Header-based network API

• US 7,870,293 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2002
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tso, Michael M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue; Larry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Taylor; Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US10/077,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20020124112A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,252 Days
• Field of Search: 709/246, 709/202, 709/203, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1435 volume-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 : Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 : Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A method and apparatus for communicating with entities outside of a secure network by intercepting and modifying messages is provided. Techniques for accomplishing the communication include inserting, retrieving, and deleting information from messages. The entities involved in the communication include, but are not limited to, users, content providers, and access providers. Furthermore, the types of information used in modifying messages include billing, location, demographic information, profile data, multimedia data, and code.

Claims

1. A method for communicating electronic information comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

intercepting, at an intermediary that has access to information about a service requestor, a message sent from the service requestor to a service provider;

wherein the information about the service requestor to which the intermediary has access includes first data about the service requestor and second data about the service requestor;

wherein the first data conveys different information about the service requestor than the information about the service requestor that is conveyed by the second data;

without requiring communication from the service provider, the intermediary performing the following steps in response to intercepting the message;

reading information contained in the message;

based on the information contained in the message, determining what type of information is required by a service requested by the service requestor;

selecting additional information to convey to the service provider based on the type of information required by the service, as determined from the information that was read from the message;

responsive to the service requested by the service requestor being a first service, selecting the first data but not the second data as the additional information to convey to the service provider;

responsive to the service requested by the service requestor being a second service, selecting the second data but not the first data as the additional information to convey to the service provider;

modifying the message to create a modified message that includes the additional information; and

transmitting the modified message for receipt by the service provider;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

4. The method for claim 1 wherein said type of information required by said service includes information that is not already present in said message, about said service requestor.

5. The method for claim 1 wherein said type of information required by said service is a current location of said service requestor.

6. The method for claim 1 wherein the step of selecting additional information to convey further includes the steps of:

locating a profile based on information contained in said message; and

obtaining the additional information based on information contained in said profile.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein:

the profile is associated with the service requestor; and

the step of locating the profile includes locating the profile based on information within said message that identifies the service requestor.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein:

the profile is associated with the service provider; and

the step of locating the profile includes locating the profile based on information within said message that identifies the service provider.

9. The method for claim 6 wherein the profile contains information concerning where to obtain the additional information.

10. The method for claim 6 wherein the profile includes authentication information.

11. The method for claim 1 wherein the step of modifying said message further includes the step of inserting the additional information into a header of the message.

12. The method for claim 11 wherein the step of inserting the additional information into the header of the message includes the step of inserting the additional information into one or more invisible fields, which may optionally be ignored by the service provider, within the header.

13. The method for claim 1 wherein the step of modifying said message further includes the step of inserting the additional information into a data portion of the message.

14. The method for claim 13 wherein the step of inserting the additional information into the data portion of the message includes the step of inserting the additional information into one or more invisible fields, which may optionally be ignored by the service provider, in the data portion of the message.

15. The method for claim 1 wherein the additional information is a request for a second set of additional information.

16. The method for claim 1 wherein the additional information is a current location of the service requestor.

17. The method for claim 1 wherein the information contained in said message that is used for determining said additional information is the destination of the message.

18. The method for claim 1 further comprising the step of obtaining the additional information from within a private network that is not accessible to said service provider.

19. The method for claim 1 wherein the additional information is code for execution by said service provider.

20. The method for claim 1 wherein the additional information is billing data.

21. The method for claim 1 further comprising the computer-implemented step of authenticating the service provider.

22. The method for claim 21 wherein the step of authenticating further includes the step of determining whether the service provider is an approved partner.

43. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data is user profile information particular to the service requestor and the second data is one of:

billing information, location information, or demographic information.

44. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data is one of billing information, location information, or demographic information.

2. A non-transitory computer-readable storage storing instructions, the instructions including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors cause:

intercepting, at an intermediary that has access to information about a service requestor, a message sent from the service requestor to a service provider;

wherein the information about the service requestor to which the intermediary has access includes first data about the service requestor and second data about the service requestor;

wherein the first data conveys different information about the service requestor than the information about the service requestor that is conveyed by the second data;

without requiring communication from the service provider, the intermediary performing the following steps in response to intercepting the message;

reading information contained in the message;

based on the information contained in the message, determining what type of information is required by a service requested by the service requestor;

selecting additional information to convey to the service provider based on the type of information required by the service, as determined from the information that was read from the message;

responsive to the service requested by the service requestor being a first service, selecting the first data but not the second data as the additional information to convey to the service provider;

responsive to the service requested by the service requestor being a second service, selecting the second data but not the first data as the additional information to convey to the service provider;

modifying the message to create a modified message that includes the additional information; and

transmitting the modified message for receipt by the service provider.

23. The computer-readable storage for claim 2 wherein said type of information required by said service includes information that is not already present in said message, about said service requestor.

24. The computer-readable storage for claim 2 wherein said type of information required by said service is a current location of said service requestor.

25. The computer-readable storage for claim 2 wherein the step of selecting additional information to convey further includes the steps of:

locating a profile based on information contained in said message; and

obtaining the additional information based on information contained in said profile.

26. The computer-readable storage of claim 25 wherein:

the profile is associated with the service requestor; and

the step of locating the profile includes locating the profile based on information within said message that identifies the service requestor.

27. The computer-readable storage of claim 25 wherein:

the profile is associated with the service provider; and

the step of locating the profile includes locating the profile based on information within said message that identifies the service provider.

28. The computer-readable storage for claim 25 wherein the profile contains information concerning where to obtain the additional information.

29. The computer-readable storage for claim 25 wherein the profile includes authentication information.

30. The computer-readable storage for claim 2 wherein the step of modifying said message further includes the step of inserting the additional information into a header of the message.

31. The computer-readable storage for claim 30 wherein the step of inserting the additional information into the header of the message includes the step of inserting the additional information into one or more invisible fields, which may optionally be ignored by the service provider, within the header.

32. The computer-readable storage for claim 2 wherein the step of modifying the message further includes the step of inserting the additional information into a data portion of the message.

33. The computer-readable storage for claim 32 wherein the step of inserting the additional information into the data portion of the message includes the step of inserting the additional information into one or more invisible fields, which may optionally be ignored by the service provider, in the data portion of the message.

34. The computer-readable storage for claim 2 wherein the additional information is a request for a second set of additional information.

35. The computer-readable storage for claim 2 wherein the additional information is a current location of the service requestor.

36. The computer-readable storage for claim 2 wherein the information contained in said message that is used for determining said additional information is the destination of the message.

37. The computer-readable storage for claim 2 further comprising the step of obtaining the additional information from within a private network that is not accessible to said service provider.

38. The computer-readable storage for claim 2 wherein the additional information is code for execution by said service provider.

39. The computer-readable storage for claim 2 wherein the additional information is billing data.

40. The computer-readable storage for claim 2 further comprising the computer-implemented step of authenticating the service provider.

41. The computer-readable storage for claim 40 wherein the step of authenticating further includes the step of determining whether the service provider is an approved partner.

45. The computer-readable storage of claim 2 wherein the first data is user profile information particular to the service requestor and the second data is one of:

billing information, location information, or demographic information.

46. The computer-readable storage of claim 2 wherein the first data is one of billing information, location information, or demographic information.

3. A system comprising:

an intermediary, having one or more processors, communicatively coupled between a service requestor and a service provider through which a message between the service requestor and the service provider passes;

the intermediary being configured to have access to information about the service requestor, wherein the information about the service requestor to which the intermediary has access includes first data about the service requestor and second data about the service requestor, wherein the first data conveys different information about the service requestor than the information about the service requestor that is conveyed by second data;

the intermediary being configured to intercept, at an intermediary, a message sent from a service requestor to a service provider;

the intermediary being configured to, without requiring communication from the service provider;

read information contained in the message;

based on the information contained in the message, determine what type of information is required by a service requested by the service requestor;

select additional information to convey to the service provider based on the type of information required by the service, as determined from the information that was read from the message; and

responsive to the service requested by the service request or being a first service,selecting the first data but not the second data as the additional information to convey to the service provider;

responsive to the service requested by the service requestor being a second service, selecting the second data but not the first data as the additional information to convey to the service provider;

modify the message to create a modified message that includes the additional information; and

transmit the message.

42. The system of claim 3 wherein the intermediary resides in a secure network that contains information to which the service provider does not have access, and wherein at least some of the information sent from the intermediary to the service provider includes information from within said secure network.