Method for controlling access to a data communication network, with user identification

• US 20020056049A1
• Filed: 06/14/2001
• Published: 05/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gestweb SPA
• Original Assignee: Gestweb SPA
• Inventors: Vinati, Felice, Vinati, Samuele, Berardinelli, Ivan
• Granted Patent: US 7,162,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method for controlling access to a data communication network, comprising the steps of:

upon connection of a user to a data communication network, making available on the network an age identifier which is suitable to define the age of the user who wishes to make the connection;

entering, on the part of the user, the address of a site of interest which the user intends to visit, the address being automatically associated with the age identifier made available on the network; and

allowing the user to perform the network connection on the basis of the reading of the age identifier associated with the address keyed in by the user, and steering accordingly the network navigation of the user.

Claims

1. A method for controlling access to a computer network, comprising the steps of:

upon connection of a user to a data communication network, making available on the network an age identifier which is suitable to define the age of said user who wishes to make the connection;

entering, on the part of said user, an address of a site of interest which the user intends to visit, said address being automatically associated with said age identifier made available on the network; and

allowing said user to perform connection to the network on the basis of the reading of said age identifier associated with said address keyed in by said user, and steering accordingly the network navigation of said user.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of making said user age identifier available on the network comprises verification of the data of the user who wishes to make the connection and comparison of said data with a database which contains the profiles of users registered with a service provider suitable to provide said connection.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step of making said user age identifier available on the network furthermore comprises the transmission to said user of said age identifier retrieved from the user profile found in said database.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of making said user identifier available on the network comprises the step of:

entering said age identifier directly in the network navigation program used by the user to connect to said data communication network.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said connection to the data communication network allowed on the basis of the reading of said age identifier leads to unrestricted network navigation if said age identifier reveals an adult user or to a controlled network navigation if said age 30 identifier reveals a minor user.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said age identifier is associated with said address keyed in by said user directly by a network navigation program used by the user on his computer.