Mobile Device Internet Connection Management via Tunnel Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for restricting Internet access on mobile devices, such as smartphones, are ineffective in preventing access to harmful websites and content, especially when devices connect to various networks, as they rely on URL or IP address filtering and can be bypassed by users with knowledge, and are not app-specific.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a VPN-based connection management system with a filter server and API server to establish a tunnel connection, authenticate users, and apply filter rules across all networks, blocking unauthorized connections and preventing bypasses by ensuring all traffic goes through the filter server, regardless of the app used.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If parental control is implemented at the network level using router-based filtering, then connection restrictions can be applied to fixed devices, but the control becomes ineffective when devices move to different networks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a tunnel server as an intermediary between the terminal device and the internet. All internet traffic from the terminal is routed through this tunnel server, which performs filtering and control functions. This mediator approach allows the control system to follow the terminal device across different networks, maintaining restriction effectiveness while supporting network mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from network-level control (infrastructure-based) to terminal-level control (device-based). By implementing the tunnel server and filtering mechanisms directly on the terminal device rather than at the network infrastructure level, the system gains adaptability to mobile environments while maintaining control reliability.
2Reliability
If URL-based filtering is used to block harmful websites, then connection destinations can be restricted, but the method fails when IP addresses are frequently changed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the tunnel server continuously monitors and updates filtering rules based on current IP addresses and connection patterns. The server receives information about website IP addresses and dynamically updates the filtering database, ensuring that restrictions remain effective even as IP addresses change. This feedback loop maintains restriction reliability in dynamic network environments.
3Reliability
If specific apps are restricted to prevent access to harmful content, then video-watching apps can be controlled, but users can bypass restrictions by using alternative apps like browsers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal filtering mechanism at the tunnel server level that applies to all internet traffic regardless of the application used. The filtering system monitors and controls all data packets passing through the tunnel, making restrictions app-agnostic. This universal approach prevents bypasses because all applications (video apps, browsers, etc.) are subject to the same filtering rules at the network layer.
4Reliability
If terminal-level filtering is implemented to restrict connection destinations, then specific URLs can be blocked, but the system complexity increases and requires constant updates of IP addresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex filtering and control logic from the terminal device and relocates it to the tunnel server. The terminal device only needs to establish and maintain the tunnel connection, while the server handles IP address updates, filtering rule management, and content control. This extraction reduces terminal complexity while maintaining comprehensive filtering capability through centralized server management.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for managing connection from a smartphone 1 provided to a child to specific connection destinations via the Internet, comprising: a filter server 9 for restricting packet transmission to the Internet based on a destination of the packet and a source IP of the smartphone 1; a VPN server 6 for establishing a tunnel connection 27 between the VPN server 6 and the smartphone 1, wherein the tunnel connection 27 passes all communication traffic from the smartphone 1, and also transmitting to the filter server the packet which passed through the tunnel connection 27; and an API server 8 connected to the VPN server 6 for confirming existence of the tunnel connection 27 at predetermined timing and, when lack of the existence is determined, blocking the Internet connection itself of the information communication device.