US 8,136,151 B2Granted

Systems and methods for remotely maintaining virtual private networks

AssigneeAnxebusiness Corp.

InventorsRobert Douglas Smith, Olaf Alexander Wobst

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Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for automatically configuring, managing, and maintaining a network device or VPN using a public network such as the Internet. Initial configuration of a network device or VPN occurs upon a user entering minimal information via a simple HTML page. After receipt of this minimal information, the present invention automatically configures the network device or VPN without user intervention. Thereafter, a user may modify the network device or VPN configuration via an easy-to-use and easy-to-understand graphical user interface. Parameters are presented such that a user simply checks and unchecks boxes, or clicks on radio buttons, to configure network device parameters. Upon completion of the selection, the user clicks on save, and the configuration is automatically modified. In addition, upon a significant change to any network device, the changed network device automatically initiates reconfiguration of the network device or VPN with zero input from a user.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method for remotely maintaining a VPN configured using VPN data input by a user at a portal comprising the steps of:

transmitting maintenance data to at least one management device from a first network device in the VPN through a management portal;
creating (i) a VPN configuration file or (ii) a VPN configuration file and a device configuration file, each at the at least one management device;
automatically establishing a communication between the at least one management device and at least one network device, which may be the same or different than the first network device, via at least one connection of at least one network;
and
transmitting at least one of the VPN configuration file or the VPN configuration file and the device configuration file from the at least one management device to the at least one network device via the network connection;
wherein at least one parameter of the at least one network device, the VPN, and combinations thereof is automatically configured upon local processing of the VPN configuration file or the VPN configuration file and the device configuration file.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/778,064Filed 15 Jul 2007 · division
Priority: 14 Feb 2005
Published: US 2008/0046996 A121 Feb 2008
Granted: 13 Mar 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H04L 63/0272
For separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls: virtual private networks
H04L 63/04
Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security: for providing a confidential data exchange among entities…
H04L 63/0823
For authentication of entities: using certificates
H04L 63/20
Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security: for managing network security; network security policies in general

Family

Application11/057,860Parent of this division · filed 14 Feb 2005
US 2008/0046996 A1Pre-grant publication · published 21 Feb 2008
US 7,373,661 B2Parent of this division
US 2006/0236095 A1Published application
US 8,136,151 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.