Location based network usage policies

• US 9,049,231 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2014
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iBoss
• Original Assignee: iBoss
• Inventors: Martini, Paul Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): KATSIKIS, KOSTAS J
• Application Number:
  US14/267,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20150026240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for location based network usage policies. One of the methods includes storing information defining a plurality of network policy groups, receiving first information indicating that a client device is connected to the network at a first physical location, and identifying a first user role associated with the client device, identifying, from among the plurality of network policy groups, a first network policy group having both (i) an associated first policy location that corresponds to the client device'"'"'s first physical location, and (ii) an associated policy role that corresponds to the client device'"'"'s first user role, and regulating the client device'"'"'s access to resources available on the network based on the one or more network usage policies associated with the identified first network policy group.

Claims

1. A method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving first information indicating that a client device is connected to a network at a first physical location, and identifying a first user role associated with the client device;

identifying, from among a plurality of network policy groups that each has a corresponding policy location and a corresponding policy role, a first network policy group having both (i) a first policy location that corresponds to the client device'"'"'s first physical location, and (ii) a policy role that corresponds to the client device'"'"'s first user role;

receiving, from the client device while the client device is associated with the first physical location, a first resource request to access a resource available on the network;

determining, while the client device is associated with the first physical location and in response to receiving the first resource request, first access permissions for the client device to the requested resource using the first network policy group;

receiving second information indicating that the client device is connected to the network at a second physical location, and identifying a second user role associated with the client device, the second physical location different from the first physical location;

identifying, from among the plurality of network policy groups, a second network policy group having both (i) a second policy location that corresponds to the client device'"'"'s second physical location, and (ii) a policy role that corresponds to the client device'"'"'s second user role;

receiving, from the client device while the client device is associated with the second physical location, a second resource request to access the resource; and

determining, while the client device is associated with the second physical location and in response to receiving the second resource request, second access permissions for the client device to the requested resource using the second network policy group;

wherein identifying the first network policy group further comprises;

identifying a subset of network policy groups for the client device using the first user role and the first physical location, each of the network policy groups in the subset of network policy groups having priority information and being one of the network policy groups in the plurality of network policy groups, wherein the policy location for each of the network policy groups in the subset of network policy groups is the same as the first physical location and the policy role for each of the network policy groups in the subset of network policy groups is the same as the first user role;

comparing the priority information associated with each of the network policy groups from the subset of network policy groups; and

selecting a highest priority network policy group from the subset of network policy groups as the first network policy group, the highest priority network policy group having a higher priority than other network policy groups in the subset of network policy groups based on the priority information associated with the highest priority network policy group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first policy location and the first physical location both comprise the same location name.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first resource request comprises the first information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second network policy group is a default network policy group that applies to all client devices that connect to the network at the second physical location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second network policy group is more restrictive than the first network policy group for at least some of the resources available on the network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first access permissions allow the client device access to the requested resource and the second access permissions do not allow the client device access to the requested resource.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first information comprises:

receiving, from a specific network connection point on the network, client device information indicating that the client device is connected to the specific network connection point, wherein a plurality of network connection points provide access to the network and each network connection point is associated with a network connection point location, the specific network connection point location associated with the specific network connection point identifying the first physical location, and the specific network connection point being one of the plurality of network connection points.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the specific network connection point comprises a wireless network connection point.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the network policy groups in the plurality of network policy groups is linked to one of a plurality of user roles based on a network policy group name associated with the linked network policy group that is the same as a user role name associated with the linked user role, the first user role associated with the client device being one of the plurality of user roles.

10. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving first information indicating that a client device is connected to a network at a first physical location, and identifying a first user role associated with the client device;

identifying, from among a plurality of network policy groups that each has a corresponding policy location and a corresponding policy role, a first network policy group having both (i) a first policy location that corresponds to the client device'"'"'s first physical location, and (ii) a policy role that corresponds to the client device'"'"'s first user role; and

receiving, from the client device while the client device is associated with the first physical location, a first resource request to access a resource available on the network;

determining, while the client device is associated with the first physical location and in response to receiving the first resource request, first access permissions for the client device to the requested resource using the first network policy group;

receiving second information indicating that the client device is connected to the network at a second physical location, and identifying a second user role associated with the client device, the second physical location different from the first physical location;

identifying, from among the plurality of network policy groups, a second network policy group having both (i) a second policy location that corresponds to the client device'"'"'s second physical location, and (it) a policy role that corresponds to the client device'"'"'s second user role;

receiving, from the client device while the client device is associated with the second physical location, a second resource request to access the resource; and

determining, while the client device is associated with the second physical location and in response to receiving the second resource request, second access permissions for the client device to the requested resource using the second network policy group;

wherein identifying the first network policy group further comprises;

identifying a subset of network policy groups for the client device using the first user role and the first physical location, each of the network policy groups in the subset of network policy groups having priority information and being one of the network policy groups in the plurality of network policy groups, wherein the policy location for each of the network policy groups in the subset of network policy groups is the same as the first physical location and the policy role for each of the network policy groups in the subset of network policy groups is the same as the first user role;

comparing the priority information associated with each of the network policy groups from the subset of network policy groups; and

selecting a highest priority network policy group from the subset of network policy groups as the first network policy group, the highest priority network policy group having a higher priority than other network policy groups in the subset of network policy groups based on the priority information associated with the highest priority network policy group.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 10, wherein each of the network policy groups in the plurality of network policy groups is linked to one of a plurality of user roles based on a network policy group name associated with the linked network policy group that is the same as a user role name associated with the linked user role, the first user role associated with the client device being one of the plurality of user roles.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first policy location and the first physical location both comprise the same location name.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first resource request comprises the first information.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 10, wherein the second network policy group is a default network policy group that applies to all client devices that connect to the network at the second physical location.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 10, wherein the second network policy group is more restrictive than the first network policy group for at least some of the resources available on the network.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first access permissions allow the client device access to the requested resource and the second access permissions do not allow the client device access to the requested resource.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 10, wherein receiving the first information comprises:

receiving, from a specific network connection point on the network, client device information indicating that the client device is connected to the specific network connection point, wherein a plurality of network connection points provide access to the network and each network connection point is associated with a network connection point location, the specific network connection point location associated with the specific network connection point identifying the first physical location, and the specific network connection point being one of the plurality of network connection points.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 17, wherein the specific network connection point comprises a wireless network connection point.

19. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving first information indicating that a client device is connected to a network at a first physical location, and identifying a first user role associated with the client device;

identifying, from among a plurality of network policy groups that each has a corresponding policy location and a corresponding policy role, a first network policy group having both (i) a first policy location that corresponds to the client device'"'"'s first physical location, and (ii) a policy role that corresponds to the client device'"'"'s first user role; and

receiving, from the client device while the client device is associated with the first physical location, a first resource request to access a resource available on the network;

determining, while the client device is associated with the first physical location and in response to receiving the first resource request, first access permissions for the client device to the requested resource using the first network policy group;

receiving second information indicating that the client device is connected to the network at a second physical location, and identifying a second user role associated with the client device, the second physical location different from the first physical location;

identifying, from among the plurality of network policy groups, a second network policy group having both (i) a second policy location that corresponds to the client device'"'"'s second physical location, and (ii) a policy role that corresponds to the client device'"'"'s second user role;

receiving, from the client device while the client device is associated with the second physical location, a second resource request to access the resource; and

determining, while the client device is associated with the second physical location and in response to receiving the second resource request, second access permissions for the client device to the requested resource using the second network policy group;

wherein identifying the first network policy group further comprises;

identifying a subset of network policy groups for the client device using the first user role and the first physical location, each of the network policy groups in the subset of network policy groups having priority information and being one of the network policy groups in the plurality of network policy groups, wherein the policy location for each of the network policy groups in the subset of network policy groups is the same as the first physical location and the policy role for each of the network policy groups in the subset of network policy groups is the same as the first user role;

comparing the priority information associated with each of the network policy groups from the subset of network policy groups; and

selecting a highest priority network policy group from the subset of network policy groups as the first network policy group, the highest priority network policy group having a higher priority than other network policy groups in the subset of network policy groups based on the priority information associated with the highest priority network policy group.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein receiving the first information comprises:

receiving, from a specific network connection point on the network, client device information indicating that the client device is connected to the specific network connection point, wherein a plurality of network connection points provide access to the network and each network connection point is associated with a network connection point location, the specific network connection point location associated with the specific network connection point identifying the first physical location, and the specific network connection point being one of the plurality of network connection points.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the specific network connection point comprises a wireless network connection point.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein each of the network policy groups in the plurality of network policy groups is linked to one of a plurality of user roles based on a network policy group name associated with the linked network policy group that is the same as a user role name associated with the linked user rote, the first user role associated with the client device being one of the plurality of user roles.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the first resource request comprises the first information.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the second network policy group is a default network policy group that applies to all client devices that connect to the network at the second physical location.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the second network policy group is more restrictive than the first network policy group for at least some of the resources available on the network.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the first access permissions allow the client device access to the requested resource and the second access permissions do not allow the client device access to the requested resource.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the first policy location and the first physical location both comprise the same location name.