Apparatus, system, and method for network authentication and content distribution

• US 8,230,516 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2006
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Davison, James Mathew, Sansone, Christopher Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEHESHTI SHIRAZI, SAYED ARESH
• Application Number:
  US11/334,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20070169205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,378 Days
• Field of Search: 726/17, 726/21, 726/4, 726/2, 726/26, 726/27, 726/28, 726/29, 726/30, 726 11- 14, 705/59, 707/2, 717/173, 717/178
• US Class Current: 726/28
• 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: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for network authentication and content distribution. The apparatus includes an authentication module configured to receive redirected network requests over a communications network from a firewall module and configured to present a user license agreement and not require user-identifiable information, and a content distribution module configured to synchronize over the communications network with a client module and transmit content to the client module. The system includes a firewall module connected with a global communications network, a network connected with the firewall module, a computing device configured to couple with the network, and the apparatus. The method includes receiving redirected network requests over a communications network from a firewall module, presenting a user license agreement and not requiring user-identifiable information, and synchronizing over the communications network with a client module and transmitting content to the client module.

Claims

1. An apparatus for network authentication and content distribution, the apparatus comprising:

a firewall module that is part of a local area network (LAN) and configured to receive network requests for the Internet from a remote computing device connected to the LAN behind the firewall module, and to redirect at least one redirected network request from the remote computing device to an authentication module that is part of the LAN and behind the firewall module;

the authentication module configured to;

receive the redirected network requests over the LAN from the firewall module,

present a user license agreement on the remote computing device, without requesting user-identifiable information, in response to receiving the redirected network request,

install a client module comprising executable code on the remote computing device in response to a user of the remote computing device accepting the user license agreement, and to initiate the client module such that the client module displays advertising content on the remote computing device,

deny the remote computing device Internet access in response to the user rejecting the user license agreement; and

a content distribution module configured to transmit the advertising content to the client module and to redirect network requests to the firewall module upon losing sync with the client module,

wherein the authentication module is further configured to terminate the remote computing device'"'"'s access to the Internet in response to a user terminating the client module on the remote computing device such that the advertising content is not presented to the user on the remote computing device;

wherein the apparatus comprises at least one of hardware and non-transitory computer readable storage media.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the authentication module is further configured to allow network requests upon acceptance of the user license agreement and deny network requests upon non-acceptance of the user license agreement.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the LAN further comprises a wireless access point configured to wirelessly couple with the remote computing device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the remote computing device comprises a browser configured to access a plurality of network resources.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the client module is configured to operate within the browser.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the authentication module is configured to terminate network access upon the termination of the client module.

7. A system for network authentication and content distribution, the system comprising:

a local area network (LAN) comprising a wireless access point, the LAN connecting to the Internet;

a firewall module that is part of the LAN and coupled between the Internet and the LAN, wherein the firewall module is configured to receive network requests for the Internet from a remote computing device connected to the LAN behind the firewall module, and to redirect at least one redirected network request from the remote computing device to an authentication module that is part of the LAN and behind the firewall module;

the remote computing device configured to couple with the LAN;

a client module comprising executable code configured to operate within the computing device;

the authentication module configured to;

receive the redirected network requests over the LAN from the firewall module,

present a user license agreement on the remote computing device, without requesting user-identifiable information, in response to receiving the redirected network request,

install the client module on the remote computing device in response to a user of the remote computing device accepting the user license agreement, and to initiate the client module such that the client module displays advertising content on the remote computing device,

deny the remote computing device Internet access in response to the user rejecting the user license agreement; and

a content distribution module configured to transmit the advertising content to the client module and to redirect network requests to the firewall module upon losing synch with the client module,

wherein the authentication module is further configured to terminate the remote computing device'"'"'s access to the Internet in response to a user terminating the client module on the remote computing device such that the advertising content is not presented to the user on the remote computing device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the authentication module is further configured to allow network requests upon acceptance of the user license agreement and deny network requests upon non-acceptance of the user license agreement.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the wireless access point is configured to wirelessly couple with the remote computing device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the remote computing device comprises a browser configured to access a plurality of network resources.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the client module is configured to operate within the browser.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the authentication module is configured to terminate network access upon the termination of the client module.

13. A storage device storing executable code, the code executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform an operation for network authentication and content distribution, the operation comprising:

receiving redirected network requests over a communications network from a firewall module that is part of a local area network (LAN), wherein the firewall module is configured to receive network requests for the Internet from a remote computing device connected to the LAN behind the firewall module, and to redirect at least one redirected network request from the remote computing device to an authentication module that is part of the LAN and behind the firewall module;

presenting a user license agreement on the remote computing device, without requesting user-identifiable information, in response to receiving the redirected network request;

installing a client module comprising executing code on the remote computing device in response to a user of the remote computing device accepting the user license agreement, and initiating the client module such that the client module displays advertising content on the remote computing device;

denying the remote computing device Internet access in response to the user rejecting the user license agreement;

transmitting the advertising content to the client module;

redirecting network requests to the firewall module upon losing sync with the client module;

terminating the remote computing device'"'"'s access to the Internet in response to a user terminating the client module on the remote computing device such that the advertising content is not presented to the user on the remote computing device.

14. The storage device of claim 13, wherein the operation further comprises an operation to allow network requests upon acceptance of the user license agreement and deny network requests upon non-acceptance of the user license agreement.

15. The storage device of claim 13, wherein the operation further comprises an operation to wirelessly couple with the remote computing device.

16. The storage device of claim 13, wherein the operation further comprises an operation to access a plurality of network resources.

17. The storage device of claim 13, wherein the operation further comprises an operation to terminate network access upon the termination of the client module.