on the display and to read user inputs thereto on the input device, and further wherein the computing device is operatively connected with such electronic network; and

a program executing on said remote computing device for prompting a remote user located at said remote computing device and away from the remote user'"'"'s home system to enter inputs and for automatically configuring one or more configuration files for the remote user, wherein said one or more configuration files contain information responsive to the remote user'"'"'s inputs and are configured for use by said remote computing device to operatively connect the remote user with the user'"'"'s home system via such electronic network based at least in part on such user'"'"'s individual inputs, wherein the inputs include selecting an e-mail client from a plurality of available e-mail clients and further wherein the program is adapted to automatically configure the one or more configuration files for use with the selected e-mail client,

said remote computing device executing said user'"'"'s one or more configuration files in such manner as to provide each user with customized remote access to said user'"'"'s home system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic network is the Internet.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said user inputs and said configuration files contain information regarding such remote user'"'"'s choice of client for accessing the Internet.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said configuration files contain information regarding such remote user'"'"'s user identification and home system electronic address.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said configuration files contain information regarding such remote user'"'"'s user identification, e-mail address and home system electronic address, and further wherein the program is configured to prompt the user for such information.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said configuration files contain information regarding such remote user'"'"'s choice of client for accessing the Internet and regarding such remote user'"'"'s choice of e-mail client for e-mail sending or receiving.

7. The system of claim 1, further including a secure housing in which the remote computing device is disposed to prevent unauthorized access to selected components of the remote computing device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said housing includes a kiosk that enables the remote user to view the display and access the user input device, but prevents the remote user from directly accessing the memory device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote computing device is adapted to erase the one or more configuration files for the remote user responsive to the user ending an operative connection with the user'"'"'s home system.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more configuration files are stored in a portion of the memory device of the remote computing device, and further wherein the remote computing device is adapted to overwrite the portion of the memory device upon completion of an operative session by the remote user.

11. An electronic network gateway processing system for providing a familiar operating environment for a remote user to the user'"'"'s home system via an electronic network, the system comprising:

a system server in communication with a remote terminal and said electronic network, wherein the remote terminal includes a hand-held computing device,

said system server having a memory device and being capable of prompting said remote user to make choices regarding the user'"'"'s preferred network clients via said remote terminal,

said system server creating one or more configuration files for said user that is based at least in part on said user'"'"'s network client choices,

said one or more configuration files enabling said system server to establish a communication gateway via an electronic network between such remote user and such home system in an operating environment dictated by said user'"'"'s network client choices.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the electronic network is the Internet.

13. The system of claim 11, further including a plurality of remote terminals that are each in communication with the system server, wherein the system server is capable of prompting a plurality of remote users, each at a different one of the plurality of remote terminals, to choose their network clients via said remote terminals, wherein the system server creates and saves on its memory device one or more configuration files for each user that is based in part on such user'"'"'s network client choices.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the remote terminals have no local file storage capacity.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the system server is adapted to erase the one or more configuration files responsive to the user ending an operative connection to the user'"'"'s home system from one of the remote terminals.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the user'"'"'s network client choices include the user'"'"'s preferred e-mail client for sending or receiving e-mail.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the configuration files contain information regarding such remote user'"'"'s user identification, e-mail address and home system electronic address.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the user'"'"'s network client choices include the user'"'"'s preferred network client for accessing the Internet.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the system server is adapted to erase the one or more configuration files for said user responsive to the user ending an operative connection with the user'"'"'s home system.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the hand-held computing device is selected from the group consisting of a personal digital assistant and a smart phone.