Network resource control system

• US 7,007,093 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2001
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Spicer Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Pidduck, Patrick, Lehan, Tim, Martin, Christopher, Spicer, Steven, Onischke, Mark, Coutts, Steven, Grassick, Clayton, Kuhl, Larry, Hollander, Brian, Von Hatten, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, Marc D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MESFIN, YEMANE
• Application Number:
  US09/926,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20030051038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,825 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/220, 709/223, 709/225, 709226-229, 713200-202
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level

Abstract

A network resource control system allows network terminals to communicate with network resources, and includes a resource registry, an authorization server and an administration server. The resource registry includes resource records which are associated with the network resources and define at least a user access level for each network resource. The authorization server is in communication with the resource registry and controls network access to the network resources in accordance with the resource records. The administration server is in communication with the resource registry and provides controlled access to the resource records. The administration server receives user access control data from administrators of the network resources for incorporation into the resource records. Depending upon the user access control data received, the authorization server configures the network terminals for communication with the network resources.

Claims

1. A network resource control system for facilitating communication between a network terminal and a selected network resource device over a network for communication of translated source data from the network terminal to the network resource device, the network resource control system comprising:

a resource registry including resource configuration data associated with the selected network resource device, the resource configuration data defining a user access level for a degree of communication access the network terminal is to have with the network resource device, the resource configuration data further including a driver identifier for a resource driver associated with the selected network resource device, the resource driver for translating source data to produce the translated source data in a format suitable for processing by the network resource device;

an authorization server in communication with the resource registry for receiving a request from the network terminal for communication access to the selected network resource device, the request configured to include a device identifier associated with the selected network resource device and user configuration data associated with the network terminal, the authorization server being configured for accessing the resource configuration data associated with the request device identifier to determine if the network terminal is authorized for the defined user access level based on the user configuration data and to determine if the network terminal is configured with the resource driver associated with the driver identifier.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the authorization server is configured to configure the resource driver in accordance with a correspondence between the user configuration data of the network terminal and the user access level associated with the network resource device.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the resource configuration data is configured for access by an administartor of the network resource device, and the authorization server is configured to receive from the administrator a request for access to the user access level, to verify authorization for the access, and to update the user access level in accordance with the verification.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the network resource device is selected from the group comprising a printer, a facsimile machine, an image server, a file server, an e-mail pager, and an e-mail enabled wireless telephone.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the translated source data is selected from the group comprising:

text;

image; and

multimedia data.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the user access level establishes that the network resource device allows public access, such that any network terminal of the network resource control system can communication with the network resource device.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the user access level establishes that the network resource device allows private access such that only members of an enterprise associated with the network resource device can communicate with the network resource device.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the user access level establishes that the network resource device allows authorized access such that only particular network terminals of the system can communicate with the network resource device.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the user access level is one of multiple predefined access levels in relation to the network resource device.

13. The system according to claim 3, wherein the authorization server sends an e-mail message to the administrator of the network resource device when there is a communication of translated source data from the network terminal to the network resource device.

4. A method for facilitating communication between a network terminal and a selected network resource device over a network for communication of translated source data from the network terminal to the network resource device, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a resource registry including resource configuration data associated with the network resource device, the resource configuration data defining a user access level for a degree of communication access the network terminal is to have with the network resource device, the resource configuration data further including a driver identifier for a resource driver associated with the network resource device, the resource driver for translating source data to produce the translated source data in a format suitable for processing by the network resource device;

receiving a request for communication access from the network terminal to the selected network resource device, the request configured to include a device identifier associated with the selected network resource device and user configuration data associated with the network terminal;

accessing the resource configuration data associated with the request device identifier to determine if the network terminal is authorized for the defined user access level based on the user configuration data; and

determining if the network terminal is configured with the resource driver associated with the driver identifier.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of configuring the resource driver in accordance with a correspondence between the user configuration data of the network terminal and the user access level associated with the network resource device.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the resource configuration data is configured for access by an administrator of the network resource device, and the method comprises the steps of receiving from the administrator a request for access to the user access level, verifying authorization for the access and updating the user access level in accordance with the verification.

14. The method according to claim 4, wherein the network resource device is selected from the group comprising a printer, a facsimile machine, an image server, a file server, an e-mail pager, and an e-mail enabled wireless telephone.

15. The method according to claim 4, wherein the translated source data is selected from the group comprising:

text;

image; and

multimedia data.

16. The method according to claim 4, wherein the user access level establishes that the network resource device allows public access such that any network terminal with access to the network can communicate with the network resource device.

17. The method according to claim 4, wherein the user access level establishes that the network resource device allows private access such that only members of an enterprise associated with the network resource device can communicate with the network resource device.

18. The method according to claim 4, wherein the user access level establishes that the network resource device allows authorized access such that only particular network terminals with access to the network can communicate with the network resource device.

19. The method according to claim 4, wherein the user access level is one of multiple predefined access levels in relation to the network resource device.

20. The method according to claim 4 further comprising the step of sending an e-mail message to an administrator of the network resource device when there is a communication of translated source data from the network terminal to the network resource device.