Network service exchange system and method of using same

• US 10,448,226 B1
• Filed: 08/20/2018
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Scott, James P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Arevalo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US16/105,686
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 4554141, 4554041, 455515, 455410, 455566, 455445, 455518, 4554561, 4554321, 455406, 455422, 455411, 455433, 455446
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/28 Number portability ; Network address portability

Abstract

A method includes receiving, at a network service exchange system, a request from a device. The request indicates one or more service parameters. The method includes, in response to receiving the request, validating the device and the one or more service parameters. A reverse auction is performed to select a service provider from among a plurality of candidate service providers. The service provider is selected based on the one or more service parameters. The method further includes, after selecting the service provider, performing an over-the-air provisioning process to enable the device to communicate using a network associated with the service provider.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a network service exchange system, a request from a device, wherein the request indicates one or more network performance parameters;

in response to receiving the request, validating the device and the one or more network performance parameters;

performing a reverse auction to select a service provider from among a plurality of candidate service providers, the service provider selected based on the one or more network performance parameters, wherein performing the reverse auction includes;

receiving a plurality of bids from the plurality of candidate service providers;

based on the plurality of bids, determining a plurality of bid scores;

determining a subset of the plurality of bid scores, the subset associated with networks that satisfy the one or more network performance parameters; and

selecting the service provider based on a best bid of the subset; and

after selecting the service provider, performing an over-the-air provisioning process to enable the device to communicate using a network associated with the service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to performing the over-the-air provisioning process:

establishing a first data connection between the device and the network service exchange system using a network service exchange profile that is associated with the network service exchange system; and

receiving, at the network service exchange system from the service provider, a service profile that is associated with the service provider, and wherein performing the over-the-air provisioning process includes sending the service profile to the device from the network service exchange system via the first data connection.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the request is received at the network service exchange system from the device via a second data connection that is distinct from the first data connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the over-the-air provisioning process includes sending a key from the network service exchange system to the service provider to enable the service provider to encrypt a service profile that is to be accessed by the device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the over-the-air provisioning process includes sending a key from the network service exchange system to the device to enable the device to decrypt a service profile that is to be received by the device from the service provider.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein validating the device includes performing a check of a credit card balance for pre-paid services or a credit check of a party associated with the device for post-paid services.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating, by the network service exchange system, an inter-carrier number portability procedure to transfer a telephone number associated with the device to the service provider.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying, by the network service exchange system, a current service provider to perform an inter-carrier number portability procedure to prompt transfer of a telephone number associated with the device to the service provider.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to perform, initiate, or control operations, the operations comprising;

receiving, at a network service exchange system, a request from a device, wherein the request indicates one or more network performance parameters;

in response to receiving the request, validating the device and the one or more network performance parameters;

performing a reverse auction to select a service provider from among a plurality of candidate service providers, the service provider selected based on the one or more network performance parameters, wherein performing the reverse auction includes;

receiving a plurality of bids from the plurality of candidate service providers;

based on the plurality of bids, determining a plurality of bid scores;

determining a subset of the plurality of bid scores, the subset associated with networks that satisfy the one or more network performance parameters; and

selecting the service provider based on a best bid of the subset; and

after selecting the service provider, performing an over-the-air provisioning process to enable the device to communicate using a network associated with the service provider.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the operations further include sending a secure transaction log from the network service exchange system to the device, the secure transaction log associated with network service exchange operations, wherein the secure transaction log is associated with a per subscriber granularity, a per enterprise granularity, a per auction granularity, or a per service provider granularity.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein performing the reverse auction includes identifying, from among the plurality of service providers, one or more particular service providers that are associated with networks satisfying the one or more network performance parameters, the one or more particular service providers including the service provider.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more network performance parameters include one or more of a bandwidth usage parameter associated with the device, a type of network capability of the device, a number of messages to be transmitted via the network, a frequency of messages to be transmitted via the network, a latency parameter associated with the network, a loss ratio parameter associated with the network, or a jitter parameter associated with the network.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by a processor to initiate, perform, or control operations, the operations comprising:

receiving, at a network service exchange system, a request from a device, wherein the request indicates one or more network performance parameters;

in response to receiving the request, validating the device and the one or more network performance parameters;

performing a reverse auction to select a service provider from among a plurality of candidate service providers, the service provider selected based on the one or more network performance parameters, wherein performing the reverse auction includes;

receiving a plurality of bids from the plurality of candidate service providers;

based on the plurality of bids, determining a plurality of bid scores;

determining a subset of the plurality of bid scores, the subset associated with networks that satisfy the one or more network performance parameters; and

selecting the service provider based on a best bid of the subset; and

after selecting the service provider, performing an over-the-air provisioning process to enable the device to communicate using a network associated with the service provider.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, the operations further comprising, prior to performing the over-the-air provisioning process:

establishing a first data connection between the device and the network service exchange system using a network service exchange profile that is associated with the network service exchange system; and

receiving, at the network service exchange system from the service provider, a service profile that is associated with the service provider, and wherein performing the over-the-air provisioning process includes sending the service profile to the device from the network service exchange system via the first data connection.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the request is received at the network service exchange system from the device via a second data connection that is distinct from the first data connection.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the over-the-air provisioning process includes sending a key from the network service exchange system to the service provider to enable the service provider to encrypt a service profile that is to be accessed by the device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the over-the-air provisioning process includes sending a key from the network service exchange system to the device to enable the device to decrypt a service profile that is to be received by the device from the service provider.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein validating the device includes performing a check of a credit card balance for pre-paid services or a credit check of a party associated with the device for post-paid services.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, the operations further comprising initiating, by the network service exchange system, an inter-carrier number portability procedure to transfer a telephone number associated with the device to the service provider.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, the operations further comprising notifying, by the network service exchange system, a current service provider to perform an inter-carrier number portability procedure to prompt transfer of a telephone number associated with the device to the service provider.