US 6,233,618 B1Granted

Access control of networked data

AssigneeContent Advisor, Inc.

InventorSteven Shannon

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Abstract

An access control technique to limit access to information content such as available on the Internet. The technique is implemented within a network device such as a proxy server, router, switch, firewall, bridge or other network gateway. The access control process analyzes data in each request from the clients and determines if the request should be forwarded for processing by a server to which it is destined. Access control may be determined by comparing client source information against a database of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), IP addresses, or other resource identification data specifying the data requested by the client. The invention therefore provides access control not based only upon content, but rather, based primarily upon the identity of the computers or users making the requests. The technique further avoids the problems of the prior art which categories or filters the content of only web pages based solely upon objectionable words. This is becauase a category database is used by the network device to control access and is created via a process involving human editors who assist in the creation and maintenance of the category database.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A network device for controlling access by clients on a private network to a data file stored at servers in a public network, the network device being interconnected between the private and public networks, the network device comprising:

a first interface receiving a request from a client on the private network to access a data file stored at servers on the public network;
an access control processor coupled to first interface, the access control processor analyzing data in the request from the client and determining if the request should be forwarded to the public network for processing by a server to which it is destined, the determination being made by cross referencing resource identifier information in the request with access control data in at least one access control database, the access control data containing categorized resource identifier information the categorized resource identifier information specifying a content subject matter category to which the data file is assigned, and the categorized resource identifier information associated with each data file being assigned by prior human interpretation of the content in the data file, and then, as a result of such human interpretation, determining a subject matter category to which the data file is to be assigned, the data file stored at the servers on the public network;
a second interface coupled between the first interface and the public network and coupled to the access control processor, the second interface forwarding the requests from the first interface to the servers on the public network if the access control processor determines the request should be forwarded to the public network for processing by a server to which it is destined;
and
means permitting a network administrator of the public network to control the operation of the network device.

2 more elements

A method for controlling access by clients of a private network to data files stored on servers connected in a public network, the method comprising the steps of:

at a client computer connected to the public network,
searching for uncategorized data files being stored on servers connected in the public network, the data files being available on demand;
presenting a view of each selected data file in human readable form on the client computer connected to the public network;
permitting a human being to review the contents of each selected data file so presented;
determining a content rating for each data file in response to presenting the contents of the data file to a human being, the content rating being determined as a result of the human being assigning the data file to at least one content subject matter category;
storing a uniform resource locator (URL) of each data file together with the associated content subject matter categories in a category-destination database;
at an access controller connected to the private network,
downloading the category-destination database;
receiving requests from client computers connected to the private network, the requests indicating data files stored on the servers of the public network;
analyzing the data in each request against the data from the category-destination database;
and
determining whether to forward the request to a server of the public network for processing, the determination being made based upon the content rating of the requested data file.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/052,236Filed 31 Mar 1998
Granted: 15 May 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04L 63/0236
Filtering policies: filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL
G06F 16/9566
Using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]: uRL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
H04L 63/0263
Filtering policies: rule management
H04L 63/10
Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security: for controlling access to devices or network resources