System authorizing a remote agent using a temporary password to manage configuration settings of a device and invalidating it after a fixed time interval

1. A method for managing configuration settings of an electronic device on a network by a remote agent, the method comprising the steps of:

temporarily authorizing the remote agent to access administrative information and assume administrative control of the electronic device, the temporary authorization is gained based upon a password provided to the remote agent by the electronic device, and wherein the password is invalidated after a fixed time interval;

modifying the configuration settings of the electronic device in response to commands received from the remote agent, and

terminating the temporary access and control rights of the remote agent after either one of the configuration settings of the electronic device being modified and the password being invalidated.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is connected to a home local area network and wherein the remote agent is connected to a wide area network, the remote agent having internet proxy access to the local area network via the electronic device, wherein the electronic device reflects the internet traffic from the local area network to the wide area network, such that the remote agent can directly access the electronic device using a public Internet protocol address and the electronic device can access the local area network using the link-local Internet protocol address.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the electronic device can act as an Hyper Text Transfer Protocol client to a router and a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol proxy server containing a publicly routable Internet protocol address to an Internet browser of the remote agent.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the administrative information comprises web-based pages.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the password is selected from the group comprising a personal identification number, a bio-metric information and a digital password.

6. An electronic device comprising:

an interface, responsive to commands from a remote agent received, and configured to provide the remote agent with access to administrative information;

an authorization module configured to authorize the remote agent, prior to the agent being granted access to the interface, to control of the configuration settings of the electronic device, the access is provided through a temporary authorization that is gained based upon a password provided to the remote agent by the electronic device;

a processor configured to enable the remote agent to assume temporary administrative control of the electronic device for the purpose of managing configuration settings of the electronic device; and

a termination module configured to terminate the temporary access and control rights of the remote agent upon either one of the configuration settings of the electronic device being modified and the password being invalidated.

7. The electronic device as recited in claim 6 , wherein the electronic device is connected to a home local area network and wherein the remote agent is connected to a wide area network, the remote agent having internet proxy access to the local area network via the electronic device, wherein the electronic device reflects the internet traffic from the local area network to the wide area network, such that the remote agent can directly access the electronic device using a public Internet protocol address and the electronic device can access the local area network using the link-local Internet protocol address.

8. The electronic device as recited in claim 7 , wherein the electronic device can act as an Hyper Text Transfer Protocol client to a router and a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol proxy server containing a publicly routable Internet protocol address to an Internet browser of the remote agent.