System and method for monitoring the internet access of a computer

• US 6,795,856 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2000
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Accountabllity International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Accountability International, Inc.
• Inventors: Bunch, Clinton D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Geckil, Mehmet B.
• Application Number:
  US09/605,124
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/226, 709/229, 709/217, 709/219, 709/203, 709/224, 713/200, 713/201, 713/202
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00

Abstract

Employee Internet usage is monitored to identify the web sites employees visit and the amount of time employees spend at each site. The system utilizes a client-based module which monitors Internet access, which operates in conjunction with an enforcement supervisor located on a remote web server. A client-based monitoring module performs all of the monitoring and logging activity. The previous web page title, location (URL) and time spent are stored by the client component in memory on the client computer. The web page title and URL are obtained from system notifications from the browser to the client component. The client computer uploads the log containing the web page information to a web-based supervising module.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring the Internet access of a computer, the method comprising:

providing at the computer a client-based monitoring module;

providing at a web server a web-based supervisor module that specifies guidelines which govern Internet access by the computer,

sending the guidelines from the supervisor module to the client-based monitoring module;

at the client-based monitoring module, logging a request for Internet access in a log, and logging any violations of the guidelines in the log;

displaying at the computer an amount of Internet access time a user of the computer has remaining; and

sending the log to the supervisor module where the following sub-steps are performed;

(1) copying the log into a web-based log; and

(2) notifying a designated administrator of any violation.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the operation of providing at the computer a client-based monitoring module further comprises providing the computer that includes a device selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a wireless telephone, and a computerized appliance.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the operation of providing at a web server a web-based supervisor module further comprises specifying guidelines relative to interactive usage of the Internet by a user of the computer.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the operation of providing at a web server a web-based supervisor module further comprises specifying guidelines relative to the times at which a user of the computer can interactively use the Internet.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the operation of activating a browser and triggering the client-based monitoring module.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the operation of logging a request for Internet access in a log further comprises intercepting a universal resource link request between a browser and a network programming interface.

7. A system for monitoring network access, comprising:

a computer operable to connect to the network;

a monitoring module associated with the computer, the monitoring module operable to create a database containing a history log relative to access of the network;

a display associated with the monitoring module, the display operable to indicate an amount of authorized time a user of the computer has remaining on the network; and

a supervisor module provided at a server which is in periodic communication with the computer, the supervisor module including a web-based log operable to store the history log,

wherein the monitor module is operable to transfer the history log from the computer system to the supervisor module.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the network is the Internet.

9. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the computer comprises a device selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a wireless telephone, and a computerized appliance.

10. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the monitoring module is operable to monitor interactive usage of the network by a user of the computer.

11. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the monitoring module is operable to monitor the times at which a user of the computer can be connected to the network.

12. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the monitoring module is operable to monitor destinations on the network.

13. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the monitoring module is operable to search the computer for certain file names.

14. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the monitoring module is triggered by the activation of an Internet browser.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the monitoring module considers the time the Internet browser is minimized to be inactive time.

16. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the display indicates a period of network use.

17. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the display indicates a period of network use selected from the group consisting of monitored, restricted, and unrestricted.

18. The system as recited in claim 7, further comprising a plurality of computers operable to connect to the network, each of the plurality of computers including respective monitoring modules.

19. A method for monitoring the network access of a computer, the method comprising:

specifying guidelines which govern network access by the computer;

storing the guidelines at the computer;

displaying at the computer an amount of authorized network access time a user of the computer has remaining;

monitoring a request for network access at the computer;

responsive to a violation of the specified guidelines caused by the request for network access, logging the violation in a log stored at the computer;

providing an indication of the violation to a user of the computer; and

permitting the request for network access.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the operation of specifying guidelines which govern network access by the computer further comprises specifying guidelines which govern Internet access.

21. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the operation of specifying guidelines which govern network access by the computer further comprises specifying guidelines relative to the computer which comprises a device selected from the group consisting of personal computers, wireless telephones, and computerized appliances.

22. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising the operation of sending the log to a supervisor module associated with a web server where the following sub-steps are performed:

(1) copying the log into a web-based log; and

(2) notifying a designated administrator of the violation.

23. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the operation of specifying guidelines further comprises specifying guidelines relative to interactive usage of the network by a user of the network.

24. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the operation of specifying guidelines further comprises specifying guidelines relative to the times at which a user of the computer can interactively use the network.

25. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the operation of logging a request for network access in a log further comprises the operation of detecting the activation of a browser.

26. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the operation of logging a request for network access in a log further comprises intercepting a universal resource link request between a browser and a network programming interface.

27. A method for monitoring the network access of a computer, the method comprising:

specifying guidelines which govern network access by the computer;

storing the guidelines at the computer;

displaying an amount of authorized time a user of the computer has remaining on the network; and

at the computer, logging a request for network access in a log and logging any violations of the guidelines in the log.

28. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the operation of specifying guidelines which govern network access by the computer further comprises specifying guidelines which govern Internet access.

29. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the operation of specifying guidelines which govern network access by the computer further comprises specifying guidelines which govern network access by a device selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a wireless telephone, and a computerized appliance.

30. The method as recited in claim 27, further comprising the operation of sending the log to a supervisor module associated with a web server where the following sub-steps are performed:

(1) copying the log into a web-based log; and

(2) notifying a designated administrator of the a violation.

31. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the operation of specifying guidelines further comprises specifying guidelines relative to interactive usage of the network by a user.

32. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the operation of specifying guidelines further comprises specifying guidelines relative to the times at which a user of the computer can interactively use the network.

33. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the operation of logging a request for network access in a log further comprises the operation of detecting the activation of a browser.

34. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the operation of logging a request for network access in a log further comprises intercepting a universal resource link request between a browser and a network programming interface.

35. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the operation of displaying the amount of authorized time a user of the computer has remaining on the network further comprises displaying a time selected from the group consisting of number of permitted minutes/week, number of minutes already consumed/week, monitored and restricted start and end times, and current system time at the computer.

36. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the operation of displaying the amount of authorized time a user of the computer has remaining on the network further comprises indicating a period of use selected from the group consisting of monitored, restricted, and unrestricted.

37. A system for monitoring the Internet access of a computer, the system comprising:

means for specifying guidelines which govern Internet access by the computer;

means for storing the guidelines at the computer;

at the computer, means for displaying an amount of authorized time a user of the computer has remaining on the Internet;

at the computer, means for logging a request for Internet access in a log and logging any violations of the guidelines in the log; and

means for sending the log to a supervisor module associated with a server wherein the log is copied to a web-based log.

38. The system as recited in claim 37, further comprising responsive to any violation of the guidelines, means for notifying a designated administrator of any violation.

39. The system as recited in claim 37, wherein means for displaying further comprises means for displaying a time selected from the group consisting of number of permitted minutes/week, number of minutes already consumed/week, monitored and restricted start and end times, and current system time at the computer.

40. The system as recited in claim 37, wherein means for specifying guidelines further comprises means for specifying guidelines relative to the total time a user of the computer can be connected to the Internet.

41. The system as recited in claim 37, wherein means for specifying guidelines further comprises means for specifying guidelines relative to the times at which a user of the computer can interactively use the Internet.

42. The system as recited in claim 37, wherein means for logging a request for Internet access in a log further comprises means for detecting the activation of a browser.

43. The system as recited in claim 37, wherein means for logging a request for Internet access in a log further comprises means for intercepting a universal resource link request between a browser and a network programming interface.