Patent ID: 7409704
Filing Date: 2008-08-05
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. An on-premises policy enforcement point (PEP), said PEP being housed within a subscriber premises associated with a plurality of subscribers who utilize an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to access the Internet, said PEP comprising: a PEP key; PEP authentication means for sending the PEP key to an ISP node external to the premises, said ISP node utilizing the PEP key to authenticate the PEP without authenticating individual subscribers; subscriber authentication means for locally authenticating within the PEP, each of the plurality of subscribers in response to receiving Internet access requests from the subscribers; and policy enforcement means responsive to the subscriber authentication means for locally authorizing within the PEP, each of the plurality of subscribers to access Internet services to which the subscribers subscribe while preventing the subscribers from accessing services to which the subscribers do not subscribe, said policy enforcement means operating independently of the external ISP node to authenticate subscribers and enforce policies without communicating with the external access node.