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US 7,953,079 B2Granted
Method and apparatus to control access to content
AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.
InventorsSunil Shashikanthan John, Michael Edric Tasker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides a method, apparatus and computer program product for accessing content via a packet-switched network based on a content access policy. The content is marked with a rating. The rating is extracted from the content, to verify conformance with the content access policy. On verification of the conformance between the rating and the content access policy, access to the marked content is provided.
Claims28
A method comprising:
- programming into a network infrastructure device a content access policy for a content consumer device;
- receiving content data packets that are addressed to the content consumer device via a packet switched network at the network infrastructure device,
- wherein each content data packet is encoded with a content classification and rating in an address region of the content data packet headers, wherein the content classification and rating are encoded within a source address, a source port number, a destination port number, and a destination address of a content packet header;
- extracting the content classification and rating from each encoded content data packet;
- verifying that the content classification and rating for each encoded content data packet conforms with the content access policy;
- and
- providing access to each encoded content data packet upon verifying that each encoded content data packet conforms with the content access policy.
4 more elements
A method comprising:
- identifying a content classification of the content of a data packet using a content rating module of a content distribution device, wherein the data packet comprises a header that enables the data packet to be transmitted over a packet-switched network;
- selecting a rating based on the content of the data packet;
- and
- encoding the content classification and the rating within a source address, a source port number, a destination port number, and a destination address of a data packet header.
1 more element
An apparatus comprising:
- a network interface receiving module configured to receive content data packets that are addressed to a content consumer device via a packet switched network, wherein each content data packet is encoded with a content classification and rating in an address region of a header of the content data packets, wherein the content classification and rating are encoded within a source address, a source port number, a destination port number, and a destination address of a content packet header;
- an access control device extraction module configured to:
- extract the content classification and rating from each content data packet;
- verify that the content classification and rating for each content data packet conforms with the content access policy;
- and
- provide access to each content data packet upon verifying that each content data packet conforms with the content access policy.
3 more elements
A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
- program a content access policy for a content consumer device;
- receive content data packets that are addressed to the content consumer device via a packet switched network, wherein the content classification and rating are encoded within a source address, a source port number, a destination port number, and a destination address of a header of a content data packet;
- extract the content classification and rating from each encoded content data packet;
- verify that the content classification and rating for each encoded content data packet conforms with the content access policy;
- and
- provide access to each encoded content data packet upon verifying that each encoded content data packet conforms with the content access policy.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.