Method for Managing Computer Network Access

• US 20110239277A1
• Filed: 06/06/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weserve Access, LLC
• Original Assignee: Pearl Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Field, Joseph I. JR., Fertell, David A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,930,535 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A client computer initiates a first communication session at a first network address and receives therefrom a second network address. The client computer then initiates a second communication session at the second network address and receives therefrom an access configuration including a control setting for a communication protocol capable of being utilized during a third communication session. Concurrent with the second communication session, the client computer initiates a third communication session at a third network address whereupon the conveyance of data to or from an instantiated process on the client computer via the third communication session is controlled based on the control setting for the communication protocol.

Claims

1. A method of controlling computer network access comprising:

(a) receiving an access configuration at an endpoint of a computer network;

(b) determining at the endpoint whether access to a network address is permitted by the access configuration; and

(c) either allowing or denying the endpoint access to the network address based on the determination in step (b).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in step (a), the endpoint receives the access configuration in response to a polling request by the endpoint.

3. The method of claim 1, further including controlling the endpoint'"'"'s allowed access to data conveyed via the computer network based upon control data, content data, or both control data and content data included in the access control.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in step (c) allowing or denying the endpoint access is based on at least one of the following:

a content of conveyed data and a communication protocol being used to convey data.

5. A method of controlling computer network access comprising:

(a) an endpoint computer of a computer network accessing a network address on the computer network;

(b) the endpoint computer analyzing data received in real-time from the network address based on an access configuration received at the endpoint computer from another network address of the computer network;

(c) the endpoint computer either blocking or conveying the data received in real-time from the network address based on the analysis in step (c); and

(d) in response to blocking data in step (c), the endpoint computer dispatching to the other network address a notification of the blocking data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the notification in step (d) includes at least one of the following data:

a Web protocol of the received data;

the network address;

a subject of the received data;

a date the data was received;

a time the data was received;

a control applied to the received data; and

a user name of a user of the endpoint computer.

7. The method of claim 6, further including causing at least some of the data dispatched in step (d) to be displayed on a display not associated with the endpoint computer.

8. A method of controlling computer network access comprising:

(a) receiving an access configuration file at an endpoint computer;

(b) the endpoint computer initiating a computer network session at a network address;

(c) concurrent with the computer network session in step (b), the endpoint computer initiating another computer network session at another network address;

(d) transmitting to the network address via the computer network session a URL requested in the other computer network session;

(e) receiving in the computer network session data about the requested URL corresponding to category information stored in the access configuration file; and

(f) determining at the endpoint computer whether access to the requested URL is allowed or denied based on information stored in the access configuration file.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information in step (d) includes one or more of the following:

access prohibited to conveyed data including a predetermined word or phrase;

access prohibited to data of at least one predetermined data type;

access prohibited to data conveyed during at least one of a predetermined time and day-of-week; and

access prohibited based on a rating for a category included with the conveyed data.

10. A method of controlling computer network access comprising:

(a) a server computer receiving via a computer network from an endpoint computer of the computer network a request for an access configuration file;

(b) the server computer dispatching to each endpoint computer an access configuration file; and

(c) following step (b), the server computer dispatching to each endpoint computer an update to the access configuration file dispatched in step (b) or another access configuration file.

11. The method of claim 10, further including:

(d) the server computer storing data received from the endpoint computer regarding a violation of at least one policy included in the access configuration file, the updated access configuration file, or the other access configuration file.

12. A method of controlling computer network access comprising:

(a) a server computer receiving via a computer network from endpoint computers of the computer network requests for access configuration files;

(b) the server computer dispatching a unique access configuration file to each endpoint computer for which a unique access configuration file was prepared; and

(c) the server computer dispatching a generic access configuration file to each endpoint computer for which a unique access configuration file was not prepared.

13. The method of claim 12, further including:

(d) the server computer storing data received from one or more endpoint computers regarding violations of policies included in the access configuration file, the updated access configuration file, or the other access configuration file of each endpoint computer.