Client device identification when communicating through a network address translator device

• US 7,814,230 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CommWorks Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Tarquin Consulting Company LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Watson, Richard A. Jr., Rodriguez-Val, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): DONAGHUE, LARRY D
• Application Number:
  US12/337,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 370/401
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2571 for identification, e.g. for authentication or billing charging arrangements H04L12/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

Enabling a host system to communicate with and to identify at least one client device that communicates with the host system through a network address translator device includes enabling communications from a first client device through the network address translator device. A data packet is received that includes a payload portion and an attribute portion, where the attribute portion includes a destination address that indicates a destination for the data packet and a nearest source address. A portion of the received data packet other than the nearest source address is examined for a host-assigned identifier that identifies a client device that communicated the received data packet. The received data packet typically is processed in accordance with predetermined host system controls accessible to the host system for the first client device identified, such as host-enabled parental controls.

Claims

1. A method for a host device to communicate with client devices through a network address translator (NAT) device, comprising:

receiving a data packet that includes a payload portion and an attribute portion, wherein the attribute portion includes a destination address that indicates a destination of the data packet, and wherein the data packet further includes a host-assigned identifier that was associated to a client device that communicated the received data packet to the host device;

determining an identity of the client device based on the host-assigned identifier of the received data packet; and

processing the received data packet based on the determined identity and predetermined host controls associated with the determined identity, wherein the predetermined host controls are accessible to the host device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the host-based identifier to the client device; and

communicating, to the NAT device, the association of the host-based identifier and the client device.

3. A host device that is configured to communicate with client devices through network address translator (NAT) devices, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores instructions that, if executed, cause the host device to perform operations, including;

determining an identity of a client device that communicated a received data packet to the host device, the determining being based on a host-assigned identifier of the received data packet, wherein the received data packet includes a payload portion and an attribute portion, and wherein the attribute portion includes a destination address of the received data packet; and

processing the received data packet based on the determined identity and predetermined host controls associated with the determined identity, wherein the predetermined host controls are accessible to the host device.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the host-assigned identifier is included in the payload portion of the received data packet.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the NAT device is configured to embed the host-assigned identifier into the received data packet.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein the client device is configured to embed the host-assigned identifier into the received data packet.

7. The device of claim 3, wherein the predetermined host controls at least include parental controls, controls over communication of personal identification to a third party, or controls over a personalized web page.

8. The device of claim 3, wherein the attribute portion of the received data packet further includes a source address that identifies the NAT device, and wherein the operations further include:

determining, based on the source address of a particular data packet, whether the particular data packet was communicated through any NAT device; and

if the particular data packet is determined to be have been communicated through any NAT device, determining the identity of the client device that communicated the particular data packet based on the host-assigned identifier of the particular data packet; and

otherwise, processing the particular data packet without determining the identity of the client device that communicated the particular data packet based on the host-assigned identifier of the particular data packet.

9. The device of claim 3, wherein the determining the identity of the client device that communicated a received data packet to the host device is further based on a user identifier embeded in the received data packet, and wherein the user identifier includes at least one of a user name and a password.

10. The device of claim 3, wherein the host-assigned identifier includes a routable IP address assigned to the client device by the host device.

11. A network address translator (NAT) device that is configured to enable communications between a host device and a client device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores instructions that, if executed, cause the NAT device to perform operations, including;

receiving at the NAT device a host-assigned identifier that is associated with an identity of the client device by the host device;

receiving a data packet from the client device;

embedding the host-assigned identifier into the received data packet; and

transmitting the received data packet with the embedded host-assigned identifier to the host device for processing based on the identity associated with the host-assigned identifier and on predetermined host controls associated with the identity.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the host-assigned identifier is included in a payload portion of the data packet.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the host-assigned identifier is included in an attribute portion of the data packet.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the predetermined host controls at least include parental controls, controls over communication of personal identification to a third party, or controls over a personalized web page.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the operations further include:

embedding a user identifier into the received data packet, wherein the user identifier includes at least one of a user name and a password.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the host-assigned identifier includes a routable IP address assigned to the client device by the host device.

17. A client device that is configured to communicate with a host device through a network address translator (NAT) device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores instructions that, if executed, cause the client device to perform operations, including;

embedding a host-assigned identifier into a data packet, wherein the host-assigned identifier is associated with an identity of the client device by the host device; and

transmitting the data packet with the embedded host-assigned identifier to the NAT device for forwarding to the host device for processing based on the identity associated with the host-assigned identifier and on predetermined host controls associated with the identity.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the host-assigned identifier is included in a payload portion of the data packet or in an attribute portion of the data packet.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the operations further include:

embedding a user identifier into the data packet, wherein the user identifier includes at least one of a user name and a password.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the host-assigned identifier includes a routable IP address assigned to the client device by the host device.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a host device to perform steps of communicating with client devices through a network address translator (NAT) device, the steps comprising:

receiving a data packet that includes a payload portion and an attribute portion, wherein the attribute portion includes a destination address that indicates a destination of the data packet, and wherein the data packet further includes a host-assigned identifier that was associated to a client device that communicated the received data packet to the host device;

determining an identity of the client device based on the host-assigned identifier of the received data packet; and

processing the received data packet based on the determined identity and predetermined host controls associated with the determined identity, wherein the predetermined host controls are accessible to the host device.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the host-assigned identifier is included in the payload portion of the received data packet.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the NAT device is configured to embed the host-assigned identifier into the received data packet.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the client device is configured to embed the host-assigned identifier into the received data packet.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the predetermined host controls at least include parental controls, controls over communication of personal identification to a third party, or controls over a personalized web page.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the attribute portion of the received data packet further includes a source address that identifies the NAT device, and wherein the operations further include:

determining, based on the source address of a particular data packet, whether the particular data packet was communicated through any NAT device; and

if the particular data packet is determined to be have been communicated through any NAT device, determining the identity of the client device that communicated the particular data packet based on the host-assigned identifier of the particular data packet; and

otherwise, processing the particular data packet without determining the identity of the client device that communicated the particular data packet based on the host-assigned identifier of the particular data packet.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the determining the identity of the client device that communicated a received data packet to the host device is further based on a user identifier embeded in the received data packet, and wherein the user identifier includes at least one of a user name and a password.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the host-assigned identifier includes a routable IP address assigned to the client device by the host device.

29. An apparatus for communicating with client devices through a network address translator (NAT) device, comprising:

means for receiving a data packet that includes a payload portion and an attribute portion, wherein the attribute portion includes a destination address that indicates a destination of the data packet, and wherein the data packet further includes a host-assigned identifier that was associated to a client device that communicated the received data packet to the host device;

means for determining an identity of the client device based on the host-assigned identifier of the received data packet; and

means for processing the received data packet based on the determined identity and predetermined host controls associated with the determined identity, wherein the predetermined host controls are accessible to the host device.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising:

means for associating the host-based identifier to the client device; and

means for communicating, to the NAT device, the association of the host-based identifier and the client device.