Patent ID: 8127008

Claim:
A method of processing requests from proxy and non-proxy client session connections in a telecommunications network, comprising the steps of: receiving a request from a client session connection, wherein the request is directed to a first service; determining whether the request is a proxy request from an authenticated user; in response to determining that the request is a proxy request from an authenticated user and the authenticated user is authorized to access the first service from a particular access point through which the request was made, redirecting the request to a web proxy server; in response to determining that the request is a proxy request from the authenticated user and that the authenticated user is not authorized to access the first service from the particular access point through which the request was made, redirecting the request to a transparent proxy port on a captive portal; in response to determining that the request is not a proxy request from the authenticated user, redirecting the request to the transparent proxy port on the captive portal, wherein authorization comprises determining that a user is permitted to obtain the first service from the particular access point and authentication comprises validating an identity of the user; wherein said redirecting the request further comprises the steps of: if the request is directed to a service authorized for unauthenticated users, then the captive portal proxying the request received on the transparent proxy port, and if the request is directed to a service that is not authorized for unauthenticated users, then the captive portal redirecting the request to a web portal; and wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices comprising a router.