WO2004006100A1

WO2004006100A1 - Internet activity monitoring device

Info

Publication number: WO2004006100A1
Application number: PCT/GB2003/002717
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dov Liam Randall
Original assignee: Igt-Uk Limited
Priority date: 2002-07-02
Filing date: 2003-06-26
Publication date: 2004-01-15
Also published as: GB2408833A; GB2408833B; AU2003240136A1; EP1530759A1; GB0215238D0; GB0500667D0

Abstract

An Internet monitoring device has a visual indicator (9) such as a 'traffic light' arrangement of green, amber and red light (12-14) mounted on top of a monitor (2) of a pc (1) connected to the Internet. An internet connection sensor (8) in the form of add-on software for an internet browser (7) of the pc (1) is arranged to supply output signals to the visual indicator (9). When the pc is in stand-by mode i.e. with no active internet connection, the green light (12) is actuated. When the pc is connected to an acceptable internet site the amber light (13) is actuated. When the pc is connected to an unacceptable internet site the red light (14) is actuated.

Description

INTERNET ACTIVITY MONITORING DEVICE

This invention relates to a device for monitoring internet activity.

Access to the internet is now widespread and has led to wasteful

or inappropriate internet activity in the workplace, at home and

elsewhere.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple yet

effective means for monitoring internet activity so that inappropriate or

wasteful activity can be curtailed or at least made apparent.

According to the invention therefore there is provided an internet

monitoring device for use with internet access equipment comprising a

sensor device operable to determine status of connection to the internet

and a visual indicator device connected to the sensor device and operable

in different, visual modes corresponding respectively to different

connection status modes, whereby a different visual indication is given

for each said mode.

With this arrangement internet activity can be monitored so as to

give a visual indication of the status of such activity.

The visual indicator device may take any suitable form. In a

preferred embodiment it comprises an illumination device whereby the

different visual indications comprise different modes of illumination.

These different modes may comprise, on and off modes, different colours,

different intensities or the like.

The illumination device may comprise a plurality of separately operable light sources, or a single source.

In one embodiment the illumination device has a plurality of light

sources one above the other, and these may be of different colours.

Suitably there may be three light sources and the colours may be green,

amber, red 'traffic light' colours.

The illumination device may comprise an upright structure with the

(or each) light source arranged to provide illumination through 360°

around an upright axis.

The connection status modes indicated by the visual indicator

device may be selected from: a 'stand-by' or similar status of the

equipment whereby there is no active internet connection, an acceptable

active status whereby there is an active internet connection which is used

for acceptable internet activity, and one or more inappropriate internet

connection modes whereby a 'suspect' web site is being accessed or

other wasteful or inappropriate internet activity is taking place.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, a three light source

illumination device, as mentioned above, is used to indicate three status

modes. For example, with the above 'traffic light' arrangement, the green

light may be illuminated alone in a stand by status, the amber light may

be illuminated alone in an acceptable active status, and the red light may

be illuminated alone in an inappropriate active status.

Other arrangements are also possible and, for example, there may

be different indications for different levels or kinds of inappropriate activity.

The sensor device used to detect the connection status may take

any suitable form. In particular it may be of a software nature responsive

to: actuation of a web browser; connection to any of a predetermined list

of inappropriate web sites, or any other relevant event.

The equipment to which the monitoring device is applied may

comprise a pc or any other suitable equipment. The monitoring device

may comprise a separate unit adapted to be mounted on a housing of the

equipment with appropriate connections, e.g. via a port, to the

equipment.

The monitoring device may operate solely to provide an indication

of the connection status and this may be local to the equipment.

Alternatively or additionally an indication may be given remote from the

equipment, e.g. in another room or at a remote central monitoring

location, and/or remedial action may be initiated automatically e.g. by

blocking or otherwise modifying internet activity.

The invention will now be described further by way of example

only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of one form of a

monitoring device according to the invention applied to a pc;

and

Figure 2 is a block circuit diagram of the device of Figure 1 .

Figure 1 shows a desk top pc 1 having a vdu monitor 2, a housed operating system 3 and a keyboard 4 and which is connected to the

internet via any suitable link 5, such as a modem and telephone line, or

network connection to a network router, or the like.

The pc 1 runs conventional internet software consisting of dial-up

connection software 6 or other software depending on the nature of the

internet link, and also a graphic interface browser software 7.

An internet connection sensor 8 is provided and this may comprise

a software add-on for the Internet browser 7 in conjunction with output

connection hardware which may be internal or external to the pc.

This sensor 8 responds to the operational status of the browser 7

and is capable of producing three output signals.

When the pc 1 is powered and switched on, but the browser 7 has

not been launched, the sensor 8 produces a stand-by signal output.

When the pc 1 is switched on and the browser 7 has been

launched and a web site of an 'acceptable' nature has been accessed, the

sensor produces an 'acceptable' signal output.

When the pc 1 is switched on and the browser 7 has been

launched and a web site of an 'unacceptable' nature has been accessed,

the sensor produces an 'unacceptable signal' output.

On top of the pc monitor 2 or at any suitable location near to the

pc 1 there is mounted a visual indicator unit 9.

This unit 9 comprises a base 10 with an upstanding generally

cylindrical light structure 1 1 comprising three light sources 12, 13, 14 one on top of the other.

Each light source comprises a centrally located lamp 15-17 within a

coloured circumferential diffuser 18-20 so that on illumination of the lamp

1 5-17 coloured light is emitted through 360° about a vertical axis. The

diffusers 18-20 are respectively coloured green, amber, red upwards, in

like manner to a traffic light.

The unit 1 1 is connected by a lead 21 to the pc 1 so as to receive

the aforementioned signal outputs of the sensor 8. The unit 1 1 is also

connected to a source of power via the pc 1 , or separately.

Within the unit 1 1 , or alternatively incorporated in the sensor 8

there is a switching device 22 which receives the signal outputs of the

sensor 8 and uses these to switch power to the lamps 15-17.

Thus, the stand-by signal causes only the bottom lamp 1 5 to

illuminate within the green diffuser 1 8. The 'acceptable' signal causes

only the middle lamp 16 to illuminate within the amber diffuser 1 9. The

'non-acceptable' signal causes only the top lamp 17 to illuminate within

the red diffuser 20. Illumination may be steady or flashing.

With this arrangement, the internet connection status is

immediately apparent to anyone in sight of the pc.

Thus, in the workplace it can be seen to what extent internet

access is being used at a particular pc or workstation, and also to what

extent unacceptable web sites are being accessed. This can act as a

deterrent to the user of the pc or workstation to curtail wasteful or inappropriate use, and if necessary it can be used to attract the attention

of a supervisor.

When used at home, a parent or guardian can more readily monitor

internet usage by children.

With regard to the 'unacceptable' signal, this may be initiated in

response to any desired pre-determined parameter. For example, the

browser or sensor software may be pre-programmed with a list of specific

unacceptable sites. Alternatively, the 'unacceptable' signal may be

initiated if a site is accessed which is of a predetermined category or

which contains predetermined trigger words or the like.

It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended

to be restricted to the details of the above embodiment which are

described by way of example only.

Thus, for example, instead of using a simple

'acceptable'/'unacceptable' distinction, there may be different levels of

'acceptability' corresponding to different sensor output signals and

different light sources distinguished by a range of colours or otherwise.

Also, instead of using physically separate light sources, there may

be a single light source which can be operated in different modes e.g. by

using different coloured separately operable lamps within a common

diffuser.

Claims

CLAI S

1 . An internet monitoring device for use with internet access

equipment comprising a sensor device operable to determine status

of connection to the internet and a visual indicator device

connected to the sensor device and operable in different visual

modes corresponding respectively to different connection status

modes, whereby a different visual indication is given for each said

mode.

2. A monitoring device according to claim 1 characterised in that the

visual indicator device comprises an illumination device whereby

the different visual indications comprise different modes of

illumination.

3. A monitoring device according to claim 2 characterised in that the

illumination device comprises a plurality of separately operable light

sources.

4. A monitoring device according to claim 3 characterised in that the

light sources are disposed one above the other.

5. A monitoring device according to claim 4 characterised in that there

are three light sources and these are of different colours.

6. A monitoring device according to claim 5 characterised in that the

three colours are respectively green, amber and red.

7. A monitoring device according to any one of claims 2 to 6

characterised in that the illumination device comprises an upright structure with the (or each) light source arranged to provide

illumination through 360° around an upright axis.

8. A monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 7

characterised in that the said modes correspond respectively to no

active internet connection, and acceptable active internet

connection, and at least one inappropriate active internet

connection.

9. A monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 8

characterised in that the sensor device comprises software

responsive to actuation of a web browser.

10. A monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 9

characterised in that the monitoring device is mounted as a

separate unit on a housing of pc equipment.