Method and system for providing registration, authentication and access via broadband access gateway

• US 20050239445A1
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Seshadri, Nambirajan, Abrams, Marc, Karaoguz, Jeyhan
• Application Number:
  US11/039,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20050239445A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/56 Arrangements for indicating or recording the called number at the calling subscriber's set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 : with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 : with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72502 : with one base station connected to a single line
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 : with remote control systems remote control in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 : using different frequency bands for speech and other data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8235 : Access based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 : including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 : including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 : logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 : where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 : having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 : Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 : for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 : involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 : Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 : Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 : Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 : Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 : Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A system and method supporting user registration, authentication and access to multimedia services via a broadband access gateway is disclosed. A representative embodiment of the present invention may comprise a wireless interface and may be capable of exchanging multimedia communication between the wireless interface and a broadband network. The gateway may determine access to available media-related services based upon information that is provisioned in a broadband access gateway prior to the first access by a user of an access device. The gateway may automatically allow access to access devices that are pre-registered, and may support opportunistic registration for those users of access devices that have not been pre-registered. Restricted access to services and networks available through the gateway may be provided even when registration is not successful, or when the access device is not pre-registered. Interactive registration for gateway access may be supported, and one-button access using either soft or hard buttons may be provided.

Claims

1. A system supporting user controlled access to multimedia information, 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 providing to the plurality of access devices via the at least one wireless interface, access to at least one media-related service;

the gateway capable of controlling access to multimedia information by each of the plurality of access devices based upon registration information; and

software supporting user management of the registration information, 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 registration information comprises at least one of a user identifier, an identifier of an access device, information identifying allowable accesses, a password, 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 wireless wide area network, and the Internet.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein the wireless wide area network comprises a cellular network.

11. The system according to claim 10 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.

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

13. The system according to claim 12 wherein the gateway manages access to the collected information.

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 of operating a gateway supporting user controlled access to multimedia information, the method comprising:

initializing communication via a broadband network;

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

receiving an access device identifier via the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network; and

determining allowable access to multimedia information by the identified access device based upon registration information.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

collecting, via the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network, information comprising accessibility of at least one access device.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. The method according to claim 15 wherein the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network communicates using an unlicensed frequency band.

20. The method according to claim 15 wherein the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network communicates at a frequency of approximately 2.4 gigahertz.

21. 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 wireless wide-area network, and the Internet.

22. The method according to claim 21 wherein the wireless wide-area network comprises a cellular network.

23. The method according to claim 22 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.

24. 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.

25. The method according to claim 15 wherein the at least one access device 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.

26. The method according to claim 15 wherein registration information comprises at least one of a user identifier, an identifier of an access device, information identifying allowable accesses, a password, and a digital certificate.

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

initializing communication via a broadband network;

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

receiving an access device identifier via the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network; and

determining allowable access to multimedia information by the identified access device based upon registration information.

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, via the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network, information comprising accessibility of at least one access device.

29. 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.

30. 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.

31. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network communicates using an unlicensed frequency band.

32. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network communicates at a frequency of approximately 2.4 gigahertz.

33. 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 wireless wide-area network, and the Internet.

34. The machine-readable storage according to claim 33 wherein the wireless wide-area network comprises a cellular network.

35. The machine-readable storage according to claim 34 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.

36. 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.

37. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the at least one access device 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.

38. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein registration information comprises at least one of a user identifier, an identifier of an access device, information identifying allowable accesses, a password, and a digital certificate.