Wireless services gateway

• US 10,278,226 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2017
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bhatnagar, Hemant, Chuu, Wayne, Hebbalae, Chetan, Huang, Wei-Lun, Kaliaperumal, Rajesh, Kish, William, Li, Yi-Nan, Mok, Ronald, Nagaraja, Vijikumar, Palli, Venkatarao, Ranade, Yogesh, Sheu, Ming-Jye, Tzeng, Henry, Yan, You-Lin, Yu, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Cho, Hong S
• Application Number:
  US15/594,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20170251505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 717 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2592 using tunnelling or encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A system for integrating wireless service providers'"'"' core networks with Wi-Fi radios using a Wireless Services Gateway (WSG). The WSG can allow wireless device users to seamlessly connect to a network such as the internet using both cellular phone antennae as well as Wi-Fi radio antennae while still utilizing their preferred wireless service provider'"'"'s core network system of billing, authenticating and policy decision making. This system can allow for data transmission of wireless devices through Wi-Fi instead of through cellular antennae, thus increasing bandwidth and data transmission rates.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use in conjunction with a wireless services gateway, the computer-readable storage medium storing a program module to authenticate wireless user equipment, wherein, when executed by the wireless services gateway, causes the wireless services gateway to perform one or more operations comprising:

receiving, from an input node of an interface circuit of the wireless services gateway, a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request associated with the wireless user equipment;

assigning an Internet Protocol (IP) address to the wireless user equipment;

providing, to an output node of an interface circuit of the wireless services gateway, a DHCP offer/acknowledge message with the assigned IP address intended for the wireless user equipment;

redirecting communication associated with the wireless user equipment to a web portal server for authentication;

obtaining, via the input node, authentication information associated with the web portal server regarding the wireless user equipment; and

forwarding, via the output node, the authentication information intended for an authentication server.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein, when the authentication occurs, the one or more operations comprise:

establishing a tunnel by communicating, to the output node and from the input node, tunnel packets associated with a data service gateway, wherein the tunnel packets comprise the assigned IP address;

receiving, from the input node, a data packet associated with the wireless user equipment;

encapsulating the data packet, wherein the encapsulating leaves the IP address in the data packet unchanged; and

providing, via the output node, the encapsulated packet intended for the data service gateway.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the one or more operations comprise:

receiving, from the input node, another encapsulated data packet associated with the data service gateway; and

de-encapsulating the other encapsulated data packet, wherein the de-encapsulating leaves the IP address in the encapsulated data packet unchanged; and

providing, to the output node, the other data packet associated with the wireless user equipment.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein, when the authentication fails, the one or more operations comprise revoking a DHCP offer/acknowledge message associated with the wireless user equipment.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the DHCP offer/acknowledge message comprises a DHCP lease.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more operations comprise:

receiving, from the input node, a translation packet associated with a Gateway General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (GGSN), the translation packet including a new IP address assigned to the wireless user equipment; and

translating the IP address of the wireless user equipment with the assigned new IP address.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more operations comprise:

receiving, from the input node, data packets associated with the wireless user equipment; and

routing the data packets to at least a wide area network by a breakout.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the breakout comprises at least one of:

a breakout between an access point and the wireless services gateway;

a breakout at the wireless services gateway;

a breakout between the wireless services gateway and at least the wireless service provider network; and

a breakout after the wireless service provider network.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more operations comprise determining whether to route the data traffic by the breakout based at least in part on a predefined routing policy.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the wireless services gateway comprises a data log interface and the one or more operations comprise:

providing, to the output node, data-log packets associated with an access point;

communicating with a local data log; and

communicating with an event handler.

11. A method for authenticating a wireless user equipment, comprising:

by a wireless services gateway;

receiving, from an input node of an interface circuit of the wireless services gateway, a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request associated with the wireless user equipment;

assigning an Internet Protocol (IP) address to the wireless user equipment;

providing, to an output node of an interface circuit of the wireless services gateway, a DHCP offer/acknowledge message with the assigned IP address intended for the wireless user equipment;

redirecting communication associated with the wireless user equipment to a web portal server for authentication;

obtaining, via the input node, authentication information associated with the web portal server regarding the wireless user equipment; and

forwarding, via the output node, the authentication information intended for an authentication server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, when the authentication occurs, the method comprises:

establishing a tunnel by communicating, to the output node and from the input node, tunnel packets associated with a data service gateway, wherein the tunnel packets comprise the assigned IP address;

receiving, from the input node, a data packet associated with the wireless user equipment;

encapsulating the data packet, wherein the encapsulating leaves the IP address in the data packet unchanged; and

providing, via the output node, the encapsulated packet intended for the data service gateway.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method comprises:

receiving, from the input node, another encapsulated data packet associated with the data service gateway; and

de-encapsulating the other encapsulated data packet, wherein the de-encapsulating leaves the IP address in the encapsulated data packet unchanged; and

providing, to the output node, the other data packet associated with the wireless user equipment.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein, when the authentication fails, the method comprises revoking a DHCP offer/acknowledge message associated with the wireless user equipment.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the method comprises:

receiving, from the input node, a translation packet associated with a Gateway General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (GGSN), the translation packet including a new IP address assigned to the wireless user equipment; and

translating the IP address of the wireless user equipment with the assigned new IP address.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the method comprises:

receiving, from the input node, data packets associated with the wireless user equipment; and

routing the data packets to at least a wide area network by a breakout.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the breakout comprises at least one of:

a breakout between an access point and the wireless services gateway;

a breakout at the wireless services gateway;

a breakout between the wireless services gateway and at least the wireless service provider network; and

a breakout after the wireless service provider network.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the method comprises determining whether to route the data traffic by the breakout based at least in part on a predefined routing policy.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless services gateway comprises a data log interface and the method comprises:

providing, to the output node, data-log packets associated with an access point;

communicating with a local data log; and

communicating with an event handler.

20. A wireless services gateway, comprising:

an interface circuit configured to communicate with an access point, a web portal server and an authentication server, wherein the wireless services gateway is configured to;

receive, from an input node of the interface circuit, a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request associated with wireless user equipment;

assign an Internet Protocol (IP) address to the wireless user equipment;

provide, to an output node of the interface circuit, a DHCP offer/acknowledge message with the assigned IP address intended for the wireless user equipment;

redirect communication associated with the wireless user equipment to the web portal server for authentication;

obtain, via the input node, authentication information associated with the web portal server regarding the wireless user equipment; and

forward, via the output node, the authentication information intended for an authentication server.

21. The wireless services gateway of claim 20, wherein, when the authentication occurs, the wireless services gateway is configured to:

establish a tunnel by communicating, to the output node and from the input node, tunnel packets associated with a data service gateway, wherein the tunnel packets comprise the assigned IP address;

receive, from the input node, a data packet associated with the wireless user equipment;

encapsulate the data packet, wherein the encapsulating leaves the IP address in the data packet unchanged; and

provide, via the output node, the encapsulated packet intended for the data service gateway.

22. The wireless services gateway of claim 21, wherein the wireless services gateway is configured to:

receive, from the input node, another encapsulated data packet associated with the data service gateway; and

de-encapsulate the other encapsulated data packet, wherein the de-encapsulating leaves the IP address in the encapsulated data packet unchanged; and

provide, to the output node, the other data packet associated with the wireless user equipment.

23. The wireless services gateway of claim 20, wherein, when the authentication fails, the wireless services gateway is configured to revoke a DHCP offer/acknowledge message associated with the wireless user equipment.