Patent US5826014A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5826014A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Firewall system for protecting network elements connected to a public network
Assignee: SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH MANAGEMENT Corp
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Filing: 1996-02-06
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Granted: 1998-10-20
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Expires: 2016-02-06
Abstract
Abstract Providing a firewall for isolating network elements from a publicly accessible network to which such network elements are attached. The firewall operates on a stand alone computer connected between the public network and the network elements to be protected such that all access to the protected network elements must go through the firewall. The firewall application running on the stand alone computer is preferably the only application running on that machine. The application includes a variety of proxy agents that are specifically assigned to an incoming request in accordance with the service protocol (i.e., port number) indicated in the incoming access request. An assigned proxy agent verifies the authority of an incoming request to access a network element indicated in the request. Once verified, the proxy agent completes the connection to the protected network element on behalf of the source of the incoming request.
Inventors
- 👤 Christopher D. Coley
- 👤 Ralph E. Wesinger, Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 07:23
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L63/00; H04L63/02; H04L63/0227; G; G06; G06Q; G06Q20/00; G06Q20/02; G06Q20/027; H04L63/0263; H04L63/0281; H04L63/08; H04L63/0807; H04L63/083; H04L63/14; H04L63/1441; H04L63/1458; H04L63/18; H04L69/00; H04L69/16; H04L9/00; H04L9/40
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 42
Claim 1
Independent Claim
121 words
A firewall system for protecting a network element from access over a network to which the network element is attached, the firewall system comprising: a firewall box comprising a stand alone computing platform; a first connection connecting the firewall box to the network element; and at least one proxy agent running on the firewall box for verifying that an access request packet received over the first connection is authorized to access the network element, the at least one proxy agent initiating a connection to the network element on behalf of the access request if the access request is authorized, wherein the at least one proxy agent verifies that a time period during which an incoming access request is received is valid.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
121 words
A firewall system for protecting a network element from access over a network to which the network element is attached, the firewall system comprising: a firewall box comprising a stand alone computing platform; a first connection connecting the firewall box to the network element; and at least one proxy agent running on the firewall box for verifying that an access request packet received over the first connection is authorized to access the network element, the at least one proxy agent initiating a connection to the network element on behalf of the access request if the access request is authorized, wherein the at least one proxy agent verifies that a time period during which an incoming access request is received is valid.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
117 words
A firewall system for protecting a network element from access over a network to which the network element is attached, the firewall system comprising: a firewall box comprising a stand alone computing platform; a first connection connecting the firewall box to the network element; and at least one proxy agent running on the firewall box for verifying that an access request packet received over the first connection is authorized to access the network element, the at least one proxy agent initiating a connection to the network element on behalf of the access request if the access request is authorized; wherein the at least one proxy agent performs a Changeroot command prior to processing an incoming access request.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
117 words
A firewall system for protecting a network element from access over a network to which the network element is attached, the firewall system comprising: a firewall box comprising a stand alone computing platform; a first connection connecting the firewall box to the network element; and at least one proxy agent running on the firewall box for verifying that an access request packet received over the first connection is authorized to access the network element, the at least one proxy agent initiating a connection to the network element on behalf of the access request if the access request is authorized; wherein the at least one proxy agent performs a Changeroot command prior to processing an incoming access request.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
192 words
A firewall system for protecting a network element from access over a network to which the network element is attached, the firewall system comprising: a firewall box comprising a stand alone computing platform; a first connection connecting the network to the firewall box; a second connection connecting the firewall box to the network element; and at least one proxy agent running on the firewall box for verifying that an access request packet received over the first connection is authorized to access the network element, the at least one proxy agent initiating a connection to the network element on behalf of the access request if the access request is authorized, wherein the at least one proxy agent prompts the user to enter a user name and a password and verifies that a user associated with an incoming access request is authorized to access the network element, and upon receiving and verifying the user name and password, communicates a second password to the user using a communication channel other than the computer network being used to initiate the connection, which second password is to be entered by the user to advance a logon process.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
192 words
A firewall system for protecting a network element from access over a network to which the network element is attached, the firewall system comprising: a firewall box comprising a stand alone computing platform; a first connection connecting the network to the firewall box; a second connection connecting the firewall box to the network element; and at least one proxy agent running on the firewall box for verifying that an access request packet received over the first connection is authorized to access the network element, the at least one proxy agent initiating a connection to the network element on behalf of the access request if the access request is authorized, wherein the at least one proxy agent prompts the user to enter a user name and a password and verifies that a user associated with an incoming access request is authorized to access the network element, and upon receiving and verifying the user name and password, communicates a second password to the user using a communication channel other than the computer network being used to initiate the connection, which second password is to be entered by the user to advance a logon process.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
148 words
A firewall method for protecting a network element from unauthorized access over a network to which the network element is attached, the method comprising the steps of: receiving an incoming access request; assigning a proxy agent to the incoming access request in accordance with a port number indicated in the incoming access request; verifying the authority of the incoming access request to access the protected network element; forming a connection to the network element via the proxy agent on behalf of the incoming access request, if the authority of the incoming access request is verified wherein the step of verifying the authority of the incoming access request includes: determining the identity of a source of the incoming access request; initiating a first set of verification checks in response to a first identified source; and initiating a second set of verification checks in response to a second identified source.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
148 words
A firewall method for protecting a network element from unauthorized access over a network to which the network element is attached, the method comprising the steps of: receiving an incoming access request; assigning a proxy agent to the incoming access request in accordance with a port number indicated in the incoming access request; verifying the authority of the incoming access request to access the protected network element; forming a connection to the network element via the proxy agent on behalf of the incoming access request, if the authority of the incoming access request is verified wherein the step of verifying the authority of the incoming access request includes: determining the identity of a source of the incoming access request; initiating a first set of verification checks in response to a first identified source; and initiating a second set of verification checks in response to a second identified source.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
174 words
A firewall method for protecting a network element from unauthorized access over a network to which the network element is attached, the method comprising the steps of: receiving an incoming access request; assigning a proxy agent to the incoming access request in accordance with at least a port number indicated in the incoming access request; verifying the authority of the incoming access request to access the protected network element; and thereafter forming a connection to the network element via the proxy agent on behalf of the incoming access request if the authority of the incoming access request is verified; wherein the step of verifying the authority of the incoming access request includes: verifying that a user associated with the incoming access request is authorized to access the network element; checking the accuracy of a first password associated with the incoming access request; and, communicating a second password to the user using a communication channel other than the network connection, which second password is to be entered by the user to advance a logon process.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
174 words
A firewall method for protecting a network element from unauthorized access over a network to which the network element is attached, the method comprising the steps of: receiving an incoming access request; assigning a proxy agent to the incoming access request in accordance with at least a port number indicated in the incoming access request; verifying the authority of the incoming access request to access the protected network element; and thereafter forming a connection to the network element via the proxy agent on behalf of the incoming access request if the authority of the incoming access request is verified; wherein the step of verifying the authority of the incoming access request includes: verifying that a user associated with the incoming access request is authorized to access the network element; checking the accuracy of a first password associated with the incoming access request; and, communicating a second password to the user using a communication channel other than the network connection, which second password is to be entered by the user to advance a logon process.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
114 words
A firewall method for protecting a network element from unauthorized access over a network to which the network element is attached, the method comprising the steps of: receiving an incoming access request; assigning a proxy agent to the incoming access request in accordance with a port number indicated in the incoming access request; verifying the authority of the incoming access request to access the protected network element; verifying that a time period during which an incoming access request is received is valid; and forming a connection to the network element via the proxy agent on behalf of the incoming access request if the authority and time period of the incoming access request is verified.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
114 words
A firewall method for protecting a network element from unauthorized access over a network to which the network element is attached, the method comprising the steps of: receiving an incoming access request; assigning a proxy agent to the incoming access request in accordance with a port number indicated in the incoming access request; verifying the authority of the incoming access request to access the protected network element; verifying that a time period during which an incoming access request is received is valid; and forming a connection to the network element via the proxy agent on behalf of the incoming access request if the authority and time period of the incoming access request is verified.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
The firewall system as in claim 1, 2, 3, wherein the firewall box is dedicated to a firewall application.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
The firewall system as in claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the firewall box is a general purpose computer.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
46 words
The firewall system as in claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein the firewall box executes a plurality of proxy agents, each of the plurality of proxy agents configured to verify the incoming access request in accordance with a port number indicated in an incoming access request.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
35 words
The firewall system as in claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein the at least one proxy agent verifies that a source address associated with an incoming access request is authorized to access the network element.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
32 words
The firewall system as in claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein the at least one proxy agent verifies that an incoming access request contains no executable commands directed to the firewall box.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
29 words
The firewall system as in claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein the at least one proxy agent verifies that a destination associated with an incoming access request is valid.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
38 words
The firewall system as in claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein the at least one proxy agent verifies that a destination indicated in an incoming access request is valid for a user associated with the incoming access request.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
The firewall system as in claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein the at least one proxy agent addresses the network element according to an alias.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
23 words
The firewall system as in claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein the at least one proxy agent manages the connection the network element.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
The firewall system as in claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein the at least one proxy agent operates in a daemon mode.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
21 words
The firewall system as in claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein an operating system of the firewall box performs packet filtering.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
28 words
The firewall system as in claims 1, 2, or 3, further comprising: A router attached between the firewall box and the public network, which router performs packet filtering.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
22 words
The firewall system as in claims 1, 2, or 3 further comprising: a transaction log for recording information regarding an access request.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
30 words
The firewall system as in claims 1 or 2, wherein the at least one proxy agent prompts the user to enter a user name and verifies the user name entered.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
15 words
The firewall system as in claim 3, wherein the second password is a random number.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
14 words
The firewall system as in claim 3, wherein the communication channel is a beeper.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
49 words
The firewall method as in claims 4, 5 or 6, wherein an assigned proxy agent is selected from a plurality of proxy agents, each of the plurality of proxy agents configured to verify the incoming access request in accordance with a port number indicated in an incoming access request.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
49 words
The firewall method as in claims 4, 5 or 6, wherein the step of verifying the authority of the incoming access request includes: using the at least one proxy agent to verify that a source address associated with an incoming access request is authorized to access the network element.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
43 words
The firewall method as in claims 4, 5 or 6, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: using the at least one proxy agent to prompt the user to enter a user name; and verifying the authority of the user name entered.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
48 words
The firewall method as in claims 4, 5 or 6, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: using the at least one proxy agent to prompt the user to enter a user name and a password; and verifying the authority of the user name and password entered.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
33 words
The firewall method as in claims 4, 5 or 6, wherein the step of verifying the authority of the incoming access request includes: verifying that an incoming access request contains no executable commands.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
35 words
The firewall method as in claims 4, 5 or 6, wherein the step of verifying the authority of the incoming access request includes: verifying that a destination associated with an incoming access request is valid.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
44 words
The firewall method as in claims 4, 5 or 6, wherein the step of verifying the authority of the incoming access request includes: verifying that a destination indicated in an incoming access request is valid for a user associated with the incoming access request.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
37 words
The firewall method as in claims 4, 5 or 6, wherein the step of forming a connection to the network element on behalf of the incoming access request includes: addressing the network element according to an alias.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
22 words
The firewall method as in claims 4, 5 or 6, wherein the at least one proxy agent operates in a daemon mode.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
35 words
The firewall method as in claims 4, 5 or 6, wherein the method further includes the step of: having the at least one proxy perform a Changeroot command prior to processing an incoming access request.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
26 words
The firewall method as in claims 4, 5 or 6, wherein the method further includes the step of performing packet filtering on the incoming access request.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
26 words
The firewall method as in claims 4, 5 or 6, further comprising the step of: maintaining a transaction log for recording information regarding an access request.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
15 words
The firewall method as in claim 5, wherein the second password is a random number.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
14 words
The firewall method as in claim 5, wherein the communication channel includes a beeper.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-10-19 | 2002-04-20 | 2002-10-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-10-19 | 2006-04-20 | 2006-10-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-10-19 | 2010-04-20 | 2010-10-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |