Conditional media access control address filtering

• US 8,305,951 B1
• Filed: 01/14/2010
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Breau, Jeremy R., Delker, Jason R., Mangal, Manish, Oommen, Mathew
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOPATA, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US12/687,872
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/312, 370/315, 370/328, 370/338, 709/220, 709/223, 709/230, 709/231
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/61 for local area broadcast, e.g. instore broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/19 on transmission of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• 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 system is provided comprising processor, memory, radio transceiver, and an application. The transceiver receives a first message containing a first source media access control address and a first destination address and associated with a first application type and receives a second message containing a second source address and second destination address and associated with the first application type, wherein the first and second destination addresses are associated with first and second members, respectively, of a physical wireless local area network. The application receives the first message, determines that the first message is associated with the first application type, confirms that the first source address is associated with the first application type, and based on the confirmation sends the first message to the first destination. The application receives the second message, determines the second address is not associated with the first application type, and does not forward the second message.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory storing information associating a first media access control (MAC) address to a first application type;

a radio transceiver that receives a first multicast message containing a first source media access control address and a first destination media access control address, and receives a second multicast message containing a second source media access control address and a second destination media access control address, wherein the first multicast message invokes the first application type, wherein the second multicast message invokes the first application type, and wherein the first destination media access control address is associated with a first member of a physical wireless local area network and the second destination media access control address is associated with a second member of the physical wireless local area network; and

a filtering application stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor,

receives the first multicast message from the radio transceiver, analyzes the first multicast message to determine that the first multicast message invokes the first application type, accesses the memory to confirm that the first source media access control address is associated with and authorized to send messages that invoke the first application type, and based on the confirmation sending the first multicast message to the radio transceiver to transmit to the first destination media access control address, and

receives the second multicast message from the radio transceiver, analyzes the second multicast message to determine that the second multicast message invokes the first application type, determines by accessing the memory that the second source media access control address is not associated with and not authorized to send messages that invoke the first application type, and based on the negative determination not forwarding the second multicast message to the radio transceiver to transmit.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first application type is a media local area network application type.

3. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the first multicast message comprises a simple service discovery protocol message.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the filtering application analyzes the first multicast message based on reading an application layer header of the first multicast message and analyzes the second multicast message based on reading an application layer header of the second multicast message.

5. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first destination media access control address and the second destination media access control address are a multicast address.

6. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the communication system comprises a wireless access point operating in an infrastructure mode.

7. A processor-implemented method of communication, comprising:

receiving a first multicast message from a first device, wherein the first multicast message invokes a first application type, and wherein the first device is a member of a physical wireless local area network;

determining that the media access control address of a second device is authorized to receive messages that invoke the first application type by consulting a data store, wherein the second device is a member of the physical wireless local area network;

transmitting the first multicast message to the second device;

determining that the media access control address of a third device is not authorized to receive messages that invoke the first application type by consulting the data store, wherein the third device is a member of the physical wireless local area network; and

stopping transmission of the first multicast message to the third device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a second multicast message from a fourth device, wherein the second multicast message invokes a second application type and the fourth device is a member of the physical wireless local area network;

determining that the media access control address of the second device is authorized to receive messages that invoke the second application type by consulting the data store;

transmitting the second multicast message to the second device;

determining that the media access control address of the third device is authorized to receive messages that invoke the second application type by consulting the data store; and

transmitting the second multicast message to the third device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

defining a first entry in the data store that authorizes the media access control address of the second device to receive messages that invoke the first application type;

defining a second entry in the data store that authorizes the media access control address of second device to receive messages that invoke the second application type;

defining a third entry in the data store that authorizes the media access control address of the third device to receive messages that invoke the second application type.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data store defines a first virtual application local area network authorized to receive messages invoking the first application type and defines a second virtual application local area network authorized to receive messages invoking the second application type, wherein the members of the first and second virtual application local area networks comprise members of the physical wireless local area network.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the first multicast message comprises a simple service discovery protocol message.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

defining a fifth entry in the data store that identifies a media access control address of a fifth device;

stopping transmission of the first multicast message to the fifth device based on the media access control address of the fifth device not being authorized to receive messages invoking the first application type in the data store, the fifth device being a member of the physical wireless local area network;

receiving a message from the fifth device containing an internet protocol address outside of the physical wireless local area network; and

transmitting the message from the fifth device to a router outside of the physical wireless local area network.

13. A wireless access point, comprising:

a processor;

a memory storing information authorizing a first media access control (MAC) address and a second media access control address to receive messages invoking a first application type and authorizing the first media access control address and a third media access control address to receive messages invoking a second application type, wherein the first media access control address is associated with a first member of a physical wireless local area network, the second media access control address is associated with a second member of the physical wireless local area network, and the third media access control address is associated with a third member of the physical wireless local area network;

a radio transceiver; and

a filtering application stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor,

receives a first multicast message from the radio transceiver, the first multicast message invoking the first application type,

determines that the information in the memory authorizes the first media access control address to receive messages invoking the first application type,

sends the first multicast message to the radio transceiver for transmission to the first media access control address,

determines that the information in the memory authorizes the second media access control address to receive messages invoking the first application type,

sends the first multicast message to the radio transceiver for transmission to the second media access control address,

determines that the information in the memory does not authorize the third media access control address to receive messages invoking the first application type, and

does not send the first multicast message to the radio transceiver for transmission to the third media access control address.

14. The wireless access point of claim 13, wherein the filtering application further

receives a second multicast message from the radio transceiver, the second multicast message invoking the second application type,

determines that the information in the memory authorizes the first media access control address to receive messages invoking the second application type,

sends the second multicast message to the radio transceiver for transmission to the first media access control address,

determines that the information in the memory does not authorize the second media access control address to receive messages invoking the second application type,

does not send the second multicast message to the radio transceiver for transmission to the second media access control address, and

determines that the information in the memory authorizes the third media access control address to receive messages invoking the second application type,

sends the second multicast message to the radio transceiver for transmission to the third media access control address.

15. The wireless access point of claim 13, wherein the application further

receives a third multicast message from the radio transceiver, the third multicast message invoking a third application type,

sends the third multicast message to the radio transceiver for transmission to the first media access control address,

sends the third multicast message to the radio transceiver for transmission to the second media access control address, and

sends the third multicast message to the radio transceiver for transmission to the third media access control address.

16. The wireless access point of claim 15, wherein the third application type is a hyper text transport protocol application type.

17. The wireless access point of claim 13, wherein the application further provides an interface for entering information into the memory defining authorizations of application types and media access control addresses of members of the physical wireless local area network.

18. The wireless access point of claim 17, wherein the interface provides a function for adding a guest media access control address to the memory to permit a guest device on the physical wireless local area network to access the Internet via the wireless access point.

19. The wireless access point of claim 13, wherein the application further

receives a fourth message from the second member of the physical wireless local area network, wherein the fourth message invokes the second application type;

and

does not send the fourth message to the radio transceiver.

20. The wireless access point of claim 13, wherein the first application type is a media local area network application.