Providing a service to a user device based on a capability of the user device when the user device shares an identifier

• US 10,200,339 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2015
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Xuming, Li, Mingxing S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Julian
• Application Number:
  US14/816,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20170041284A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4547 for personal communications, i.e. using a personal identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

A device may receive, from multiple user devices associated with a shared identifier, registration information that includes a unique identifier for each user device of the multiple user devices, and capability information that identifies one or more capabilities of each user device. The device may store the registration information. The device may receive, from a service provider device, a query associated with providing a service, requiring a particular capability, to at least one of the user devices associated with the shared identifier. The query may include the shared identifier. The device may determine, based on the query and the stored registration information, a set of unique identifiers associated with the shared identifier, and may determine a set of capabilities corresponding to each unique identifier. The device may provide, to the service provider device, information that identifies the set of unique identifiers and the set of capabilities.

Claims

1. A network device, comprising:

one or more memory devices; and

one or more processors, communicatively coupled to the one or more memory devices, to;

receive, from a plurality of user devices associated with a shared identifier and via a call session control function (CSCF), registration information that includes;

a unique identifier for each user device included in the plurality of user devices, and

capability information that identifies one or more capabilities of each user device included in the plurality of user devices,

the shared identifier including a subscriber identifier that identifies a subscriber account associated with the plurality of user devices;

store the registration information in a data structure of the network device;

receive, from a service provider device, a query associated with providing a service, requiring a particular capability that the service provider device provides, to at least one of the plurality of user devices associated with the shared identifier,

the query including the shared identifier,

the query being received from the service provider device based on the service provider device receiving an incoming communication from another user device,

the other user device being different from the plurality of user devices,

the service being associated with a particular application, and

where the particular capability indicates whether a particular user device of the plurality of user devices supports the particular application;

determine, based on the query and the stored registration information, a set of unique identifiers associated with the shared identifier,

the network device using the shared identifier to search the data structure that stores the registration information;

determine a set of capabilities corresponding to each unique identifier included in the set of unique identifiers,

a first capability, of the set of capabilities, indicating a first user preference regarding whether to permit a first user device, of the plurality of user devices, to receive the service or to prevent the first user device, of the plurality of user devices, from receiving the service, and

a second capability, of the set of capabilities, indicating a second user preference regarding whether to permit a second user device, of the plurality of user devices, to receive the service or to prevent the second user device, of the plurality of user devices, from receiving the service; and

provide, to the service provider device, information that identifies the set of unique identifiers and the set of capabilities corresponding to each unique identifier included in the set of unique identifiers,

the information causing the service provider device, based upon an additional user preference, to deliver the service to at least one of;

a user device, of the plurality of user devices, that supports the service,

all user devices, of the plurality of user devices, that support the service, or

a subset of user devices, of the plurality of user devices, that support the service,

the additional user preference being identified based on an input provided by a user and stored by the service provider device.

2. The network device of claim 1, where the first capability, of the set of capabilities, indicates whether the first user device, associated with the first capability and identified by a particular unique identifier of the set of unique identifiers, supports the service.

3. The network device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when receiving the registration information, are to:

receive a portion of the registration information, associated with the first user device of the plurality of user devices, when the first user device registers with a network associated with the network device.

4. The network device of claim 1, where the set of unique identifiers differentiate each user device, included in the plurality of user devices, from other user devices included in the plurality of user devices.

5. The network device of claim 1, where the additional user preference is explicitly included in the registration information.

6. The network device of claim 1, where the registration information is provided via a SIP registration request.

7. The network device of claim 1, where the unique identifier includes at least one of:

an instance identifier,

a media access control (MAC) address, or

an international mobile equipment identifier.

8. Then network device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when providing, to the service provider device, the information that identifies the set of unique identifiers and the set of capabilities, are further to:

provide, to the service provider device, the information that identifies the set of unique identifiers and the set of capabilities via SH interface.

9. The network device of claim 1, where the network device is a home subscriber server (HSS).

10. A computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive, from a first user device associated with a shared identifier and via a call session control function (CSCF), first registration information that includes;

a first unique identifier that identifies the first user device, and

first capability information that identifies a first capability of the first user device;

receive, from a second user device associated with the shared identifier and via the CSCF, second registration information that includes;

a second unique identifier that identifies the second user device,

second capability information that identifies a second capability of the second user device, and

the shared identifier including a subscriber identifier that identifies a subscriber account associated with the first user device and the second user device;

store the first registration information and the second registration information in a data structure of a network device;

receive, from a service provider device, a query associated with providing a service, requiring a particular capability that the service provider device provides, to a particular user device associated with the shared identifier,

the query including the shared identifier,

the query being received from the service provider device based on the service provider device receiving an incoming communication from another user device,

the other user device being different from the first user device and the second user device,

the service being associated with a particular application,

the first capability indicating whether the first user device supports the particular application via which the service is provided;

identify, based on the shared identifier included in the query, the first unique identifier and the second unique identifier,

the network device using the shared identifier to search the data structure that stores the first registration information and the second registration information;

provide, to the service provider device and based on identifying the first unique identifier and the second unique identifier, information that identifies;

the first unique identifier and the first capability corresponding to the first unique identifier, or

the second unique identifier and the second capability corresponding to the second unique identifier, and

the information causing the service provider device, based upon an additional user preference, to deliver the service to a user device that supports the service,

the additional user preference being identified based on an input provided by a user and stored by the service provider device,

where the first capability indicates a first user preference regarding whether to permit the first user device to receive the service or to prevent the first user device from receiving the service; and

where the second capability indicates a second user preference regarding whether to permit the second user device to receive the service or to prevent the second user device from receiving the service.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to receive the first registration information, cause the one or more processors to:

receive the first registration information when the first user device registers with a network; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to receive the second registration information, cause the one or more processors to;

receive the second registration information when the second user device registers with the network.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the additional user preference is explicitly included in the at least one of the first registration information or second registration information.

13. A method, comprising:

receiving, via a call session control function (CSCF) and by a network device, registration information that identifies;

a plurality of unique identifiers corresponding to a plurality of user devices that share a shared identifier,

the shared identifier including a subscriber identifier that identifies a subscriber account associated with the plurality of user devices, and

at least one capability of each user device included in the plurality of user device;

receiving, by the network device and from a service provider device, a query associated with providing a service, requiring a particular capability that the service provider device provides, to at least one of the plurality of user devices that share the shared identifier,

the query including the shared identifier,

the query being received from the service provider device based on the service provider device receiving an incoming communication from another user device,

the other user device being different from the plurality of user devices,

the service being associated with a particular application, and

where the at least one capability indicates whether a particular user device supports the particular application;

identifying, by the network device and using the shared identifier included in the query, the plurality of unique identifiers,

the network device using the shared identifier to search a data structure of the network device that stores the registration information;

identifying, by the network device and using the registration information, a plurality of capabilities corresponding to the plurality of unique identifiers,

a first capability indicating a first user preference regarding whether to permit a first user device to receive the service or to prevent the first user device from receiving the service; and

a second capability indicating a second user preference regarding whether to permit a second user device to receive the service or to prevent the second user device from receiving the service; and

providing, by the network device and to the service provider device, information that identifies at least one of the plurality of unique identifiers and at least one of the plurality of capabilities,

the providing permitting the service provider device to deliver the service, based upon an additional user preference, to at least one of;

a user device, of the plurality of user devices, that has the particular capability required by the service,

all user devices, of the plurality of user devices, that support the service, or

a subset of user devices, of the plurality of user devices, that support the service,

the additional user preference being identified based on an input provided by a user and stored by the service provider device.

14. The method of claim 13, where the plurality of capabilities indicates whether each user device, included in the plurality of user devices, has the particular capability.

15. The method of claim 13, where the plurality of capabilities indicates whether each user device, included in the plurality of user devices, supports a service type associated with the service.

16. The method of claim 13, where the plurality of capabilities indicates whether each user device, included in the plurality of user devices, supports the particular application via which the service is provided.

17. The method of claim 13, where the plurality of unique identifiers differentiate each user device, included in the plurality of user devices, from other user devices included in the plurality of user devices.

18. The method of claim 13, where the additional user preference is explicitly included in the registration information.

19. The method of claim 13, where the plurality of unique identifiers includes at least one of:

an instance identifier,

a media access control (MAC) address, or

an international mobile equipment identifier.

20. The method of claim 13, where the network device is a home subscriber server (HSS).