System and method for controlling access to internet sites

• US 8,533,349 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2003
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Forcepoint LLC
• Original Assignee: Forcepoint LLC
• Inventors: Hegli, Ronald, Carrington, John, Oei, David
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAIR, DOUGLAS B
• Application Number:
  US10/616,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20040015586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,717 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229, 726/4
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and system for providing flexible access to Internet sites is described. The system includes a database of Internet sites that have been categorized so that the system determines the category of information that a user is accessing on the Internet. The system is also programmed so users are only allowed to access sites within a particular category a limited number of times. Moreover, users can requested a postponed access, wherein the site they are requesting is stored to a server, and available to the user at a later time. In addition, if a user chooses to access a site that is within certain predefined categories, they are presented with the option of retrieving the page, but notified that their access will be logged to a file.

Claims

1. A method of controlling user access to Internet sites between a local area network and an Internet, comprising:

determining within a central device of a local area network a content category of each Internet site that a user is accessing, said Internet site being previously associated with said content category based upon a comparison between a total page relevancy score and an alpha score, the total page relevancy score being defined at least in part by a relevancy score for a word pair from said Internet site to said content category;

providing a timer; and

blocking said user from accessing Internet sites in said content category when said timer reaches a predetermined level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said predetermined level is thirty minutes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said predetermined level is one hour.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising periodically resetting said timer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said timer is reset every 24 hours.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a second content category of an Internet site that said user is accessing;

establishing a second timer;

incrementing said second timer with time spent accessing said second content category by said user; and

blocking said user from accessing Internet sites in said second content category when said second timer reaches a second predetermined level.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing said user to bypass said blocking, wherein said access is reported to a network administrator.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising caching Internet sites in said content category that are requested by said user after said timer reaches said predetermined level, wherein said user may access said cached Internet sites after a predetermined time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the central device is an internet gateway system.

10. A system for rating Internet sites between a local area network and an Internet comprising:

a central device of a local area network comprising a processor and a memory;

the memory including;

instructions that when executed by the processor of the central device determines a content category of each Internet site that a user is accessing, said Internet site being previously associated with said content category based upon a comparison between a total page relevancy score and an alpha score, the total page relevancy score being defined at least in part by a relevancy score for a word pair from said Internet site to said content category;

instructions that when executed by the processor of the central device provides a timer; and

instructions that when executed by the processor of the central device blocks said user from accessing Internet sites in said content category after said timer reaches a predetermined level.

11. The system of claim 10, the memory further comprising instructions that when executed by the processor of the central device caches any Internet sites requested by said user after said timer reaches said predetermined level, wherein said user may access said cached Internet sites after a predetermined time.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the central device is an internet gateway system.