Network usage monitoring device and associated method
First Claim
1. A system for monitoring communication network usage comprising:
- a gateway device operating at a network access point that executes a usage monitoring module that captures all request packets transmitted from a plurality of network users and all response packets transmitted from a plurality of network services;
wherein the usage monitoring module filters the captured packets to extract usage monitoring data therefrom; and
a usage monitoring database in communication with said usage monitoring module that receives the filtered usage monitoring data from the usage monitoring module and stores the data associated with the user request packets and network response packets, wherein the usage monitoring database stores user monitoring information for network addresses that have only been accessed by a user no more than a predetermined minimum number of times.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A network usage monitoring module is provided for monitoring network usage at a network access point, i.e. network traffic aggregation point, typically at a gateway device or a similar network interface device. As such, the network usage monitoring module can monitor the usage of a number of network users who are attempting to access various network services provided via the gateway device. Thus, the usage information collected by the usage monitoring module is considerably more robust than that offered by conventional monitoring techniques. As such, the information is considerably more valuable to network service providers, network users, network beneficiaries and the like. In addition, the usage monitoring method and apparatus offers a number of particular features to improve the monitoring process as well as the value of the usage information that is collected.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring communication network usage comprising:
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a gateway device operating at a network access point that executes a usage monitoring module that captures all request packets transmitted from a plurality of network users and all response packets transmitted from a plurality of network services;
wherein the usage monitoring module filters the captured packets to extract usage monitoring data therefrom; anda usage monitoring database in communication with said usage monitoring module that receives the filtered usage monitoring data from the usage monitoring module and stores the data associated with the user request packets and network response packets, wherein the usage monitoring database stores user monitoring information for network addresses that have only been accessed by a user no more than a predetermined minimum number of times. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for providing usage monitoring in a communications network, the method comprising:
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capturing all data packets being transmitted from a plurality of users and a plurality of network services at a gateway device disposed at a network point of access; filtering the captured packets to provide for usage monitoring data at the gateway device; and storing the usage monitoring data in a usage monitoring database, wherein storing the usage monitoring data comprises storing the user monitoring data for network addresses that have only been accessed by a user no more than a predetermined minimum number of times. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A method for providing usage monitoring in a communications network, the method comprising:
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capturing a transmitted data packet at a gateway device disposed at a network point of access; determining, at the gateway device, if the transmitted data packet is a user generated request data packet; storing the transmitted data packet in a first database if the transmitted data packet is determined to be a user generated request data packet; and transferring the transmitted data packet from the first database to a second database if the transmitted data packet is matched with an accessible network service response data packet, wherein the second database stores the transmitted data packet and the matched network service response data packet if a determination is made that the user has not exceeded a predetermined number of network service address accesses. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method for navigational sequence usage monitoring in a communications network, the method comprising:
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designating network addresses requiring navigational sequencing; capturing, at a network point of access, a user transmitted data packet associated with a network address; determining if the network address associated with the captured user transmitted data packet is a designated network address; and storing a predetermined number of network addresses that are accessed proximate the designated network address as a navigational sequence if a determination is made that network address associated with the captured user transmitted data packet is a designated network address, wherein storing a predetermined number of network addresses that are accessed proximate the designated network address as a navigational sequence further comprises storing a predetermined number of network addresses that are accessed either subsequent to or prior to the access of the designated network address as a navigational sequence. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification