EXCHANGE OF ACCESS CONTROL LISTS TO MANAGE FEMTO CELL COVERAGE

• US 20090286512A1
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huber, Kurt Donald, Flynn, Judson John, Mansfield, William Gordon
• Granted Patent: US 8,094,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 : based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 : Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 : Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 : when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 : Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 : using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 : using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 : using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 : Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 : based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 : Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 : Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 : with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 : Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 : Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 : Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 : using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices

Abstract

System(s) and method(s) provide access management to femto cell service through access control list(s) (e.g., white list(s), or black list(s)). White list(s) includes a set of subscriber station(s) identifier numbers, codes, or tokens, and also can include additional fields for femto cell access management based on desired complexity. White list(s) can have associated white list profile(s) therewith to establish logic of femto coverage access based on the white list(s). Access lists exchange among subscribers that posses provisioned femto access points and elect to share access lists also is provided. Transference of access list(s) among subscribers is secured and based at least in part on subscriber privacy policy. Subscribers can be prompted to opt in access list sharing, or to update privacy policies to allow reciprocate sharing and update privacy settings. Based at least in part on association criteria, component identifies femto access points for a subscriber to access lists with.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an access list, wherein the access control list grants or denies femto coverage;

retaining the access list in a data storage when a subscriber source of the access list opted to share the access list;

prompting a subscriber intended to receive the access list for acceptance thereof when the list is authorized for transfer; and

transferring the access list from the data storage to a femto access point associated with the subscriber intended to received the access list.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating data storage records related to the transferred access list.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting access list transfer when the access list is not authorized for transfer, and informing the subscriber source of the access list.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the access control list is a white list to grant access to femto coverage.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking whether the subscriber source of the access list selected reciprocal addition to an access list;

and

evaluating whether an intended subscriber account has a provisioned femto access point associated therewith, and exchanging access lists among the subscriber source of the access list and an intended subscriber.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

conveying an indication to prompt a first subscriber associated with a configured access list to elect to share an access list; and

when the first subscriber elects to share an access list, conveying an indication to prompt a second subscriber to elect to reciprocate a shared access list with an access list associated with the second subscriber.

7. The method of claim 6, conveying an indication to configure a privacy policy for exchange of access lists among the first and second subscribers.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving one or more privacy settings in response to the indication to configure the privacy policy for exchange of white lists.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising extracting data from a set of databases and establishing a first femto access point associated with a second femto access point based at least in part on a set of criteria.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising notifying a first subscriber that owns or leases the first femto access point of the second subscriber that owns the associated second femto access point.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

prompting the first subscriber that owns the first femto access point to exchange an access list with the second subscriber that owns the associated second femto access point; and

exchanging access lists among the first femto access point and the second access point when the prompt is accepted.

12. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause a computer to perform the following acts:

receiving an access list, wherein the access control list grants or denies femto coverage;

retaining the access list in a data storage when a subscriber source of the access list opted to share the access list;

prompting a subscriber intended to receive the access list for acceptance thereof when the list is authorized for transfer; and

transferring the access list from the data storage to a femto access point associated with the subscriber intended to received the access list.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 further having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause a computer to further perform the following acts:

extracting data from a set of databases and establishing a first femto access point associated with a second femto access point based at least in part on a set of criteria; and

notifying a first subscriber that owns the first femto access point of the second subscriber that owns the associated second femto access point.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 further having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause a computer to further perform the following acts:

prompting the first subscriber that owns the first femto access point to exchange an access list with the second subscriber that owns the associated second femto access point; and

exchanging access lists among the first femto access point and the second access point when the prompt is accepted.

15. A system comprising:

a component that receives an access list, wherein the access control list grants or denies femto coverage;

a security component that edits a received access list in accordance at least in part with a privacy policy for dissemination of an access list associated with a subscriber that shares the access list; and

a data storage that retains at least one of the received access list, an edited access list, or the privacy policy.

16. The system of claim 15, the access control list is a white list to grant femto coverage.

17. The system of claim 15, the security component eliminates one or more specific identifier attribute fields from a received white list that is granted to other subscribers.

18. The system of claim 17, the security component generates election flags that convey whether a mobile station can be added to a white list that is disseminated to subscribers other than subscribers linked to a service account of the subscriber that is the source of the white list.

19. The system of claim 18, the security component prompts a subscriber to authorize a device identifier attribute field to be shared through an access list.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein election flags can originate at least in part in privacy attribute field(s) in a white list.

21. The system of claim 15, further comprising a component that extracts and analyzes data from various databases based at least in part on a set of association criteria that facilitates establishing a relationship among disparate femto access points.

22. The system of claim 21, data extraction proceeds in accordance with a subscriber privacy policy.

23. The system of claim 22, the component that extracts and analyzes data notifies a subscriber of a set of femto access points to exchange access lists.

24. The system of claim 23, data analysis is based at least in part on machine learning methods, wherein the machine methods include at least one of game trees, game matrices, pure and mixed strategies, utility algorithms, Nash equilibria, or evolutionary game theory.