System and method for content filtering using static source routes

• US 8,085,774 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2006
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Donahue, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAVLESKI, RYAN C
• Application Number:
  US11/490,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20060256788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,985 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/229, 726/4, 726/7, 726/13, 726/30
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/34 Source routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0236 Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• 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 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

A packet containing a request for content is initially received at a content filtering router. The packet comprises a destination Internet Protocol (IP) address of a content server that stores the content and a bogus IP address. It is ascertained that the destination IP address is on a list of approved destination IP address. Alternatively, it is ascertained that the destination IP address is on a list of probably unapproved destination IP addresses and the packet is routed in accordance with an alternative IP address to a content filtering server. In this alternative, at the content filtering server the bogus IP address is used to determine a content filtering category and it is ascertained whether the destination IP address with the content filtering category should be filtered based upon a list of IP addresses and associated content filtering categories.

Claims

1. A method for filtering content, comprising:

receiving at an IP device of a service provider a packet from a client computer containing a request for content from a server, where the packet comprises a user identifier for a user;

determining filtering privileges for the user based upon the user identifier at the IP device;

denying the request for the content based upon the filtering privileges of the user and an IP address of the server;

displaying a filtering page at the client computer, wherein the filtering page includes one of a first link and text, and wherein the first link is to an administrator device, wherein the text identifies the administrator device, and wherein the administrator device is a client device authorized to receive the content from the IP device;

transmitting a notification message to the administrator device based on the one of the first link and the text, wherein the notification message includes a second link to the IP device and indicates the denied request;

generating a permission reply at the administrator device based on the second link in the notification message, wherein the permission reply indicates that access to the content is permitted for the client computer;

receiving the permission reply from the administrator device at the IP device;

accepting the permission reply at the IP device; and

providing content from the server to the client computer through the IP device in response to the accepting of the permission reply.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the administrator device has filtering privileges greater than the filtering privileges for the user.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein the providing of the content comprises providing the content based upon the filtering privileges of the administrator device.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the first link comprises an email address of the administration device.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising selecting the first link at the client computer,

wherein the transmitting of the notification signal comprises emailing the administrator device based on the first link of the denied request.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the administrator device is distinct from the client computer and the IP device.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the first link is from the client computer to the administrator device.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the notification message is transmitted from the client computer to the administrator device.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein:

the client computer is a child device; and

the administrator device is a parent device.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein:

the administrator device is a librarian device of a library; and

the client computer is a device of a patron of the library.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the notification message comprises a message indicating that:

the request for content is denied; and

the client computer is requesting access to the content.

12. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether access to the content is permitted for the client computer based upon filtering privileges of the administrator device; and

providing the content from the server via the IP device to the client computer according to the filtering privileges.

13. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein the determining of whether access to the content is permitted for the client computer based upon the filtering privileges is performed:

subsequent to the receiving of the permission reply at the IP device; and

prior to the providing of the content from the server to the client computer.