Method of and apparatus for controlling access to the internet in a computer system and computer readable medium storing a computer program

• US 6,928,455 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Issued: 08/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Digital Arts Inc.
• Original Assignee: Digital Arts Inc.
• Inventors: Takahashi, Noriyuki, Dougu, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ortiz, Belix M.
• Application Number:
  US10/255,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20030028532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/104.1, 707/9, 707/3, 707/203, 709/225, 709/246, 713/229, 713/201, 713/200
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0236 Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of and apparatus for controlling internet browsing and computer readable medium storing a computer program carrying out the method of the present invention. The present invention provides a database storing worthwhile keywords. When a worthwhile keyword is included in contents or information from the Internet, a user is allowed to browse such contents or information even if a forbidden keyword is included.

Claims

1. A method for controlling access to outside sites through the Internet by using a computer system, including a first database storing a list of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) of accessible Internet sites, a second database storing a list of URLs of prohibited Internet sites, a third database storing forbidden keywords and a fourth database storing worthwhile keywords, comprising the steps of:

when a user tries to have access to Internet sites of which URLs are stored in either the first or second database, allowing access to Internet sites of which URLs are stored in the first database and prohibiting access to Internet sites of which URLs are stored in the second database,

when a user tries to have access to an Internet site of which a URL is stored in neither the first database nor the second database, examining information or contents retrieved from the Internet site of which the URL is neither stored in the first nor second database so as to examine if there is a forbidden keyword stored in the third database in the retrieved information or contents,

if there is no forbidden keyword stored in the third database in the retrieved information or contents, then allowing displaying of the information or contents retrieved from the Internet site of which the URL is neither stored in the first nor second database to the user,

if there is a forbidden keyword stored in the third database in the retrieved information or contents, then examining the retrieved information or contents if there is a worthwhile keyword stored in the fourth database, and

allowing displaying of the information or contents retrieved from the Internet site of which the URL is neither stored in the first nor second database to the user only if there is a worthwhile keyword stored in the fourth database in the information or contents with the forbidden keyword stored in the third database.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of:

according to a clock and/or a calendar, allocating days and/or hours into four time zones, wherein the first time zone is restricted day(s) and/or hour(s) when any Internet access is prohibited, the second time zone is non-restricted day(s) and/or hour(s) when Internet access is free without any restriction, the third time zone is selected access day(s) and/or hour(s) when Internet access to only Internet sites of which URLs are stored in the first database is allowed, and the fourth time zone is regulated day(s) and/or hour(s) when Internet access is controlled in accordance with the method steps set forth in claim 1.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the computer system is connected to a plurality of client computers through a local area network, further comprising the steps of:

dividing a plurality of the client computers into four groups,

allowing the first group of the client computers to freely have access to the Internet,

allowing the second group of the client computers to have access to only Internet sites of which URLs are stored in the first database,

prohibiting the third group of the client computers from having access to the Internet, and

allowing the fourth group of the client computers to have access to the Internet sites in accordance with the steps set forth in claim 1.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

categorizing each of the accessible Internet sites of which URLs are stored in the first database, the prohibited Internet sites of which URLs are stored in the second database, the forbidden keywords stored in the third database, and the worthwhile keywords stored in the fourth database into several groups according to their attributes respectively, so that the members included in each of the groups have the same or similar attributes, and

activating or deactivating each of the groups so that the members included in each of the groups are selected to be as active members or non-active members in the first through fourth databases to perform the steps set forth in claim 1.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

connecting any one of the first and through fourth databases to the Internet or loading a computer readable medium storing updated URLs of accessible Internet sites, updated URLs of prohibited Internet sites, updated forbidden keywords, or updated worthwhile keywords, and

updating any one of the first through fourth databases through the Internet or by the computer readable medium.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

connecting any one of the first and through fourth databases to the Internet or loading a computer recording medium, and

reading out the contents stored in any one of the first through fourth databases through the Internet or writing the contents stored in any one of the first through fourth databases into the computer readable medium.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

choosing keywords representing the information or contents;

counting how many times the keywords appear in information or contents retrieved through the Internet, and

storing the number of times that a particular keyword appears in information or contents retrieved through the Internet.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

counting how many times a selected keyword appears in information or contents retrieved through the Internet by each of the client computers connected to the computer system, and

storing the number of times that the selected keyword appears in the information or contents retrieved through the Internet by each of the client computers.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

categorizing Internet access, such as browsing, writing into a bulletin board, and sending e-mail, into prohibited type and permitted type,

identifying the type of Internet access request by a user; and

prohibiting Internet access request if the type of the Internet access is prohibited.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the prohibited type of Internet access is writing information into a bulletin board provided in a WWW server through the Internet (S3).

11. A computer readable medium storing a computer program to control access to outside sites through the Internet by a computer system including a first database storing a list of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) of accessible Internet sites, a second database storing a list of URLs prohibited Internet sites, a third database storing forbidden keywords, and a fourth database storing worthwhile keywords, comprising:

computer program means for, when a user tries to have access to Internet sites of which URLs are stored in either the first or second database, allowing access to Internet sites of which URLs are stored in the first database and for prohibiting access to Internet sites of which URLs are stored in the second database,

computer program means for, when a user tries to have access to an Internet site of which a URL is neither stored in the first database nor the second database, examining information or contents retrieved from the Internet site of which the URL is neither stored in the first nor second database so as to examine if there is a forbidden keyword stored in the third database in the retrieved information or contents,

computer program means for, if there is no forbidden keyword stored in the third database in the retrieved information or contents, allowing displaying of the information or contents retrieved from the Internet site of which the URL is neither stored in the first nor second database to the user,

computer program means for, if there is a forbidden keyword stored in the third database in the retrieved information or contents, examining the retrieved information or contents if there is a worthwhile keyword stored in the fourth database, and computer program means for allowing displaying of the information or contents retrieved from the Internet site of which the URL is neither stored in the first nor second database to the user only if there is a worthwhile keyword stored in the fourth database in the information or contents with the forbidden keyword stored in the third database.

12. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 11 further comprising:

computer program means for categorizing each of the accessible Internet sites of which URLs are stored in the first database, the prohibited Internet sites of which URLs are stored in the second database, the forbidden keywords stored in the third database, and the worthwhile keywords stored in the fourth database into several groups according to their attributes respectively, so that the members included in each of the groups have the same or similar attributes, and

computer program means for activating or deactivating each of the groups so that the members included in each of the groups are selected to be as active members or non-active members in the first through fourth databases.

13. An apparatus for controlling access to outside sites (6) through the Internet by a computer system including a first database storing a list of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) of accessible Internet sites, a second database storing a list of URLs prohibited Internet sites, a third database storing forbidden keywords, and a fourth database storing worthwhile keywords, comprising:

means for, when a user tries to have access to Internet sites of which URLs are stored in either the first or second database, allowing access to Internet sites of which URLs are stored in the first database and for prohibiting access to Internet sites of which URLs are stored in the second database,

means for, when a user tries to have access to an Internet site of which a URL is neither stored in the first database nor the second database, examining information or contents retrieved from the Internet site of which the URL is neither stored in the first nor second database so as to examine if there is a forbidden keyword stored in the third database in the retrieved information or contents,

means for, if there is no forbidden keyword in the third database, in the retrieved information or contents, allowing displaying of the information or contents retrieved from the Internet site of which the URL is neither stored in the first nor second database to the user,

means for, if there is a forbidden keyword stored in the third database in the retrieved information or contents, examining the retrieved information or contents if there is a worthwhile keyword stored in the fourth database, and

means for allowing displaying of the information or contents retrieved from the Internet site of which the URL is neither stored in the first nor second database to the user only if there is a worthwhile keyword stored in the fourth database in the information or contents with the forbidden keyword stored in the third database.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 13 further comprising:

means for categorizing each of the accessible Internet sites of which URLs are stored in the first database, the prohibited Internet sites of which URLs are stored in the second database, the forbidden keywords stored in the third database, and the worthwhile keywords stored in the fourth database into several groups according to their attributes, respectively, so that the members included in each of the groups have the same or similar attributes, and

means for activating or deactivating each of the groups so that the members included in each of the groups are selected to be as active members or non-active members in the first through fourth databases.