MANAGING HIERARCHICALLY ORGANIZED SUBSCRIBER PROFILES

• US 20080317231A1
• Filed: 08/30/2008
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fortinet Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fortinet Inc.
• Inventors: Balay, Rajesh I., Desai, Sachin S., Sargor, Chandramouli, Lemarchand, Francois, Khetawat, Amit K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,876,683 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/201.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2425 for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

Methods are provided for managing hierarchically organized subscriber profiles. According to one embodiment, subscriber services are modified without requiring a change to the subscriber'"'"'s first-level profile identifier and without requiring the subscriber to reestablish a connection with the service provider. A database of hierarchically organized profile identifiers, including multiple lower-level profile identifiers, explicitly defining subscriber services, and multiple first-level profile identifiers, defining service contexts representing combinations of services available to subscribers by (i) explicitly defining the subscriber services or (ii) referring to one or more of the lower-level profile identifiers, are maintained within a virtual router operable within a telecommunications system of the service provider. Updated service profile information, representing a change to the subscriber'"'"'s service context, is received. Responsive the updated service profile information, lower-level profile identifiers currently associated with the subscriber'"'"'s first-level profile identifier are replaced with lower-level profile identifiers corresponding to the updated service profile information.

Claims

1. A method of modifying subscriber services comprising:

maintaining within a virtual router operable within a telecommunications system of a service provider a database of hierarchically organized profile identifiers, including a plurality of lower-level profile identifiers, which explicitly define subscriber services, and a plurality of first-level profile identifiers, which define service contexts representing combinations of services available to subscribers when connected to a service provider by (i) explicitly defining the subscriber services or (ii) referring to one or more of the plurality of lower-level profile identifiers;

receiving updated service profile information for a subscriber of a plurality of subscribers of the service provider, wherein the updated service profile information represents a change to the subscriber'"'"'s service context; and

responsive to receipt of the updated service profile information, disassociating those of the lower-level profile identifiers of the plurality of lower-level profile identifiers currently associated with a first-level profile identifier of the plurality of first-level profile identifiers corresponding to the subscriber and associating those of the lower-level profile identifiers of the plurality of lower-level profile identifiers corresponding to the updated service profile information with the first-level profile identifier, whereby a modification can be made to the subscriber'"'"'s service context without requiring a change to the subscriber'"'"'s first-level profile identifier and without requiring the subscriber to reestablish an active connection with the service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving updated service profile information comprises receiving the updated service profile information from a Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving updated service profile information comprises receiving the updated service profile information from a control server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving updated service profile information comprises receiving the updated service profile information from a profile manager associated with the virtual router.

5. A machine-readable medium including instructions which when executed by one or more processors of a telecommunications system perform operations comprising:

maintaining within a virtual router operable within a telecommunications system of a service provider a database of hierarchically organized profile identifiers, including a plurality of lower-level profile identifiers, which explicitly define subscriber services, and a plurality of first-level profile identifiers, which define service contexts representing combinations of services available to subscribers when connected to a service provider by (i) explicitly defining the subscriber services or (ii) referring to one or more of the plurality of lower-level profile identifiers;

receiving updated service profile information for a subscriber of a plurality of subscribers of the service provider, wherein the updated service profile information represents a change to the subscriber'"'"'s service context; and

responsive to receipt of the updated service profile information, disassociating those of the lower-level profile identifiers of the plurality of lower-level profile identifiers currently associated with a first-level profile identifier of the plurality of first-level profile identifiers corresponding to the subscriber and associating those of the lower-level profile identifiers of the plurality of lower-level profile identifiers corresponding to the updated service profile information with the first-level profile identifier, whereby a modification can be made to the subscriber'"'"'s service context without requiring a change to the subscriber'"'"'s first-level profile identifier and without requiring the subscriber to reestablish an active connection with the service provider.

6. The machine-readable medium of claim 5, wherein said receiving updated service profile information comprises receiving the updated service profile information from a Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) server.

7. The machine-readable medium of claim 5, wherein said receiving updated service profile information comprises receiving the updated service profile information from a control server.

8. The machine-readable medium of claim 5, wherein said receiving updated service profile information comprises receiving the updated service profile information from a profile manager associated with the virtual router.

9. A method comprising:

a step for maintaining within a virtual router operable within a telecommunications system of a service provider a database of hierarchically organized profile identifiers, including a plurality of lower-level profile identifiers, which explicitly define subscriber services, and a plurality of first-level profile identifiers, which define service contexts representing combinations of services available to subscribers when connected to a service provider by (i) explicitly defining the subscriber services or (ii) referring to one or more of the plurality of lower-level profile identifiers;

a step for receiving updated service profile information for a subscriber of a plurality of subscribers of the service provider, wherein the updated service profile information represents a change to the subscriber'"'"'s service context; and

a step, responsive to receipt of the updated service profile information, for disassociating those of the lower-level profile identifiers of the plurality of lower-level profile identifiers currently associated with a first-level profile identifier of the plurality of first-level profile identifiers corresponding to the subscriber and for associating those of the lower-level profile identifiers of the plurality of lower-level profile identifiers corresponding to the updated service profile information with the first-level profile identifier, whereby a modification can be made to the subscriber'"'"'s service context without requiring a change to the subscriber'"'"'s first-level profile identifier and without requiring the subscriber to reestablish an active connection with the service provider.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said step for receiving updated service profile information comprises receiving the updated service profile information from a Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) server.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said step for receiving updated service profile information comprises receiving the updated service profile information from a control server.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said step for receiving updated service profile information comprises receiving the updated service profile information from a profile manager associated with the virtual router.