Device agent

• US 20060218395A1
• Filed: 09/19/2005
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Maes, Stephane H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,403,763 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/167
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/30 the meter or calculation of charges not being controlled from an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/31 Distributed metering or calculation of charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2033 WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/204 UMTS; GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/96 Distributed calculation of charges, e.g. in different nodes like for mobiles between HLR and VLR, or between the terminal and the billing function
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Device agents and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises monitoring, at an access device, at least a subset of device activity. The method further comprises detecting an activity satisfies at least one condition specified by a policy and executing at least one action in the policy associated with the satisfied condition.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring, at an access device, at least a subset of device activity;

detecting, at the access device, an activity satisfying at least one condition specified by a policy; and

executing, at the access device, at least one action in the policy associated with the satisfied condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the access device is a wireless device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless device comprises a mobile telephone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring the subset of device activity with a device agent.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least a portion of the device agent is stored on a secure component of the access device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the secure component comprises one of a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) and a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM).

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the device agent is not active; and

preventing the access device from accessing a network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity comprises a request to access a web site.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein executing the action comprises blocking the request.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein executing the action comprises redirecting the request to a second web site.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity comprises a request to access data and executing the action comprises preventing the data access.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the action comprises transmitting reporting information to an access provider.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring communications transmitted from the access device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring web sites accessed by the access device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring software installations on the access device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring configuration activity on the access device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring data usage.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring at least one of device provisioning communications and device management communications.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the access device, an asynchronous communication, the asynchronous communication including the policy.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing, at the access device, a device management action associated with a second policy.

21. A method comprising:

monitoring, at an access device, at least a subset of device activity;

determining reporting information about the subset of device activity; and

transmitting, from the access device, the reporting information to an access provider.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

detecting, at the access device, an activity satisfies satisfying at least one condition associated with a policy;

executing at least one action associated with the policy.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the activity comprises a request to access a web site.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the action comprises one of blocking the request and redirecting the request to a second web site.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving a request from the access provider for the reporting information; and

wherein transmitting the reporting information comprises transmitting the reporting information in response to the request.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein transmitting the reporting information comprises transmitting the reporting information at a predetermined time.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein determining reporting information comprises determining at least one usage pattern associated with the subset of device activity.

28. An access device comprising:

one or more policies, each policy including a logical combination of one or more conditions and one or more actions;

device agent logic to monitor device activities and to enforce the policies on the device activities; and

a communication interface adapted to transmit and receive communications.

29. The access device of claim 28, wherein the access device further comprises a secure component, and at least a portion of the device agent logic is stored on the secure module.

30. The access device of claim 28, wherein the secure component comprises one of a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) and a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM).