Consumer configurable mobile communication web filtering solution

Abstract

Consumer configurable mobile communications solution enabling web filtering based on policy-enforcement services allowing authorized users to define, manage and enforce restrictions for mobile web data and services of a secondary mobile device.

1 . A consumer configurable mobile communications web filtering system comprising a web filtering component for managing the use and access to network data by a secondary device and operably connectable with a network providing the network data, the web filtering component further including a control module for receiving and storing configuration data containing configuration and policies for a secondary device and for enforcing the configuration and policies on the secondary device. 
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a patrol module for receiving configuration information from a primary user, storing the configuration information, and for forwarding configuration data based on the configuration information to the control module. 
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the web filtering component further comprises:
 an SGSN module for interconnecting with and managing communication between the web filtering component and the secondary user device; and   a GGSN module operably connectable with the SGSN module, wherein the GGSN module interfaces between a network used by the secondary device and the network containing the network data.   
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the SGSN module is interconnectable with the secondary user device via a base station subsystem. 
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the control module further comprises a categorization interface for interconnecting with a content classification service and retrieving classification data. 
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the control categorization interface retrieves standard classification data. 
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the control categorization interface retrieves custom classification data. 
   
   
       8 . the system of  claim 5 , wherein the control module performs runtime optimizations. 
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the runtime optimization is caching of the classification data to avoid subsequent requests reducing a network lookup cost. 
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the web filtering component further comprises:
 a web filter module operably interconnected with a control point, wherein the web filter intercepts, inspects, and processes requests made by the secondary user device and queries the control module for access restrictions for the secondary user device;   an AAA service module operably interconnected with the GGSN for providing authentication services for the secondary user device and maintaining mapping information of the secondary user device; and   a directory services module interconnected with the AAA server and the control module, wherein the directory services module obtains the mapping information of the secondary user device from the AAA server, maintains the mapping information, and provides control module with access to the mapping information to identify the secondary user device by looking up an IP address for the secondary user device from the mapping information.   
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the web filtering component further comprises:
 a WAP gateway module operably interconnected with a control module, wherein the WAP gateway module manages WAP requests for the secondary device by allowing or denying WAP traffic based on instructions received from the control module;   an AAA service module operably interconnected with the GGSN for providing authentication services for the secondary user device and maintaining mapping information of the secondary user device; and   a directory services module interconnected with the AAA server and the control module, wherein the directory services module obtains the mapping information of the secondary user device from the AAA server, maintains the mapping information, and provides control module with access to the mapping information to identify the secondary user device by looking up an IP address for the secondary user device from the mapping information.   
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the web filtering component further comprises:
 a visitor location register VLR module for interconnecting with the secondary device, providing authorization to the secondary device;   a mobile switching center MSC module for interconnecting with the secondary device upon authorization of the secondary device by the visitor location register and transmitting a short message service message with the secondary device;   a short message service center SMSC module operably interconnected with the mobile switching center and the control module, wherein the mobile switching center module forwards the short message service message to the short message service center module and the short message service center module queries against the control module to determine if the secondary device is allowed to deliver or receive the short message service message.   
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the web filtering component further comprises:
 a multimedia messaging service center module operably interconnected with the GGSN and the control module for introspecting a multimedia message and querying against the control module to determine if the secondary user device is allowed to access the content of a multimedia message; and   a home location register interconnected with the multimedia messaging service center for identifying the secondary user device, wherein the control module retrieves the originating phone number from the home location register for identifying the secondary user device.   
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the GGSN transparently routes to the multimedia service center. 
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the GGSN connects to a multimedia service center server gateway configured on the secondary user device. 
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the web filtering component further comprises:
 a WAP gateway module operably interconnected with the GGSN and the control module for introspecting a multimedia message and querying against the control module to determine if the secondary user device is allowed to access the content of a multimedia message;   a multimedia messaging service center module operably interconnected with the WAP gateway module and the control module for providing the multimedia message when instructed by the WAP gateway module;   a home location register interconnected with the multimedia messaging service center for identifying the secondary user device, wherein the control module retrieves the originating phone number from the home location register for identifying the secondary user device;   an AAA service module operably interconnected with the GGSN for providing authentication services for the secondary user device and maintaining mapping information of the secondary user device; and   a directory services module interconnected with the AAA server and the control module, wherein the directory services module obtains the mapping information of the secondary user device from the AAA server, maintains the mapping information, and provides control module with access to the mapping information to identify the secondary user device by looking up an IP address for the secondary user device from the mapping information.   
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the web filtering component further comprises an instant message gateway module interconnected with the GGSN and the control module for receiving an instruction from the control module and filtering an instant message according to the instruction. 
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the web filtering component further comprises an e-mail module interconnected with the GGSN and the control module for receiving an instruction from the control module and filtering an e-mail message according to the instruction.