Providing access dependent services via a broadband access gateway

• US 20050233744A1
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Seshadri, Nambirajan, Abrams, Marc, Karaoguz, Jeyhan
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/432.300
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A system and method of supporting controlled access to multimedia information and media-related services via a broadband access gateway is disclosed. A plurality of user manageable tiers of access privilege may be implemented by the broadband access gateway, that may support communication using, for example, a wireless personal area network and a broadband network. A different degree of user authentication and/or identification may be established for each of the tiers, and users may be restricted in their access to multimedia information and services by their current tier of access privilege. The multimedia information and services may be provided by a variety of access devices via the personal area network, and from providers accessible via the broadband network connected to the gateway. Examples of access devices include mobile multimedia handsets, personal digital assistants, personal computers, digital cameras, and printers. The multimedia information may, for example, comprise data, text, and digitized voice, images, video, and music. The tiers of access privilege may be managed via, for example, the personal area network or from the broadband network, by a user with an access device.

Claims

1. A system supporting controlled access to multimedia information and media-related services, the system comprising:

a gateway communicatively coupled to a broadband network and at least one wireless interface, the gateway capable of selectively exchanging multimedia information among the at least one wireless interface and the broadband network, and of communicating with a plurality of access devices via the at least one wireless interface;

the gateway capable of selecting one of a plurality of access privilege tiers based upon identification information received from one of the plurality of access devices;

the gateway capable of controlling access by the one of the plurality of access devices to the multimedia information and media-related services, based upon the selected access privilege tier; and

software supporting management of the plurality of access privilege tiers by a user, via at least one of the gateway and the broadband network.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the multimedia information comprises at least one of streaming video, broadcast video, voice, digital data, text, digitized audio, digitized still images, digitized video, and digitized music.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one media-related service comprises at least one of accessing, recording, playing, exchanging, transmitting, receiving, converting, and translating of multimedia information.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the identification information comprises at least one of an identifier of an access device, a user identifier, a member identifier, an electronic serial number, a media access control (MAC) address, an administrative identifier, a password, a commercial credit card number, a personal identification number, and a digital certificate.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one wireless interface is compliant with the Bluetooth V1.2 or compatible personal area network (PAN) specification.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one wireless interface is compliant with at least one of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n standards.

7. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one wireless interface communicates using an unlicensed frequency band.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one wireless interface communicates at a frequency of approximately 2.4 gigahertz.

9. The system according to claim 1 wherein the broadband network comprises at least one of a digital subscriber line (DSL) network, a cable network, a satellite network, a cellular network, and the Internet.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein the cellular network comprises at least one of a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, and a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) network.

11. The system according to claim 1 wherein the gateway collects network location information of at least one of multimedia information and media-related services for at least one of the plurality of access devices and the broadband network.

12. The system according to claim 11 wherein the network location information comprises at least one of an Internet protocol (IP) address, a media access control (MAC) address, an access device identifier, and information identifying a type of multimedia information.

13. The system according to claim 11 wherein the gateway uses the collected network access information to make available to the user the at least one of multimedia information and media-related services.

14. The system according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of access devices comprises at least one of a mobile multimedia handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer (PC), a digital scanner, a digital camera, a printer, headphones, and a pointing device.

15. A method supporting controlled access to multimedia information and media-related services by a plurality of access devices, the method comprising:

detecting, via one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network, the presence of one of the plurality of access devices;

receiving identification information from the detected access device;

selecting one of a plurality of access privilege tiers based upon the identification information; and

providing to the detected access device, access to at least one of multimedia information and media related services based upon the selected access privilege tier.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

collecting network location information of at least one of multimedia information and media-related services for at least one of the plurality of access devices and the broadband network.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein the network location information comprises at least one of an Internet protocol (IP) address, a media access control (MAC) address, an access device identifier, and information identifying a type of multimedia information.

18. The method according to claim 16 wherein the providing uses the collected network access information to make available to the detected access device, the at least one of multimedia information and media-related services.

19. The method according to claim 15 wherein the personal area network is compliant with the Bluetooth V1.2 or compatible personal area network (PAN) specification.

20. The method according to claim 15 wherein the personal area network communicates using an unlicensed frequency band.

21. The method according to claim 15 wherein the personal area network communicates at a frequency of approximately 2.4 gigahertz.

22. The method according to claim 15 wherein the wireless local area network is compliant with at least one of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n standards.

23. The method according to claim 15 wherein the broadband network comprises at least one of a digital subscriber line (DSL) network, a cable network, a satellite network, a cellular network, and the Internet.

24. The method according to claim 23 wherein the cellular network comprises at least one of a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, and a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) network.

25. The method according to claim 15 wherein the multimedia information comprises at least one of streaming video, broadcast video, voice, digital data, text, digitized audio, digitized still images, digitized video, and digitized music.

26. The method according to claim 15 wherein the plurality of access devices comprises at least one of a mobile multimedia handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer (PC), a digital scanner, a digital camera, a printer, headphones, and a pointing device.

27. A machine-readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections for operating a gateway supporting controlled access to multimedia information and media-related services by a plurality of access devices, the code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the operations comprising:

detecting, via one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network, the presence of one of the plurality of access devices;

receiving identification information from the detected access device;

selecting one of a plurality of access privilege tiers based upon the identification information; and

providing to the detected access device, access to at least one of multimedia information and media related services based upon the selected access privilege tier.

28. The machine-readable storage of claim 27 wherein the code sections executable by a machine further causing the machine to perform the operations comprising:

collecting network location information of at least one of multimedia information and media-related services for at least one of the plurality of access devices and the broadband network.

29. The machine-readable storage according to claim 28 wherein the network location information comprises at least one of an Internet protocol (IP) address, a media access control (MAC) address, an access device identifier, and information identifying a type of multimedia information.

30. The machine-readable storage according to claim 28 wherein the providing uses the collected network access information to make available to the detected access device, the at least one of multimedia information and media-related services.

31. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the personal area network is compliant with the Bluetooth V1.2 or compatible personal area network (PAN) specification.

32. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the personal area network communicates using an unlicensed frequency band.

33. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the personal area network communicates at a frequency of approximately 2.4 gigahertz.

34. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the wireless local area network is compliant with at least one of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n standards.

35. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the broadband network comprises at least one of a digital subscriber line (DSL) network, a cable network, a satellite network, a cellular network, and the Internet.

36. The machine-readable storage according to claim 35 wherein the cellular network comprises at least one of a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, and a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) network.

37. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the multimedia information comprises at least one of streaming video, broadcast video, voice, digital data, text, digitized audio, digitized still images, digitized video, and digitized music.

38. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the plurality of access devices comprises at least one of a mobile multimedia handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer (PC), a digital scanner, a digital camera, a printer, headphones, and a pointing device.