IP Library Granted Patent US 10,033,830
Granted Patent B2
US 10,033,830 · App. 15/210,259 · Granted Jul 24, 2018

Requesting web pages and content rating information

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,033,830
App. No.
15/210,259
Granted
Jul 24, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method and an apparatus request web pages and content rating information thereof have been disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a request from a user for a web page, retrieving content rating of the web page in response to the request, and fetching the web page substantially simultaneously with the retrieving of the content rating in response to the request. Other embodiments have been claimed and described.

Claims (44)

1. A method for filtering a service request, the method comprising:

receiving a content rating domain name service (CR DNS) request for accessing a service at an authoritative server, the request sent from a computing device communicatively coupled to the authoritative server and a host computer having access to data related to the request that includes content rated by content rating information, wherein the data related to the request is to be sent to the computing device before a CR DNS response is received at the computing device;

executing instructions stored in memory, wherein the execution of the instructions by a processor of the authoritative server:

extracts a domain name or a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) from the request;

retrieves the content rating information relating to the request from a database coupled to the authoritative server, the retrieved content rating information based on the extracted domain name or URL;

encrypts the retrieved content rating information into the CR DNS response; and

sets a flag in the CR DNS response, the flag indicating that the CR DNS response is to be passed via a specified set of one or more DNS servers; and

sending the CR DNS response to the computing device via the network interface and via the specified set of one or more DNS servers based on the flag set in the CR DNS response, wherein the data related to the request is sent to the computing device before the CR DNS response is received at the computing device and client access to the data related to the request is either allowed or is blocked based on the content rating information included in the CR DNS response.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the CR DNS request is received over a direct connection that connects the authoritative server over the internet to at least one of a content filtering client, a personal computer, a workstation, and a gateway server.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the CR DNS request is received via one or more DNS servers and the computing device identifies that the data is allowed be sent to a client device based on the rated content and the content rating information included in the CR DNS request.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the flag in the CR DNS response identifies that the specified set of one or more DNS servers corresponds to the one or more DNS servers that receive the CR DNS request.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the CR DNS response is passed through the one or more DNS servers based on the flag.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the one or more DNS servers store in a local cache information corresponding to the CR DNS response including the flag.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor or implementing a method for filtering a service request, the method comprising:

receiving a content rating domain name service (CR DNS) request for accessing a service at an authoritative server, the request sent from a computing device communicatively coupled to the authoritative server and a host computer having access to data related to the request, the data related to the request including content rated by content rating information, wherein the data related to the request is to be received at the computing device before a CR DNS response is sent to the computing device;

extracting a domain name or a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) from the request;

retrieving the content rating information relating to the request from a database coupled to the authoritative server, the retrieved content rating information based on the extracted domain name or URL;

encrypting the retrieved content rating information into a CR DNS response;

setting a flag in the CR DNS response, the flag indicating that the CR DNS response is to be passed via a specified set of one or more DNS servers; and

sending the CR DNS response to the computing device via the specified set of one or more DNS servers based on the flag set in the CR DNS response, wherein the data related to the request is sent to the computing device before the CR DNS response is received at the computing device and client access to the data related to the request is either allowed or is blocked based on the content rating information included in the CR DNS response.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the CR DNS request is received over a direct connection that connects the authoritative server over the internet to at least one of a content filtering client, a personal computer, a workstation, and a gateway server.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the CR DNS request is received via one or more DNS servers and the computing device identifies that the data is allowed be sent to a client device based on the rated content and the content rating information included in the CR DNS request.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the flag in the CR DNS response identifies that the specified set of one or more DNS servers corresponds to the one or more DNS servers that receive the CR DNS request.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the CR DNS response is passed through the one or more DNS servers based on the flag.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the one or more DNS servers store in a local cache information corresponding to the CR DNS response.

13. An apparatus for filtering a service request, the apparatus comprising:

an authoritative server comprising:

a communication interface that receives a content rating domain name service (CR DNS) request for accessing a service for accessing data that includes content rated by content rating information, the request from a computing device; and

a processor that executes instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor:

extracts a domain name or a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) from the request,

retrieves the content rating information relating to the request from a database coupled to the authoritative server, the retrieved content rating information based on the extracted domain name or URL,

encrypts the retrieved content rating information into a CR DNS response for transmission over the network communications interface, and

sets a flag in the CR DNS response, the flag indicating that the CR DNS response is to be passed via a specified set of one or more DNS servers, wherein the CR DNS response is transmitted to the computing device via the communication interface and via the specified set of one or more DNS servers based on the flag set in the CR DNS response, wherein:

the computing device is communicatively coupled to the authoritative server and a host computer having access to data related to the request,

the data related to the request is to be sent to the computing device before the CR DNS response is sent to the computing device,

the data related to the request is sent to the computing device before the CR DNS response is received at the computing device, and

client access to the data related to the request is either allowed or is blocked based on the content rating information included in the CR DNS response.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the network communication network is directly connected to the internet to at least one of a content filtering client, a personal computer, a workstation, and a gateway server.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the CR DNS request is received via one or more DNS servers and the computing device identifies that the data is allowed be sent to a client device based on the rated content and the content rating information included in the CR DNS request.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the flag in the CR DNS response identifies that the specified set of one or more DNS servers corresponds to the one or more DNS servers that receive the CR DNS request.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the CR DNS response is passed through the one or more DNS servers based on the flag.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data related to the request is received from the host computer at the computing device before the CR DNS request is sent from the authoritative server, the computing device holding at least a portion of data received from the host computer until after the CR DNS response is sent by the authoritative server, the computing device identifies whether a client device is allowed to receive the requested data based at least in part on the content rating information included in the CR DNS response, and the at least portion of the data held at the computing device is sent to the client device when the client device is identified as being allowed to receive the requested data.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the data related to the request is received from the host computer at the computing device before the CR DNS request is sent from the authoritative server, the computing device holding at least a portion of data received from the host computer until after the CR DNS response is sent by the authoritative server, the computing device identifies whether a client device is allowed to receive the requested data based at least in part on the content rating information included in the CR DNS response, and the at least portion of the data held at the computing device is sent to the client device when the client device is identified as being allowed to receive the requested data.

20. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the data related to the request is received from the host computer at the computing device before the CR DNS request is sent from the authoritative server, the computing device holding at least a portion of data received from the host computer until after the CR DNS response is sent by the authoritative server, the computing device identifies whether a client device is allowed to receive the requested data based at least in part on the content rating information included in the CR DNS response, and the at least portion of the data held at the computing device is sent to the client device when the client device is identified as being allowed to receive the requested data.

Assignments (16)
RELEASE OF SECOND LIEN SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS RECORDED AT RF 046321/0393 Recorded Jun 16, 2025
From: UBS AG, STAMFORD BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: SONICWALL US HOLDINGS INC.
Reel/Frame 071625/0887 →
SECOND LIEN PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 7, 2018
From: SONICWALL US HOLDINGS INC.
To: UBS AG, STAMFORD BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 046321/0393 →
FIRST LIEN PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 7, 2018
From: SONICWALL US HOLDINGS INC.
To: UBS AG, STAMFORD BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 046321/0414 →
RELEASE OF FIRST LIEN SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS RECORDED AT R/F 040581/0850 Recorded May 22, 2018
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: QUEST SOFTWARE INC. (F/K/A DELL SOFTWARE INC.); AVENTAIL LLC
Reel/Frame 046211/0735 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 18, 2018
From: QUEST SOFTWARE INC.
To: SONICWALL US HOLDINGS INC.
Reel/Frame 045980/0339 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 2, 2018
From: DELL SOFTWARE INC,
To: QUEST SOFTWARE INC.
Reel/Frame 045817/0592 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 2, 2018
From: DELL SOFTWARE INC.
To: QUEST SOFTWARE INC.
Reel/Frame 045818/0566 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 2, 2018
From: QUEST SOFTWARE INC.
To: SONICWALL US HOLDINGS INC.
Reel/Frame 045825/0870 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 040587 FRAME: 0624. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Nov 28, 2017
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: QUEST SOFTWARE INC. (F/K/A DELL SOFTWARE INC.); AVENTAIL LLC
Reel/Frame 044811/0598 →
SECOND LIEN PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 10, 2016
From: DELL SOFTWARE INC.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 040587/0624 →
FIRST LIEN PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 9, 2016
From: DELL SOFTWARE INC.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 040581/0850 →
MERGER Recorded Jul 14, 2016
From: SONICWALL, INC.
To: PSM MERGER SUB (DELAWARE), INC.
Reel/Frame 039161/0262 →
CONVERSION AND NAME CHANGE Recorded Jul 14, 2016
From: SONICWALL, INC.
To: SONICWALL L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 039351/0853 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 14, 2016
From: GMUENDER, JOHN E.; DUBROVSKY, ALEX M.; POPOV, NIKOLAY V.; SHOR, ALEXANDER; YANOVSKY, ROMAN; ZHU, SHUNHUI; YANOVSKY, BORIS
To: SONICWALL, INC.
Reel/Frame 039161/0162 →
MERGER Recorded Jul 14, 2016
From: SONICWALL L.L.C.
To: DELL SOFTWARE INC.
Reel/Frame 039161/0569 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 14, 2016
From: PSM MERGER SUB (DELAWARE), INC.
To: SONICWALL, INC.
Reel/Frame 039161/0437 →