Discovery, access control, and communication with networked services from within a security sandbox

• US 8,180,891 B1
• Filed: 11/23/2009
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Free Stream Media Corporation
• Original Assignee: Free Stream Media Corporation
• Inventors: Harrison, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ibrahim, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US12/592,377
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 709224-226
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/783 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/033 Test or assess software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/668 Internet protocol [IP] address subnets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2517 using port numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/256 NAT traversal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2575 using address mapping retrieval, e.g. simple traversal of user datagram protocol through session traversal utilities for NAT [STUN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 : for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 : Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 : involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 : Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/278 : Content descriptor database or directory service for end-user access details of content or meta data based information retrieval of video data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 : The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 : embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 : PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 : using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/466 : Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 : involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 : IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 : Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 : involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 : involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Particular embodiments permit a computer program running within a security sandbox to discover and communicate with networked services for example print servers, or remote control programming interfaces for TVs, stereos, and game boxes. The sandbox allows the computer program to originate unicast connections to a limited set of hosts but otherwise provides no access to the network. Particular embodiments may require no prior install, zero configuration, no account names or passwords, and yet resists spam. This is achieved by using centralized global infrastructure to coordinate the communications rather than local multicast, anycast, or datalink broadcast.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first device, a globally unique identifier for a service offered by the first device and a first public internet protocol (IP) address for the first device that was translated by a network address translator;

receiving a discovery request that includes a second public IP address for a first sandbox;

determining, for the first sandbox, a list of services offered;

determining that the first and second public IP addresses are identical;

sending the list of services to the first sandbox, the list of services including the service offered by the first device and including the globally unique identifier;

receiving a service request for the service offered by the first device, the service request including the globally unique identifier; and

forwarding the service request to the first device using the globally unique identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of services includes a protected function that is available to programs running on a private network that the first device also runs on.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the protected function includes at least one of an instruction to delete a file, add content, add metadata and play content.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a first sandbox, an identifier corresponding to a second sandbox and a payload; and

transmitting the payload to the second sandbox.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first sandbox and the second sandbox communicate with each other via a programming interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a human name describing the first device is included in the list of services.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the globally unique identifier uniquely identifies the first device if the first public IP address of the first device changes.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery request specifies a type of service.

9. A device comprising:

a processor; and

a discovery service stored on a memory and executed by the processor, the discovery service for receiving from a first device a globally unique identifier for a service offered by the first device and a first public internet protocol (IP) address for the first device that was translated by a network address translator, for receiving a discovery request that includes a second public IP address for the first sandbox, for determining for the first sandbox a list of services, for determining that the first and second public IP addresses are identical, for sending the list of services to the first sandbox, the list of services including the service offered by the first device and including the globally unique identifier, for receiving a service request for the service offered by the first device, the service request including the globally unique identifier and for forwarding the service request to the first device using the globally unique identifier.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the list of services includes a protected function that is available to programs running on the private network that the first device also runs on.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the protected function includes at least one of an instruction to delete a file, add content, add metadata and play content.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the second device receives from a first sandbox an identifier corresponding to a second sandbox and a payload and transmitting the payload to the second sandbox.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first sandbox and the second sandbox communicate with each other via a programming interface.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein a human name describing the first device is included in the list of services.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the globally unique identifier uniquely identifies the first device if the first public IP address of the first device changes.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the first sandbox and the second sandbox communicate with each other via a programming interface.

17. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform steps comprising:

receiving, from a first device, a globally unique identifier for a service offered by the first device and a first public internet protocol (IP) address for the first device that was translated by a network address translator;

receiving, from a first sandbox, a discovery request that includes a second public IP address for the first sandbox;

determining, for the first sandbox, a list of services offered;

determining that the first and second public IP addresses are identical;

sending the list of services to the first sandbox, the list of services including the service offered by the first device and including the globally unique identifier;

receiving a service request for the service offered by the first device, the service request including the globally unique identifier; and

forwarding the service request to the first device using the globally unique identifier.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein a human name describing the first device is included in the list of services.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the globally unique identifier uniquely identifies the first device if the first public IP address of the first device changes.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the list of services includes a protected function that is available to programs running on a private network that the first device also runs on.