Patent ID: 7315890
Filing Date: 2008-01-01
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A system for managing access between active devices through a data network, comprising: a. a plurality of active devices operative to communicate with a data network, a first portion of the active devices being disposed logically upstream from a second portion of the active devices; b. a router, logically disposed intermediate the first portion of the active devices and the second portion of the active devices, the router capable of selectively allowing access by a requesting active device of the first portion of the active devices to an active device of the second portion of active devices; c. a service station operative to communicate with the at least one active device and the router; d. connection management software executing at least partially in the service station and operable to direct the router to selectively allow access by a requesting active device to a responding active device in the second portion of active devices based on a predetermined characteristic of the requesting active device; and e. client software executing in a requesting active device and in communication with the connection management software, the client software operable to determine the predetermined characteristic of the requesting active device according to a dynamically definable rule; wherein the predetermined characteristic is selected from the group consisting of the state of the requesting active device, the existence of a file on the requesting active device, the existence of one or more properties of a given file on the requesting active device, an INI value in an INI file on the requesting active device, whether a particular process is running on the requesting active device, and whether a key value exists in a registry of an operating system executing in the requesting active device.