Location based sharing of a network access credential

• US 10,362,066 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2018
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tipton, Rick, Austin, Mark, Kosseifi, Mario, Tofighbakhsh, Mostafa
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Brandon J
• Application Number:
  US16/108,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20190007459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 336 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/43 using shared identity modules, e.g. SIM sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A network access credential can be shared among devices based on location information for a device. Location information can include timed fingerprint location information. In an aspect, location information can be associated with a location of user equipment. This location information can be correlated with network access credentials. Location information can be used to access a relevant network access credential. The relevant network access credential can be shared with other devices. In an embodiment, sharing a network access credential can be between mobile devices. In another embodiment, sharing a network access credential can be between a remote computing device and a mobile device. Sharing a credential can allow for access to a network without having to generate or input new credentials.

Claims

1. A first user equipment, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving, based on a differential time measurement for a first NodeB site pair of devices, a historical geographic location value corresponding to a historical differential timing measurement for the first NodeB site pair of devices, wherein the first NodeB site pair of devices comprises a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device;

receiving a network access credential affiliated with a second user equipment based on a geographic location value; and

in response to determining that a rule related to a spatial condition between the first user equipment, based on the historical geographic location value, and the second user equipment, based on the geographic location value, has been satisfied, enabling access by the first user equipment to the network access credential affiliated with the second user equipment.

2. The first user equipment of claim 1, wherein the network access credential affiliated with the second user equipment is received from the second user equipment.

3. The first user equipment of claim 1, wherein the network access credential affiliated with the second user equipment is received from a device other than the second user equipment.

4. The first user equipment of claim 1, wherein the determining that the rule has been satisfied is determined in response to identifying an instance of a trigger event.

5. The first user equipment of claim 4, wherein the instance of the trigger event is an occurrence of a kinetic event.

6. The first user equipment of claim 5, wherein the occurrence of the kinetic event is a movement of the first user equipment.

7. The first user equipment of claim 5, wherein the occurrence of the kinetic event is a movement of the first user equipment relative to the second user equipment.

8. The first user equipment of claim 7, wherein the occurrence of the movement is a bumping motion of the first user equipment in a direction of the second user equipment.

9. The first user equipment of claim 7, wherein the occurrence of the movement is a bumping of the first user equipment against the second user equipment.

10. The first user equipment of claim 7, wherein the occurrence of the movement is a bumping of the second user equipment in a direction of the first user equipment.

11. The first user equipment of claim 7, wherein the occurrence of the movement is a bumping of the first user equipment in a direction of a third user equipment.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first device comprising a processor, a network access credential affiliated with a second device associated with a wireless network, wherein the receiving the network access credential is based on a geographic location value, wherein the geographic location value corresponds to a proximity of the first device to the second device, wherein the proximity is determined based on a historic geographic location value ascribed to the first device as a first device location value and on a second device location value ascribed to the second device, wherein the historical geographic location value is determined from a differential time measurement for a first NodeB site pair of devices correlated to a historical differential timing measurement for the first NodeB site pair of devices, and wherein the first NodeB site pair of devices comprises a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device; and

accessing, by the first device, the network access credential affiliated with the second device based on a rule related to a trigger condition being satisfied.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving the network access credential comprises receiving the network access credential from the second device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving the network access credential comprises receiving the network access credential from a third device that is not the second device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the trigger condition is a movement of the first device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the movement of the first device is a change in position relative to the second device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the change is position relative is a result of a fist-bump-type movement of the first device relative to the second device.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a first user equipment, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving a network access credential affiliated with a second user equipment based on a geographic location value, wherein the geographic location value corresponds to a distance between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, wherein the distance is determined based on a historic geographic location value used by the first user equipment as a current first user equipment location value and on a current second user equipment location value of the second user equipment, wherein the historical geographic location value is determined from a differential time measurement for a first NodeB site pair of devices correlated to a historical differential timing measurement for the first NodeB site pair of devices, and wherein the first NodeB site pair of devices comprises a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device; and

employing the network access credential affiliated with the second user equipment based on a kinetic condition being determined to be satisfied.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the kinetic condition relates to a movement of the first user equipment relative to the second user equipment.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the movement results from a fist-bump-type movement between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.