What is claimed is:
1. A distributed subscriber management method for a user network for performing user authentication for an external network at an access control node, the external network being connected to the access control node by means of an access network; comprising:
(a) receiving, at an access control node operatively connected to a plurality of user networks, a data unit from a user located on one of the plurality of user networks;
(b) determining that the data unit requires authentication;
(c) authenticating the determined data unit; and
(d) determining that the authenticated data unit is eligible for transmission.
2. The distributed subscriber management method as claimed in claim 1, wherein authenticating includes interrogating the user for access information.
3. The distributed subscriber management method as claimed in claim 2, wherein authenticating includes transmitting the access information to an authentication server of an external network.
4. The distributed subscriber management method as claimed in claim 3, wherein authenticating includes transmitting an authentication message from the authentication server to the access control node to permit the user to access the external network.
5. The distributed subscriber management method as claimed in claim 4, further including encrypting the access information at the access control node prior to transmitting the access information; and decrypting the access information at the authentication server.
6. The distributed subscriber management method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the authentication server of the external network employs remote authentication dial-in user service protocol.
7. The distributed subscriber management method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the authentication server of the external network employs password authentication protocol.
8. The distributed subscriber management method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the authentication server of the external network employs challenge handshake authentication protocol.
9. The distributed subscriber management method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the authentication server of the external network employs terminal access controller access control system.
10. The distributed subscriber management method as claimed in claim 1, further including packet-labelling the data unit.
11. The distributed subscriber management method as claimed in claim 4, further including determining the contents of the authentication message at the access control node.
12. The distributed subscriber management method as claimed in claim 11, further including dropping the data unit if the contents indicate rejection.
13. The distributed subscriber management method as claimed in claim 11, further including examining the authentication message for authenticity.
14. The distributed subscriber management method as claimed in claim 1, further including collecting statistical usage information at the access node.
15. An integrated access device, for placement between a user network and an external network, the external network having an access rights authentication server, comprising:
a user network interface for operatively connecting to a plurality of user networks to receive data units from the plurality of user networks;
an authentication agent, operatively connected to the user network interface for authenticating, authorising and forwarding data units received from the plurality of user networks;
an external network interface, operatively connected to the authentication agent, for forwarding data units authorised by the authentication agent to an external network.
16. An integrated access device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the user network interface includes a plurality of ingress cards and the external network interface includes an egress card.
17. An integrated access device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the authentication agent includes a local authorisation table for authorising data units.
18. An integrated access device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the authentication agent includes network address assignment and release means.
19. An integrated access device as claimed in claim 15, further including service level enforcing means.
19. An integrated access device as claimed in claim 15, further including network resource management means.
20. An integrated access device as claimed in claim 19, further including means for statistical usage collection means.
21. An integrated access device as claimed in claim 20, further including alarm monitoring means.
21. An integrated access device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the authorization client includes a password authentication protocol client.
22. An integrated access device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the authorization client includes a challenge handshake authentication protocol client.
23. An integrated access device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the authorization client includes a terminal access controller access control system client.
24. An integrated access device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the authorization client includes a remote authentication dial-in user service protocol client.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A tool carrier for removably attaching to a user’s belt or a user’s harness and a belt or a harness, the tool carrier comprising:
a rear wall having an upper wall portion, a lower wall portion, a front wall surface, and a rear wall surface;
a tool holder disposed on the front wall surface of the rear wall, the tool holder selected from the group consisting of a tool pouch and a tool loop;
a tool carrier safety lanyard removably connected to the front wall surface of the rear wall, the safety lanyard having a releasable member connected to a lanyard first end and a closed loop formed in a lanyard second end wherein the tool carrier safety lanyard loops around the one of a belt or a harness and the closed loop is either attached to the releasable member or receives the releasable member therethrough, the releasable member being removably connected to a fastener mechanism fixedly attached to the tool carrier, to thereby prevent the tool carrier from accidentally or inadvertently falling away from the one of a belt or a harness;
an elongated first attachment member fixedly secured to the rear wall surface of the upper wall portion at a pair of spaced-apart first and second attachment locations thereon in order to define a closed loop therebetween wherein the elongated first attachment member extends transversely relative to pouch side edges;
an elongated second attachment member fixedly secured to the front loop portion of the upper wall portion at a pair of spaced-apart first and second attachment locations thereon in order to define a closed loop therebetween wherein the elongated second attachment member extends parallel relative to pouch side edges and the closed loop is accessible in the transverse direction relative to the pouch side edges; and
an elongated third attachment member fixedly secured to the rear wall surface adjacent a bottom rear wall edge at a pair of spaced-apart first and second attachment locations thereon in order to define a closed loop therebetween wherein the elongated third attachment member extends parallel relative to pouch side edges and the closed loop is accessible in the transverse direction relative to the pouch side edges;
whereby, when upper wall portion is folded backward toward the rear wall portion, the elongated second attachment member and the elongated third attachment member present aligned loops for receiving an openable flexible strip for attachment to a harness.
2. The tool carrier of claim 1 wherein the upper wall portion forms a loop having a front loop portion and a rear loop portion and wherein the elongated first attachment member is fixedly secured to the rear loop portion at a pair of spaced-apart first and second attachment locations thereon in order to define a closed loop therebetween.
3. The tool carrier of claim 2 wherein the tool pouch of the tool holder has a pouch wall secured to the front wall surface of the rear wall along two pouch side edges and a pouch bottom edge forming an open pouch top and defining a space between the pouch wall and the rear wall for receiving one or more hand tools, the tool pouch further including a first tool lanyard compartment disposed on an outside surface of the tool pouch wall wherein the tool lanyard compartment defines a space for receiving a retractable tool lanyard component, the tool lanyard compartment having a first opening that is smaller than the retractable tool lanyard component and through which a tool attaching end of the tool lanyard component extends for attaching to a hand tool, and a second opening for receiving the retractable tool lanyard component, the second opening having a fastener mechanism for interacting with a mating component attached to the front wall surface of the pouch wall for preventing the retractable tool lanyard component from exiting the tool lanyard compartment unintentionally when the fastener mechanism is engaged.
4. The tool carrier of claim 3 further comprising a second tool lanyard compartment having a similar orientation as the first tool lanyard compartment wherein the second tool lanyard compartment is disposed on the outside surface of the pouch wall adjacent the first tool lanyard compartment, the second tool lanyard compartment having a first opening that is smaller than the retractable tool lanyard component and through which a tool attaching end of the tool lanyard component extends for attaching to a hand tool.
5. The tool carrier of claim 4 wherein the second tool lanyard compartment is disposed adjacent the first tool lanyard compartment in a position selected from the group consisting of vertically parallel to the open pouch top of the tool pouch and horizontally parallel to the open pouch top of the tool pouch.
6. The tool carrier of claim 3 wherein further comprising a second tool lanyard compartment having a similar orientation as the first tool lanyard compartment wherein the second tool lanyard compartment is disposed on an outside surface of the first tool lanyard compartment, the second tool lanyard compartment having a first opening that is smaller than the retractable tool lanyard component and through which a tool attaching end of the tool lanyard component extends for attaching to a hand tool.
7. The tool carrier of claim 1 further comprising a second flexible strip and a third flexible strip wherein the second flexible strip has a first strip end and a second strip end that forms an openable loop when the first strip end mates with the second strip end, the openable strip loop of the second flexible strip being positioned through the closed loop of the elongated second attachment member, and wherein the third flexible strip has a first strip end and a second strip end that forms an openable loop when the first strip end mates with the second strip end, the openable strip loop of the third flexible strip being positioned through the closed loop of the elongated third attachment member whereby the second flexible strip and the third flexible strip provides for removably attaching the tool carrier to a user’s harness without disconnecting the user’s harness.
8. The tool carrier of claim 7 wherein the upper wall portion of the rear wall is bendable at or adjacent a junction of the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion wherein the second flexible strip faces rearwardly of the tool carrier when the upper wall portion of the rear wall portion is folded rearwardly to position the second flexible strip and the third flexible strip for attachment to a harness.
9. A method of using a tool carrier for removably attaching the tool carrier to a user’s belt or a user’s harness, the method comprising:
providing a tool carrier having a rear wall with an upper wall portion that forms a loop having a front loop portion and a rear loop portion wherein the tool carrier has
(a) an elongated first attachment member fixedly secured to the rear wall surface of the upper wall portion at a pair of spaced-apart first and second attachment locations thereon in order to define a closed loop therebetween wherein the elongated first attachment member extends transversely relative to pouch side edges,
(b) an elongated second attachment member fixedly secured to the front loop portion of the upper wall portion at a pair of spaced-apart first and second attachment locations thereon in order to define a closed loop therebetween wherein the elongated second attachment member extends parallel relative to pouch side edges and the closed loop is accessible in the transverse direction relative to the pouch side edges;
(c) an elongated third attachment member fixedly secured to the rear wall surface adjacent a bottom rear wall edge at a pair of spaced-apart first and second attachment locations thereon in order to define a closed loop therebetween wherein the elongated third attachment member extends parallel relative to pouch side edges and the closed loop is accessible in the transverse direction relative to the pouch side edges; and
(d) a tool carrier safety lanyard removably connected to the front wall surface of the rear wall, the safety lanyard having a releasable member connected to a lanyard first end and a closed loop formed in a lanyard second end wherein the closed loop is configured for releasably attaching to the releasable member;
attaching the tool carrier to a user’s belt or a user’s harness; and
attaching the tool carrier safety lanyard to the user’s belt or the user’s harness by looping the tool carrier safety lanyard around the user’s belt or the user’s harness and the closed loop is then either attached to the releasable member or receives the releasable member therethrough, the releasable member being removably connected to a fastener mechanism fixedly attached to the tool carrier, to thereby prevent accidental release from the user’s belt or the user’s harness when the tool carrier is attached to the user’s belt or the user’s harness.
10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
providing a first flexible strip capable of forming an openable strip loop when a first strip end mates with a second strip end;
inserting the first strip end of the first flexible strip through a closed loop formed by an elongated first attachment member that is fixedly secured to the rear loop portion of the upper wall portion at a pair of spaced-apart first and second attachment locations; and
attaching the first flexible strip to a user’s belt by looping the first strip end around the user’s belt and mating the first strip end to the second strip end to provide attachment of the tool carrier to the user’s belt without disconnecting the user’s belt.
11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
providing a second flexible strip and a third flexible strip wherein each flexible strip forms an openable strip loop when a first strip end mates with a second strip end;
inserting the first strip end of the second flexible strip through a closed loop formed by an elongated second attachment member that is fixedly secured to a front wall surface of the rear wall at a pair of spaced-apart first and second member securing locations thereon defining the closed loop therebetween;
inserting the first strip end of the third flexible strip through a closed loop formed by an elongated third attachment member that is fixedly secured to a rear wall surface adjacent a bottom rear wall edge at a pair of spaced-apart first and second attachment locations thereon defining the closed loop therebetween;
bending the upper wall portion of the rear wall over the rear wall surface of the rear wall wherein the elongated second attachment member is directionally oriented in a similar direction as the elongated third attachment member;
attaching the second flexible strip to a user’s harness by looping the first strip end around the user’s harness and mating the first strip end to the second strip end when attaching to a user’s harness without disconnecting the user’s harness; and
attaching the third flexible strip to a user’s harness by looping the first strip end around the user’s harness and mating the first strip end to the second strip end when attaching to a user’s harness without disconnecting the user’s harness.
12. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of attaching the tool carrier safety lanyard further includes looping a lanyard second end around a user’s belt or a user’s harness and attaching a closed loop of the lanyard second end to the releasable member of the lanyard first end.