Patent ID: RE41168

Claim:
A hardware network device for controlling access by clients on a private network to a data file data files stored at servers in a public network, the hardware network device being interconnected between the private network and the public networks network , the hardware network device comprising: a first interface receiving a request from a client one of the clients on the private network to access a data file one of the data files stored at servers on in the public network; an access control processor coupled to the first interface, the access control processor analyzing data in the request from the client one of the clients and determining if the request should be forwarded to the public network for processing by a server , of the servers in the public network, to which it the request is destined, the determination being made by cross referencing resource identifier information in the request with access control data in at least one access control database, the access control data containing categorized resource identifier information , the categorized resource identifier information specifying a content subject matter category to which the data file one of the data files is assigned, and the categorized resource identifier information associated with each data file so categorized being assigned by prior locating of each data file, storing data file information comprising a uniform resource locator for each data file in a first database, reading the data file information for each data file from the first database, human interpretation of the content in the each data file, and then, as a result of such human interpretation, determining a subject matter category to which the each data file is to be assigned, the data file stored at the servers on the public network and storing said data file information and said subject matter category in the access control database ; a second interface coupled between the first interface and the public network and coupled to the access control processor, the second interface forwarding the requests request from the first interface to the servers on in the public network if the access control processor determines the request should be forwarded to the public network for processing by a the server to which it the request is destined; and means for permitting a network administrator of the public network to control the operation of the hardware network device.