Method and system for modifying communication flows at a port level

• US 8,199,651 B1
• Filed: 03/16/2009
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audible Magic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Audible Magic Corporation
• Inventors: Schrempp, James B., Wold, Erling H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Samuel, Dewanda
• Application Number:
  US12/405,174
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: 370/218, 370/392, 370/401, 370/230, 370/231, 370/235, 370/475
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2483 involving identification of individual flows

Abstract

A flow management system for modifying a communication flow from a port at a source IP address to a port at a destination IP address, the modifying being independent of communication flows at other ports at the source IP address and communication flows at other ports at the destination IP address. The system monitors a communication flow between a source port at a source IP address to a destination port at a destination IP address and determines whether a source IP address and destination IP address are participating in a media provider service. The system analyzes the communication flow content and modifies the communication flow from a specific source port to a specific destination port based on the content and whether the source and destination IP addresses are part of a media provider service.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying a source port at a source IP address and a destination port at a destination IP address of a communication flow of content being transferred from the source port to the destination port;

determining whether at least one of the identified source port or the identified destination port is associated with subscribers of a media provider service; and

sending a flow management command modifying the communication flow transferring the content from the identified source port to the identified destination port independent from communication flows at other ports at the source IP address and communication flows at other ports at the destination IP address and based on an analysis of the content of the communication flow and the determination of whether at least one of the identified source port or the identified destination port is associated with the subscribers of the media provider service.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether at least one of the identified source port or the destination port is associated with the subscribers of the media provider service comprises:

identifying the source IP address and the destination IP address of the communication flow; and

determining a subscriber group associated with the source IP address and a subscriber group associated with the destination IP address.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing the communication flow of content by accessing rules defining content to trigger sending the flow management command modifying the communication flow; and

determining whether the communication flow of content comprises the content to trigger sending the flow management command modifying the communication flow.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing the communication flow of content by determining whether the content is copyright-protected content limited to be transferred amongst the subscribers of the media provider service.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein sending the flow management command modifying the communication flow transferring the content from the identified source port to the identified destination port comprises:

determining the flow management command based on the analysis of the content of the communication flow, a subscriber group associated with the source IP address, and a subscriber group associated with the destination IP address.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the flow management command comprises the source IP address, a source port number of the source port, the destination IP address, and a destination port number of the destination port.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the flow management command is to block the communication flow of content from being transferred from the source port to the destination port.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the analysis of the content of the communication flow is complete; and

sending the flow management command to stop a network device from providing the communication flow if the analysis is complete.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the source port at the source IP address and the destination port at the destination IP address of the communication flow of content being transferred from the source port to the destination port comprises:

initiating a connection with a network device;

determining whether the connection is established; and

receiving the communication flow of content being transferred over a network from the network device if the connection is established.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

re-initiating the connection with a network device at a time interval if the connection is not established.

11. A system comprising:

a memory;

a processing device coupled to the memory;

a content rule implementer executed from the memory by the processing device to identify a source port at a source IP address and a destination port at a destination IP address of a communication flow of content being transferred from the source port to the destination port, to send a flow management command modifying the communication flow transferring the content from the identified source port to the identified destination port independent from communication flows at other ports at the source IP address and communication flows at other ports at the destination IP address and based on an analysis of the content of the communication flow and a determination of whether at least one of the identified source port or the identified destination port is associated with subscribers of a media provider service;

a service correlator coupled to the content rule implementer and executed from the memory by the processing device to determine whether at least one of the identified source port and or identified destination port is associated with the subscribers of the media provider service;

a content analyzer coupled to the content rule implementer and executed from the memory by the processing device to analyze the content of the communication flow; and

a command issuer executed from the memory by the processing device to issue the flow management command modifying the communication flow transferring the content from the identified source port to the identified destination port.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the service correlator is further to identify the source IP address and the destination IP address of the communication flow and to determine a subscriber group associated with the source IP address and a subscriber group associated with the destination IP address.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the command rule implementer is further to determine the flow management command modifying the communication flow based on the analysis of the content, a subscriber group associated with the source IP address, and a subscriber group associated with the destination IP address.

14. A non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium that provides instructions that, if executed by a machine, will cause the machine to perform operations, comprising:

identifying, by the machine, a source port at a source IP address and a destination port at a destination IP address of a communication flow of content being transferred from the source port to the destination port;

determining whether at least one of the identified source port or the identified destination port is associated with subscribers of a media provider service; and

sending a flow management command modifying the communication flow transferring the content from the identified source port to the identified destination port independent from communication flows at other ports at the source IP address and communication flows at other ports at the destination IP address and based on an analysis of the content of the communication flow and the determination of whether at least one of the identified source port or the identified destination port is associated with the subscribers of the media provider service.

15. The non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 14, wherein determining whether at least one of the identified source port or the identified destination port is associated with subscribers of the service of the media provider comprises:

identifying the source IP address and the destination IP address of the communication flow; and

determining a subscriber group associated with the source IP address and a subscriber group associated with the destination IP address.

16. The non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 14, further comprising:

analyzing the communication flow of content by accessing rules defining content to trigger sending the flow management command modifying the communication flow; and

determining whether the communication flow of content comprises the content to trigger sending the flow management command modifying the communication flow.

17. The non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 14, wherein sending the flow management command modifying the communication flow transferring the content from the identified source port to the identified destination port comprises:

determining the flow management command based on the analysis of the content of the communication flow, a subscriber group associated with the source IP address, and a subscriber group associated with the destination IP address.

18. The non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 14, wherein the flow management command comprises the source IP address, a source port number of the source port, the destination IP address, and a destination port number of the destination.

19. The non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 14, wherein the flow management command is to block the communication flow of content from being transferred from the source port to the destination port.

20. The non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 14, further comprising:

determining whether the analysis of the content of the communication flow is complete; and

sending the flow management command to stop a network device from providing the communication flow if the analysis is complete.

21. The non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 14, wherein identifying the source port at the source IP address and the destination port at the destination IP address of the communication flow of content being transferred from the source port to the destination port comprises:

initiating a connection with a network device;

determining whether the connection is established; and

receiving the communication flow of content being transferred over a network from the network device if the connection is established.