Information collecting system for providing connection information to an application in an IP network

• US 7,698,384 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2004
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twitter Inc (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lefevre, Frederic, Drouet, Francois-Xavier, Marmigere, Gerard
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Drabik; Sarah E
• Application Number:
  US10/874,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,120 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709/203, 709223-224, 709/249, 726/12, 726/14
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Information collecting system wherein at least an Application Service Provider (ASP) provides services to a user through an Internet network and wherein there are at least an access network to which is connected the user and an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network connected to each access network by a RADIUS client, the Internet network being connected to the ISP network by a proxy. This system comprises a RADIUS Client Agent (RCA) connected to the ISP network and adapted to collect information about parameters of the connection of the user to the system, and at least a Provisioning Proxy Agent (PPA) adapted to receive the information from the RCA and to add this information in the request sent by the user to the ASP.

Claims

1. An information collecting system, comprising:

an Application Service Provider (ASP) for providing services to a user through an Internet network;

at least one access network to which said user is connected;

an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network connected to each access network by a Remote Access Dial-in User Server (RADIUS) client, said Internet network being connected to said ISP network by a proxy;

a RADIUS Client Agent (RCA) connected to said ISP network and adapted to collect information from the RADIUS client about parameters of the connection of said user to the system, and

at least a Provisioning Proxy Agent (PPA) adapted to receive said information from said RCA and, according to the received information, configure the proxy connecting the Internet network to ISP network to add said information in a request sent by the user to said ASP by setting a cookie or a URL extension containing the information needed by the ASP,

wherein said information about the parameters of the user connection includes an identification of the user, a connection type of the user to the ISP and a connection speed of the user to the ISP,

wherein said PPA includes a session table defining, for each user IP address, values of said parameters of the user connection,

wherein said RCA includes a table containing in each row a filter for a PPA associated with said RCA, said filter being either a range of IP addresses, a Realm, a RADIUS client IP address or a called number,

wherein said PPA includes an application table enabling said proxy to determine said information in each user request transmitted to said ASP, and

wherein said application table provides for a URL contained in said request a proxy Plug-in.

2. The information collecting system according to claim 1, wherein said PPA is incorporated in said proxy.

3. A method of collecting information in a system wherein at least an Application Service Provider (ASP) provides services to a user through an Internet network and wherein the system includes at least an access network to which said user is connected and an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network connected to each access network by a Remote Access Dial-in User Server (RADIUS) client, said Internet network being connected to said ISP network by a proxy,

said method comprising:

collecting by a RADIUS Client Agent (RCA) connected to said ISP network information from the RADIUS client about parameters of the connection for a user request to said ASP, wherein the information about the parameters of the connection for the user includes an identification of the user, a connection type of the user to the ISP and a connection speed of the user to the ISP,

providing by a Provisioning Proxy Agent (PPA) to said proxy all said information about the user connection parameters collected by said RCA, and

adding by said proxy said information in said user request before sending it to said ASP by setting a cookie or a URL extension containing the information needed by the ASP, wherein the proxy connecting the Internet network to the ISP network is configured according to the information,

wherein a session table in said PPA defines, for each user IP address, values of said user connection parameters,

wherein a table in said RCA contains in each row a filter for a PPA associated with said RCA, said filter being either a range of IP addresses, a Realm, a RADIUS client IP address or a called number,

wherein an application table in said PPA enables said proxy to determine said information in each user request transmitted to said ASP, and

wherein said application table provides for a URL contained in said request a proxy Plug-in.