U.S. patent application number 13/546448 was filed with the patent office on 2013-04-25 for network resource communication system.
This patent application is currently assigned to PRINTERON INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is Steven Coutts, Clayton Grassick, Brian Hollander, Larry Kuhl, Tim Lehan, Christopher Martin, Mark Onischke, Patrick Pidduck, Steven Spicer, Philip Von Hatten. Invention is credited to Steven Coutts, Clayton Grassick, Brian Hollander, Larry Kuhl, Tim Lehan, Christopher Martin, Mark Onischke, Patrick Pidduck, Steven Spicer, Philip Von Hatten.
Application Number | 20130104223 13/546448 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 4165417 |
Filed Date | 2013-04-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130104223 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Spicer; Steven ; et
al. |
April 25, 2013 |
NETWORK RESOURCE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
Abstract
A secure network resource access system facilitates network
access by network terminals to network resources located behind an
enterprise firewall, and comprises a proxy server and a polling
server. The proxy server is located logically outside the
enterprise firewall for receiving application data from the network
terminals. The polling server is located logically behind the
enterprise firewall, and is configured to poll the proxy server to
initiate transmission of the received application data from the
proxy server to the polling server, to receive application data and
associated network resource data from the proxy server in response
to the poll, and to direct the application data to one of the
network resources in accordance with the associated network
resource data.
Inventors: |
Spicer; Steven; (Kitchener,
CA) ; Martin; Christopher; (Kitchener, CA) ;
Kuhl; Larry; (Waterloo, CA) ; Hollander; Brian;
(Kitchener, CA) ; Pidduck; Patrick; (Waterloo,
CA) ; Coutts; Steven; (Waterloo, CA) ; Von
Hatten; Philip; (New Hamburg, CA) ; Onischke;
Mark; (Kitchener, CA) ; Grassick; Clayton;
(Winnipeg, CA) ; Lehan; Tim; (Kitchener,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Spicer; Steven
Martin; Christopher
Kuhl; Larry
Hollander; Brian
Pidduck; Patrick
Coutts; Steven
Von Hatten; Philip
Onischke; Mark
Grassick; Clayton
Lehan; Tim |
Kitchener
Kitchener
Waterloo
Kitchener
Waterloo
Waterloo
New Hamburg
Kitchener
Winnipeg
Kitchener |
|
CA
CA
CA
CA
CA
CA
CA
CA
CA
CA |
|
|
Assignee: |
PRINTERON INC.
Kitchener
CA
|
Family ID: |
4165417 |
Appl. No.: |
13/546448 |
Filed: |
July 11, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12891526 |
Sep 27, 2010 |
|
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13546448 |
|
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|
09926436 |
Jan 18, 2002 |
7827293 |
|
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PCT/CA01/00235 |
Mar 1, 2001 |
|
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12891526 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
726/12 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 47/70 20130101;
H04L 41/28 20130101; H04L 69/08 20130101; H04L 69/32 20130101; H04L
67/16 20130101; H04L 63/0281 20130101; H04L 41/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
726/12 |
International
Class: |
H04L 29/06 20060101
H04L029/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 1, 2000 |
CA |
2,299,824 |
Claims
1. A secure network resource access system for facilitating network
access by network terminals to network resources located behind an
enterprise firewall, the secure network resource access system
comprising: a proxy server located logically outside the enterprise
firewall for receiving application data from the network terminals;
and a polling server located logically behind the enterprise
firewall, the polling server being configured for polling the proxy
server to initiate transmission of the received application data
from the proxy server to the polling server.
2. The secure network resource access system according to claim 1,
wherein each said network resource includes an alias name, and the
application data includes the alias name of one of the network
resources, and the polling server is configured to direct the
application data to the one network resource in accordance with
alias name.
3. A method for facilitating secure network access by network
terminals to network resources located behind an enterprise
firewall, the method comprising the steps of: polling a proxy
server located logically outside the enterprise firewall for
requests for communication with the network resources; receiving
application data and associated network resource data from the
proxy server in response to the polling step; and directing the
application data to one of the network resources in accordance with
the associated network resource data.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein each said network
resource includes an alias name, and the network resource data
includes the alias name of the one network resource.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.
12/891,526 filed Sep. 27, 2010, which is a continuation of
nonprovisional application Ser. No. 09/926,436 filed Jan. 18, 2002,
now U.S. Pat. No. 7,827,293, issued Nov. 2, 2010, which in turn is
a National Entry of International Application No. PCT/CA01/00235
filed Mar. 1, 2001, which claims priority to Canadian Application
No. 2,299,824 filed Mar. 1, 2000. The disclosure of application
Ser. No. 12/891,526 is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a method and system for
network management system. In particular, the present invention
relates to a method and system for providing secure access to
network resources.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Local area networks are widely used as a mechanism for
making available computer resources, such as file servers,
scanners, and printers, to a multitude of computer users. It is
often desirable with such networks to restrict user access to the
computer resources in order to manage data traffic over the network
and to prevent unauthorized use of the resources. Typically,
resource access is restricted by defining access control lists for
each network resource. However, as the control lists can only be
defined by the network administrator, it is often difficult to
manage data traffic at the resource level.
[0004] Wide area networks, such as the Internet, have evolved as a
mechanism for providing distributed computer resources without
regard to physical geography. Recently, the Internet Print Protocol
("IPP") has emerged as a mechanism to control access to printing
resources over the Internet. However, IPP is replete with
deficiencies.
[0005] First, as IPP-compliant printing devices are relatively
rare, Internet printing is not readily available.
[0006] Second, although IPP allows user identification information
to be transmitted to a target resource, access to IPP-compliant
resources can only be changed on a per-resource basis. This
limitation can be particularly troublesome if the administrator is
required to change permissions for a large number of resources.
[0007] Third, users must have the correct resource driver and know
the IPP address of the target resource before communicating with
the resource. Therefore, if the device type or the IPP address of
the target resource changes, users must update the resource driver
and/or the IPP address of the resource. Also, if a user wishes to
communicate with a number of different resources, the user must
install and update the resource driver and IPP address far each
resource as the properties of each resource changes.
[0008] Fourth, access to IPP printers cannot be obtained without
the resource administrator locating the resource outside the
enterprise firewall, or without opening an access port through the
enterprise firewall. Whereas the latter solution provides the
resource administrator with the limited ability to restrict
resource access, the necessity of opening an access port in the
enterprise firewall exposes the enterprise network to the
possibility of security breaches.
[0009] Consequently, there remains a need for a network resource
access solution which allows resource owners to easily and quickly
control resource access, which is not hindered by changes in device
type and resource network address, which facilitates simultaneous
communication with a number of target resources, and which does not
expose the enterprise network to a significant possibility of
security breaches.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] According to the invention, there is provided a secure
network resource access system and a method of secure network
resource access which addresses at least one deficiency of the
prior art network resource access systems.
[0011] The secure network resource access system, according to the
present invention facilitates network access by network terminals
to network resources located behind an enterprise firewall, and
comprises a proxy server and a polling server. The proxy server is
located logically outside the enterprise firewall for receiving
application data from the network terminals. The polling server is
located logically behind the enterprise firewall, and is configured
to poll the proxy server to initiate transmission of the received
application data from the proxy server to the polling server.
[0012] The secure network resource access method, according to the
present invention, facilitates network access by network terminals
to network resources located behind an enterprise firewall, and
comprises the steps of (1) polling a proxy server located logically
outside the enterprise firewall for requests for communication with
the network resources; (2) receiving application data and
associated network resource data from the proxy server in response
to the polling step; and (3) directing the application data to one
of the network resources in accordance with the associated network
resource data.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The preferred embodiment of the invention will now be
described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings,
in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the network resource access
system, according to the present invention, showing the network
terminals, the network resources, the resource registry, the
authorization server, the administration server, the proxy server,
and the polling server;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a schematic view one of the network terminals
depicted in FIG. 1, showing the driver application for use with the
present invention;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the format of the resource
records comprising the resource database of the resource registry
depicted in FIG. 1, showing the network address field, the resource
type field, the user access level field, the resource information
field, the pseudo-name field, the username/password field, and the
driver identification field; and
[0017] FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting the method of operation of
the network resource access system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0018] Turning to FIG. 1, a network resource access system, denoted
generally as 100, is shown comprising a network terminal 200, a
network resource 104, a resource registry 106, an administration
server 108, and an authorization server 110. Typically, the network
resource access system 100 comprises a plurality of network
terminal 200, and a plurality of network resources 104, however for
enhanced clarity of discussion, FIG. 1 only shows a single network
terminal 200 and a single network resource 104. The network
resource access system 100 also includes a communications network
112 facilitating communication between the network terminals 200,
the network resources 104, the administration server 108, and the
authorization server 110. Preferably, the communications network
112 comprises a wide area network such as the Internet, however the
network 112 may also comprise a local area network. Further, the
network 112 need not be a land-based network, but instead may
comprise a wireless network and/or a hybrid of a land-based network
and a wireless network for enhanced communications flexibility.
[0019] Each network terminal 200 typically comprises a land-based
network-enabled personal computer. However, the invention is not
limited for use with personal computers. For instance. one or more
of the network terminals 200 may comprise a wireless communications
device, such as a wireless-enabled personal data assistant, or
e-mail-enabled wireless telephone if the network 112 is configured
to facilitate wireless data communication. In addition, the
invention is not limited to only facilitating transmission of text
data, but instead may be used to transmit image data, audio data or
multimedia data, if desired.
[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the network terminal 200 comprises a
network interface 202, a user interface 204, and a data processing
system 206 in communication with the network interface 202 and the
user interface 204. Typically, the network interface 202 comprises
an Ethernet network circuit card, however the network interface 202
may also comprise an RF antenna for wireless communication over the
communications network 112. Preferably, the user interface 204
comprises a data entry device 208 (such as keyboard, microphone or
writing tablet), and a display device 210 (such as a CRT or LCD
display).
[0021] The data processing system 206 includes a central processing
unit (CPU) 208, and a non-volatile memory storage device (DISC) 210
(such as a magnetic disc memory or electronic memory) and a
read/write memory (RAM) 212 both in communication with the CPU 208.
The DISC 210 includes data which, when loaded into the RAM 212,
comprise processor instructions for the CPU 208 which define memory
objects for allowing the network terminal 200 to communicate with
the network resources 104 and the authorization server 110 over the
communications network 112. The network terminal 200, and the
processor instructions for the CPU 208 will be discussed in greater
detail below.
[0022] Typically, each network resource 104 comprises a printing
device, and in particular, an IPP-compliant printer. However, the
invention is not limited for use with networked printers
(IPP-compliant or otherwise), but instead can be used to provide
access to any of a variety of data communication devices, including
facsimile machines, image servers and file servers. Further, the
invention is not limited for use with land-based data
communications devices, but instead can be used to provide access
to wireless communications devices. For instance, the network
resource access system 100 can be configured to facilitate data
communication with e-mail pagers or e-mail enabled wireless
telephones.
[0023] It is expected that some of the network resources 104 may be
located behind an enterprise firewall. Accordingly, to facilitate
communication between network terminals 200 and firewall-protected
network resources 104, the network resource access system 100 may
also include a proxy server 114 located logically outside the
enterprise firewall, and a polling server 116 located logically
within the firewall, as shown in FIG. 1. Preferably, the proxy
server 114 is located on-site at the enterprise responsible for
administering the network resource 104, is provided with a network
address corresponding to the enterprise, and includes a queue for
receiving application data. However, the proxy server 114 may also
be located off-site, and may be integrated with the authorization
server 110 if desired. This latter option is advantageous since it
allows system administrators to provide access to network resources
104, but without having to incur the expense of the domain name
registration and server infrastructure.
[0024] In addition to the proxy server 114 and the polling server
116, preferably the enterprise includes an enterprise server 118
(eg. a print server) to facilitate communication with the network
resources 104 located behind the firewall. The polling server 116
is in communication with the enterprise server 118, and is
configured to periodically poll the proxy server 114 through the
firewall to determine whether application data from a network
terminal 200 is waiting in the queue of the proxy server 114. The
proxy server 114 is configured to transmit any queued application
data to the polling server 116 in response to the poll signal from
the polling server 116. Upon receipt of the queued application data
from the proxy server 114, the polling server 116 transmits the
application to the enterprise server 118 for distribution to the
appropriate network resource 104. As will be apparent, this
mechanism allows application data to be transmitted to network
resources 104 located behind a firewall, but without exposing the
enterprise to the significant possibility of security breaches
associated with firewall access ports.
[0025] The resource registry 106 comprises a resource database 120,
a driver database 122, and a user registration database 124. The
resource database 120 includes resource records 300 identifying
parameters associated with the network resources 104. As shown in
FIG. 3, each resource record 300 comprises a network address field
302, a resource type field 304, and a user access level field 306
for the associated network resource 104. The network address field
302 identifies the network address of the network resource 104. As
discussed above, typically each network resource 104 comprises an
IPP-compliant printer, in which case the network address field 302
identifies comprises the network resource IPP address. However, in
the case where the network resource 104 comprises a
non-IPP-compliant device and the communications network 112
comprises the Internet, preferably the network resource 104 is
linked to the communications network 112 via a suitable server, and
the network address field 302 for the network resource 104
identifies the Internet Protocol ("IP") address of the server.
[0026] The resource type field 304 identifies the type of data
communication device of the network resource 104. For instance, the
resource type field 304 may specify that the network resource 104
is a printer, an image server, a file server, an e-mail pager, or
an e-mail enabled wireless telephone. Further, the resource type
field 304 may include a resource type sub-field specifying a
sub-class of the network resource type. For example, the resource
type sub-field may specify that the network resource 104 is an
IPP-capable printer, or a non-IPP-capable printer.
[0027] The user access level field 306 identifies the type of
communications access which the network terminals 200 are allowed
to have in regards to the associated network resource 104. In the
embodiment, as presently envisaged, the user access level field 306
establishes that the network resource 104 allows one of: [0028] (a)
"public access" in which any network terminal 200 of the network
resource access system 100 can communicate with the network
resource 104; [0029] (b) "private access" in which only members
(eg. employees) of the enterprise associated with the network
resource 104 can communicate with the network resource 104; and
[0030] (c) "authorized access" in which only particular network
terminals 200 can communicate with the network resource 104.
[0031] If the user access level field 306 specifies "authorized
access" for a network resource 104, preferably the user access
level field 306 includes a sub-field which lists the names of the
network terminals 200 authorized to access the network resource
104, and a sub-field which includes an authorization password which
the identified network terminals 200 must provide in order to
access the network resource 104. If the user access level field 306
specifies "private access" for a network resource 104, preferably
the user access level field 306 includes a sub-field which lists
the network address of the network terminals 200 which are deemed
to members of the enterprise.
[0032] It should be understood, however, that the user access level
field 306 is not limited to identifying only the foregoing
predefined user access levels, but may instead identify more than
one of the predefined user access levels, or other user access
levels altogether. For instance, the user access level field 306
may identify that the associated network resource 104 allows both
private access to all employees of the enterprise running the
network resource 104, and authorized access to other pre-identified
network terminals 200. Further, the user access level field 306 may
also include one or more sub-fields (not shown) which provide
additional restrictions/permissions on the type of communications
access which the network terminals 200 are allowed to have in
regards to the associated network resource 104. For instance, the
user access level sub-fields may limit the hours of operation of
the network resource 104, or may place restrictions on the type of
access limitations on a per-user basis, or per-group basis. Other
variations on the type of access will be readily apparent, and are
intended to be encompassed by the scope of the present
invention.
[0033] Preferably, each resource record 300 includes an information
field 308 which provides information on the network resource 104,
such as data handling capabilities, resource pricing and
geographical co-ordinates. This latter parameter is particularly
advantageous for use with mobile network terminals 200, such as a
wireless-enabled personal data assistant or an e-mail-enabled
wireless telephone, since it allows the network terminal 200 to
identify the nearest one of a plurality of available network
resources 104. This aspect of the invention will be explained in
greater detail below.
[0034] Each resource record 300 also includes a pseudo-name field
310, a username/password field 312 and a network driver identifier
field 314. The pseudo-name field 310 contains a resource
pseudo-name which identifies the network resource 104 to the
network terminals 200. Preferably, the pseudo-name is a network
alias that identifies the physical location and properties of the
network resource 104, but does not identify the network address of
the resource 104. Further, preferably each pseudo-name uniquely
identifies one of the network resources 104, however a group of the
network resources 104 may be defined with a common pseudo-name to
allow communication with a group of network resources 104. This
latter feature is particularly advantageous since it allows the
administrator of an enterprise associated with the group of network
resources to dynamically allocate each network resource 104 of the
group as the demands for the network resources 104 or maintenance
schedules require.
[0035] In addition, preferably the resource record 300 includes a
plurality of the pseudo-name fields 310 to allow the administrator
of the associated network resource 104 to update the name assigned
to the network resource 104, while also retaining one or more
previous pseudo-names assigned to the network resource 104. As will
be explained, this feature is advantageous since it allows the
administrator to update a resource name without the risk that
network terminals 200 using a prior pseudo-name will be unable to
locate or communicate with the network resource 104.
[0036] The username/password field 312 contains a unique username
and password combination which allows the administrator of the
associated network resource 104 to prevent authorized access and
alteration to the data contained in the resource record 300.
Preferably, each resource record 300 also includes an e-mail
address field (not shown) which the network resource access system
100 uses to provide the administrator of the associated network
resource 104 with a notification e-mail message when a message is
successfully transmitted to the network resource 104.
[0037] The driver identifier field 314 contains a resource driver
identifier which is used in conjunction with the driver database
122 to provide the network terminals 200 with the appropriate
resource driver for communication with the network resource 104.
The driver database 122 includes resource drivers which allow
software applications installed on the network terminals 200 to
communicate with the network resources 104. As will be explained
below, in order for a network terminal 200 to communicate with a
selected network resource 104, the network terminal 200 first
downloads a driver application data from the administration server
108 over the communications network 112. The network terminal 200
may also download the appropriate resource driver from the driver
database 122 (via the authorization server 110 over the
communications network 112), and then allow the authorization
server 110 to configure the downloaded resource driver in
accordance with the access level field 306 of the resource record
300 associated with the selected network resource 104. Preferably,
each resource driver includes a resource driver identifier which
allows the authorization server 110 to identify the resource driver
which the network terminal 200 has downloaded.
[0038] The driver application will now be discussed in association
with FIG. 2. As discussed above, the DISC 210 of the network
terminal 200 includes data which, when loaded into the RAM 212 of
the network terminal 200, comprise processor instructions for the
CPU 208. As shown, the downloaded driver application data defines
in the RAM 212 a memory object comprising a driver application 400.
The driver application 400 includes a generic resource driver 402
and a wrap-around resource driver layer 404. The generic resource
driver 402 allows the network terminal 200 to communicate with a
variety of different network resources 104, however the generic
resource driver 402 typically will not provide the network terminal
200 with access to all the features and capabilities of any
particular network resource 104. If the network terminal 200
requires additional features not implemented with the generic
resource driver 402, the appropriate resource driver may be
downloaded from the driver database 116, as mentioned above.
[0039] The wrap-around driver layer 404 includes an application
communication layer 406, a driver administrator layer 408, and a
data transmitter layer 410. The application communication layer 406
is in communication with the resource driver 402 (generic or
network resource specific) and the application software installed
on the network terminal 200, and is configured to transmit user
application data between the application software and the resource
driver 402. The driver administrator layer 408 communicates with
the resource registry 106 over the communications network 112 to
ensure that the driver application 400 is properly configured for
communication with the selected network resource 104. The data
transmitter layer 410 is in communication with the resource driver
402 and is configured to transmit the data output from the resource
driver 402 over the communications network 112 to the selected
network resource 104, via the network interface 202. Although the
driver application 400 and its constituent component layers are
preferably implemented as memory objects or a memory module in the
RAM 212, it will be apparent that the driver application 400 may
instead be implemented in electronic hardware, if desired.
[0040] Returning to FIG. 1, the registration database 124 of the
resource registry 106 includes user records each uniquely
associated with a user of a respective network terminal 200 upon
registration with the network resource access system 100. Each user
record identifies the name the registered user's name, post office
address and e-mail address. In addition, each user record specifies
a unique password which the registered user must specify in order
to update the user's user record, and to obtain access to network
resources 104 configured for "authorized access". The user record
may also include additional information specifying default options
for the network resource access system 100. For instance, the user
may specify that the network resource access system 100 should
provide the user with an acknowledgement e-mail message when a
message is successfully transmitted to a selected network resource
104. The user may also specify an archive period for which the
network resource access system 100 should archive the message
transmitted to the selected network resource 104. This latter
option is advantageous since it allows the user to easily transmit
the same message to multiple network resources 104 at different
times, and to periodically review transmission dates and times for
each archive message.
[0041] The administration server 108 is in communication with the
resource database 120 and the registration database 124. The
administration server 108 provides administrators of the network
resources 104 with access to the records of the resource database
120 to allow the administrators to update the network address field
302, the resource type field 304, the user access level field 306,
the resource information field 308, the pseudo-name field 310, the
username/password field 312 and/or the driver identifier field 314
of the resource record 300 for the associated network resource 104.
As will become apparent, this mechanism allows network
administrators to change, for example, the network address and/or
the restrictions/permissions of the network resources 104 under
their control, or even the network resource 104 itself, without
having to notify each network terminal 200 of the change. The
administration server 108 also provides controlled access to the
registration database 124 so that only the user of the network
terminal 200 which established the user record can update the user
record.
[0042] Where the username/password field 312 has been completed,
the administration server 108 is configured to block access to the
resource record 300 until the administrator provides the
administration server 108 with the correct username/password key.
This feature allows the resource administrator to make adjustments,
for example, to pricing and page limit, in response to demand for
the network resources 104, and to make adjustments to the
restrictions/permissions set out in the user access level field 306
and the resource information field 308 and thereby thwart
unauthorized access to the network resources 104.
[0043] The authorization server 110 is in communication with the
resource database 120 and the driver database 122 for providing the
network terminals 200 with the resource drivers 402 appropriate for
the selected network resources 104. Preferably, the authorization
server 110 is also configured to configure the driver application
400 for communication with the selected network resource 104, by
transmitting the network address of the selected network resource
110 to the data transmitter layer 410 over a communications channel
secure from the user of the network terminal 200 so that the
network address of the network resource 104 is concealed from the
user of the network terminal 200. In the case where the
communications network 112 comprises the Internet, preferably the
secure communications channel is established using the Secure
Sockets Layer ("SSL") protocol.
[0044] In addition to the network terminal 200, the network
resource 104, the resource registry 106, the administration server
108, the authorization server 110, and the communications network
112, preferably the network resource access system 100 also
includes a transaction server 126 and an archive server 128. The
transaction server 126 is in communication with the authorization
server 110 for keeping track of each data transfer between a
network terminal 200 and a network resource 104. For each
transmission, preferably the transaction server 126 maintains a
transmission record identifying the network terminal 200 which
originated the transmission, the network resource 104 which
received the transmission, and the date, time and byte size of the
transmission.
[0045] The archive server 128 is configured to retain copies of the
data transmitted, for a specified period. As discussed above, the
user of a network terminal 200 specifies the requisite archive
period (if any) for the data transmission, upon registration with
the network resource access system 100. Preferably, the
administration server 108 provides controlled access to the
transaction server 126 and the archive server 128 so that only the
user of the network terminal 200 which originated transmission of
the data is allowed access to the transmission record associated
with the transmission.
[0046] The process by which a user of a network terminal 200 can
communicate with a network resource 104 will now described with
reference to FIG. 4. The following discussion presupposes that the
user of the network terminal 200 has downloaded the driver
application 400 from the administration server 108 over the
communications network 112. At step 500, the user of a network
terminal 200 decides whether to log in to the network resource
access system 100. As discussed above, if the user registers with
the network resource access system 100 and subsequently logs in to
the network resource access system 100 (by providing the
authorization server 106 with the user's assigned password), the
user will have access to any network resources 104 which have
"authorized access" as the user access level and which have
identified the registered user as a user authorized to access the
network resource 104. If the user does not register or fails to log
in to the network resource access system 100, the user will only
have access to network resources 104 which have established "public
access" as the user access level.
[0047] At step 502, the user selects a network resource 104 by
querying the administration server 108 for a list of available
network resources 104. Alternately, the user may postpone selection
of a network resource 104 until initiation of the transmission
command. The network user query may be based upon any desired
criteria, including print turn-around time and page size (where the
target network resource 104 is a printer), price, and geography. In
addition, the user may provide the administration server 108 with
the geographical coordinates of the user to determine the user's
nearest network resources. The user may provide its geographical
coordinates through any suitable mechanism known to those skilled
in the art, including latitude/longitude co-ordinates, GPS, and
wireless triangulation.
[0048] If the user requested a list of available network resources
104, the user is provided with a list of pseudo-names associated
with each network resource 104 satisfying the designated search
criteria. As discussed above, if the user logged in to the network
resource access system 100, the pseudo-name list will include both
"public access" network resources 104 and "authorized access"
network resources 104 with which the user has been authorized to
communicate. Also, if the user is member of an enterprise having
network resources 104 registered with the network resource access
system 100, the pseudo-name list will also identify network
resources 104 which have been registered by the enterprise for
"private access". Otherwise, the pseudo-name list will only
identify network resources 104 registered for public access. Upon
receipt of the resource list, the user selects a network resource
104 from the list.
[0049] At step 504, the administration server 108 queries the
network user's network terminal 200 for the resource driver
identifier of the resource driver 402 configured on the network
terminal 200, and then compares the retrieved resource driver
identifier against the resource driver identifier specified in the
network driver identifier field 314 of the resource record 300
associated with the selected network resource 104 to determine
whether the driver application 400 has been configured with the
appropriate resource driver 402 for communication with the network
resource 104. If the network terminal 200 has not been configured
with the appropriate resource driver 402, the administration server
108 prompts the user's network terminal 200 to download the
necessary resource driver 402. As will be apparent, the downloaded
resource driver 402 becomes part of the driver application 400.
[0050] When the user of the network terminal 200 is ready to
communicate with the selected network resource 104, the user of the
network terminal 200 transmits a transmission request via its
application software to the driver application 400, at step 506. If
the user did not select a network resource 104 at step 502, the
application communication layer 406 of the driver application 400
contacts the administration server 108 over the communications
network 112 and prompts the user to select a network resource 104,
as described above. Once a network resource 104 is selected, and
the appropriate resource driver 402 is installed, the application
communication layer 406 notifies the driver administrator layer 408
of the transmission request.
[0051] At step 508, the driver administrator layer 408 provides the
authorization server 110 with the transmission request and
identifies the selected network resource 104, by transmitting to
the authorization server 110 the pseudo-name assigned to the
selected network resource 104. If the user of the network terminal
200 has registered and logged in to the network resource access
system 100, the driver administrator layer 408 also provides the
authorization server 110 with the registered user's name.
[0052] The authorization server 110 then queries the resource
database 120 with the received pseudo-name for the resource record
300 associated with the pseudo-name, at step 510. The authorization
server 110 then extracts the user access level from the user access
level field 306 of the retrieved resource record 300, and
determines whether the network terminal 200 is authorized to
communicate with the selected network resource 104, at step 512. As
will be apparent from the foregoing discussion, if the user access
level field 306 specifies "public access" for the network resource
104, the network terminal 200 will be automatically authorized to
communicate with the network resource 104.
[0053] However, if the user access level field 306 specifies
"private access" for the network resource 104, the authorization
server 110 determines the network address of the network terminal
200 from the transmission request transmitted by the network
terminal 200, and then queries the user access level sub-field with
the terminal's network address to determine whether the network
terminal 200 is authorized to communicate with the network resource
104. In the case where the communications network 112 comprises the
Internet, the authorization server 110 can determine the network
terminal's network address from the IP packets received from the
network terminal 200. On the other hand, if the user access level
field 306 specifies "authorized access" for the network resource
104, the authorization server 110 queries the user access level
sub-field with the user's name to determine whether the network
terminal 200 is authorized to communicate with the network resource
104.
[0054] If the query at step 512 reveals that the network terminal
200 is not authorized to communicate with the network resource 104,
at step 514 the authorization server 110 provides the network
terminal 200 with a notification that the network terminal 200 is
not authorized for communication with the selected resource 104.
However, if the query at step 512 reveals that the network terminal
200 is authorized to communicate with the network resource 104, the
authorization server 110 queries the network address field 302 of
the resource record 300 associated with the network resource 104
for the network address of the network resource 104. The
authorization server 110 then establishes a secure communications
channel with the driver administrator layer 408, and then transmits
the network address to the driver administrator layer 408 over the
secure communications channel, at step 516.
[0055] Also, if the user access level field 306 specifies
"authorized access" for the network resource 104, and the network
terminal 200 is authorized to communicate with the network resource
104, the authorization server 110 queries the user access level
sub-field for the authorization password assigned to the network
resource 104, and then transmits the authorization password to the
driver administrator layer 408 over the secure communications
channel, together with the network address. In the case where the
communications network 112 comprises the Internet, preferably the
authorization server 110 establishes the secure communications
channel using a Secure Sockets Layer ("SSL") protocol. Since the
network address and the authorization password are transmitted over
a secure communications channel, this information is concealed from
the user of the network terminal 200.
[0056] Preferably, the authorization server 110 also extracts the
resource driver identifier from the resource identifier field 314
of the resource record 300, and determines whether the network
terminal 200 is still properly configured for communication with
the network resource 14. If the network terminal 200 no longer has
the correct resource driver 402, the authorization server 110
queries the driver database 122 for the correct resource driver
402, and prompts the user of the network terminal 200 to download
the correct resource driver 402. This driver configuration
verification step may be performed concurrently or consecutively
with the network address providing step described in the preceding
paragraph.
[0057] In addition, the administration server 108 queries the
registration database 124 to determine whether the user of the
network terminal 200 registered with the network resource access
system 100. If the user registered with the network resource access
system 100 and specified that the archive server 128 should
maintain archival copies of data transmissions, the administration
server 108 transmits the network address of the archive server 128
to the driver administrator layer 408. As a result, when the user
of the network terminal 200 issues a data transmission command, the
driver application 400 will transmit the user application data to
the selected network resource 104 and to the archive server
128.
[0058] At step 518, the application communication layer 406 passes
the application data received from the application software to the
resource driver 402 for translation into a format suitable for
processing by the selected network resource 104. Meanwhile, the
driver administrator layer 408 interrogates the network resource
104, using the received network address, to determine whether the
network resource 104 still resides at the specified network
address, is operational and is on-line.
[0059] If the interrogated network resource 104 resides at the
specified network address, is operational and is on-line. online,
the resource driver 202 passes the translated application data to
the data transmitter layer 410 of the driver application 400.
Preferably, the data transmitter layer 410 compresses and encrypts
the translated application data upon receipt. The data transmitter
layer 410 also receives the network address of the network resource
104 from the driver administrator layer 408, adds the network
address data to the compressed, encrypted data, and then transmits
the resulting data over the communications network 112 to the
network resource 104 at the specified network address, at step
520.
[0060] Preferably, the data transmitter layer 410 also transmits
details of the transmission to the transaction server 126, such as
the selected network resource 104 and the byte size of the
transmission. Upon receipt of the transmission details, preferably
the administration server 108 queries the resource database 120 and
the user registration database 124 for the e-mail address of the
resource administrator and the e-mail address of the user of the
network terminal 200, if provided, and then transmits an e-mail
message indicating completion of the transmission.
[0061] If the user access level field 306 specifies "authorized
access" for the network resource 104, the data transmitter layer
410 also receives the authorization password for the network
resource 104 from the driver administrator layer 408, and transmits
the authorization password (as part of the compressed, encrypted
data) to the network resource 104.
[0062] If the user access level field 306 specifies "public access"
for the network resource 104, preferably the network resource 104
is accessible through a local server which serves to queue, decrypt
and decompress the application data, and extract the network
address data, and then transmit the decompressed application data
to the appropriate network resource 104. Alternately, the network
resource 104 itself may be configured for direct communication over
the communications network 112, such as an IPP-capable printer, so
that the network resource 104 is able to process the application
data directly.
[0063] If the user access level field 306 specifies "authorized
access" for the network resource 104, preferably the network
resource 104 is accessible through a local server which serves to
queue, decrypt and decompress the application data, and extract the
network address data and authorization password, and then transmit
the application data to the appropriate network resource 104 if the
received authorization password is valid.
[0064] If the user access level field 306 specifies "private
access" for the network resource 104, typically the network
resource 104 will be located behind a firewall. Accordingly, the
proxy server 114 associated with the network resource 104 will
receive the application data, and transfer the application data to
the proxy server queue. The polling server 116 associated with the
network resource 104 will poll the proxy server 114 to determine
the status of the queue. Upon receipt of a polling signal from the
polling server 116, the proxy server 114 transmits any queued
application data from the proxy server queue, through the firewall,
to the polling server 116. The polling server 116 then extracts the
network address from the received application data, and transmits
the application data to the appropriate server 118 or network
resource 104 for processing.
[0065] As will be apparent from the foregoing discussion,
regardless of the user class defined for a network resource 104, if
a resource administrator relocates a network resource 104 to
another network address, and/or changes the device type and/or
restrictions/permissions associated with the network resource 104,
the resource administrator need only update the resource record 300
associated with the network resource 104 to continue communication
with the network resource 104. Subsequently, when a user attempts
communication with the network resource 104 using the original
pseudo-name, the authorization server 110 will provide the
administrator layer 408 with the updated network address of the
network resource 104, or prompt the user to download the
appropriate resource driver 402, assuming that the network terminal
200 is still authorized to communicate with the network resource
104.
[0066] Further, if the user access level field 306 specifies
"authorized access" for the network resource 104 and the resource
administrator desires to change the pseudo-name and authorization
password associated with the network resource 104, the resource
administrator need only update the pseudo-name and authorization
password provided on the resource record 300. Subsequently, when a
user of a network terminal 200 initiates communication with the
network resource 104 using the original pseudo-name, the
authorization server 110 scans the resource records 300 for
occurrences of the original pseudo-name. After locating the
appropriate resource record 300, the authorization server 110
provides the driver administrator layer 408 with the updated
pseudo-name and authorization password of the network resource 104,
provided that the network terminal 200 is still authorized to
communicate with the network resource 104. A network terminal 200
which is not authorized to communicate with the network resource
104 will not receive the updated pseudo-name and authorization
password from the authorization server 110 and, consequently, will
not be able to communicate with the network resource 104, even if
the user of the network terminal 200 knew the network address for
the network resource 104.
[0067] The foregoing description is intended to be illustrative of
the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Those of
ordinary skill may envisage certain additions, deletions and/or
modifications to the described embodiment which, although not
explicitly described herein, are encompassed by the spirit or scope
of the invention, as defined by the claims appended hereto.
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