System and method for detecting computer port inactivity

• US 7,293,291 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2003
• Issued: 11/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CDN Innovations, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gonsalves, Brian, Jones, Kenneth Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chai, Longbit
• Application Number:
  US10/623,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20050015615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 710104-105, 370/463, 370/480, 370/352, 379/93, 726 1- 7, 726 11- 15, 726 23- 30, 713151-154
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00

Abstract

A system and method for detecting an idle or inactive data port connection on a personal computer (PC) and blocking external access, e.g., Wide Area Network (WAN) access to an end-user PC is presented. The system provides for added security for unattended PCs having broadband connections. The idle time period for detection/blocking logic initiation of a blocking signal to disable communications, e.g., Ethernet port access to the PC, may be for a fixed time period or may be determined by a user of the end-user PC.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a router, including;

a first interface to communicate with a local area network connection at an end user computer;

a second interface to communicate with a wide area network connection to at a distributed computer network;

detection logic responsive to the first interface, the detection logic to detect user inactivity at the end-user computer; and

blocking logic responsive to the detection logic, the blocking logic to selectively initiate a blocking signal to disable communications received at the second interface from being sent over the first interface to the end-user computer;

wherein

the detection logic and the blocking logic are embedded within an auto-sensing Ethernet port of the router.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the blocking logic sends the blocking signal in response to the detecting logic detecting the user inactivity for a selected period of time.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the selected period of time is between one and ten minutes.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the selected period of time is a fixed time period.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the selected period of time is determined by a user of the end-user computer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the wide area network is a digital subscriber line connection that carries authenticated point to point protocol over Ethernet session traffic.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the distributed computer network is the Internet.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the second interface is coupled to an internet service provider.

9. A method comprising:

establishing a broadband connection at routing equipment, the broadband connection including a first local data correction between an end-user computer and the routing equipment and a second wide area network data connection between the routing equipment and an internet service provider;

detecting at the routing equipment that the end-user computer has been idle for an idle time greater than an idle time inactivity threshold and determining an inactivity event at the routing equipment; and

initiating a blocking signal at the routing equipment to establish a blocking condition, the blocking signal blocking data received at the routing equipment via the second wide area network data connection from being communicated from the routing equipment to the end-user computer via the first local data connection;

wherein

detection logic and blocking logic are embedded within an auto-sensing Ethernet port of the routing equipment.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising detecting activity from the end-user computer at the routing equipment.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising removing the blocking condition to allow communications from the second wide area data connection to be sent to the first local data connection.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising allowing data communications from the first local data connection to be communicated to the second wide area data connection.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first local data connection is an Ethernet connection.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the second wide area data connection is a point to point over Ethernet session.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the idle time inactivity threshold is a fixed threshold defining a fixed amount of idle time.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the idle time activity threshold is a programmable threshold.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving user defined idle time information and modifying the idle time inactivity threshold based on the user defined idle time information.

18. A method of routing data at digital subscriber line routing equipment, the method comprising:

establishing a first portion of a digital subscriber line connection at digital subscriber line routing equipment, the first portion of the digital subscriber line connection including a local Ethernet data connection between an end-user computer and the digital subscriber line routing equipment, the first port of the digital subscriber line connection terminating at a first port of the digital subscriber line routing equipment;

establishing a second portion of the digital subscriber line connection, the second portion of the digital subscriber line connection including a wide area data connection between the digital subscriber line routing equipment and internet service provider equipment, the second portion of the digital subscriber line connection terminating at a second port of the digital subscriber line routing equipment;

detecting at the first port of the digital subscriber line routing equipment an indication that the end-user computer has been idle for an idle time greater than an idle time inactivity threshold; and

during a first period of time, initiating a blocking signal at the digital subscriber line routing equipment, the blocking signal blocking data received from the second port of the digital subscriber line routing equipment from being communicated by the first port of the digital subscriber line routing equipment;

wherein

detection logic and blocking logic are embedded within an auto-sensing Ethernet port of the digital subscribe line routing eguipment.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising, during a second period of time after the first period of time, detecting activity at the first port of the digits subscriber line routing equipment indicating activity at the end-user computer and communicating data received at the second port of the digital subscriber line routing equipment to the first port of the digital subscriber line routing equipment and to the end-user computer.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the idle time inactivity threshold is a fixed threshold defining a fixed amount of idle time.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the idle time inactivity threshold is a programmable threshold.

22. A system, comprising:

a router, including;

a first interface to a local area network, said local area network comprising a plurality of end-user computers;

a second interface to a wide area network connection;

detection logic responsive to the first interface, the detection logic to detect user inactivity at one or more of the plurality of end-user computers; and

blocking logic responsive to the detection logic, the blocking logic to selectively initiate a blocking signal to selectively disable communications from being sent over the first interface to at least one of the plurality of end-user computers in the local area network while allowing communications to be sent over the first interface to at least one other of the plurality of end-user computers in the local area network;

wherein the detection logic and the blocking logic are embedded within an auto-sensing Ethernet port of the router.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the user inactivity is detected after a selected period of time.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the detection logic and the blocking logic is embedded within an auto-sensing Ethernet port.

25. A method comprising:

establishing a broadband connection at a router, the broadband connection including a first data connection between a local area network coupled to a plurality of end-user computers and a wide area network data connection to an internet service provider;

detecting at the router that one or more of the plurality of the end-user computers in the local area network has been idle for a time greater than an inactivity threshold; and

initiating a blocking signal at the router, the blocking signal selectively blocking data originating from the wide area network data connection from being communicated to the one or more of the plurality of inactive end-user computers while allowing data originating from the wide area network data connection to be communicated to at least one of the plurality of the end-user computers that remains in an active state;

wherein detection logic and blocking logic are embedded within an auto-sensing Ethernet port of the router.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising detecting resumed activity from at least one of the one or more of the plurality of end-user computers previously in an inactive state.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising allowing communications from the wide area network data connection to be sent to the at least one of the one or more of the plurality of end-user computers previously in an inactive state.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the first data connection is an Ethernet connection.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the wide area network data connection is a point to point over Ethernet session.