CERTIFIED DEVICE-BASED ACCOUNTING

• US 20100190469A1
• Filed: 01/29/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Vanderveen, Michaela, Park, Vincent D., Stephens, Arthur
• Granted Patent: US 8,977,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• 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 15/28 with meter at substation or with calculation of charges at terminal
• 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 15/48 Secure or trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements or encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0156 Secure and trusted billing, e.g. trusted elements, encryption, digital signature, codes or double check mechanisms to secure billing calculation and information
• 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 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Providing for secure tracking and reporting of wireless resources utilized by a mobile device is described herein. By way of example, resources utilized in conjunction with network-facilitated or peer-to-peer wireless data exchange can be tracked in secure, tamper-resistant components of the mobile device. Further, a report can be compiled from the tracked information and digitally signed with a secret data/material specific to the mobile device. The signed report can be submitted to a network server in conjunction with accounting, billing or like functions. By validating the signature of a mobile device, the network server can trust that information collected and submitted by user devices has not been tampered with or spoofed with an ID of another such device.

Claims

1. A method of accounting for wireless communications, comprising:

receiving a reported resource usage submitted by a user terminal (UT), the reported usage is certified with a terminal-specific digital signature; and

validating the reported usage.

2. The method of claim 1, validating the reported usage further comprises:

verifying validity of a digital certificate associated with the terminal-specific digital signature by validating a certificate authority (CA) signature of the digital certificate;

verifying the terminal-specific digital signature with a public key obtained from the digital certificate;

or

digitally authenticating the reported resource usage with a shared-secret key available to the UT and an authorized network entity.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying from the reported usage at least one of:

number of packets sent or received;

number of bytes sent or received;

a recipient or originator of data sent or received by the UT;

time of a wireless communication;

duration of a wireless communication;

or

activation or duration of elevated quality of service (QoS) mechanisms, or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining an identifier of the UT with the reported usage;

verifying that the identifier is associated with the terminal-specific digital certificate; and

employing reported usage data and the public key to verify accuracy of the terminal-specific digital signature.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

polling the UT for the reported usage;

or

periodically receiving reported resource usage from the UT.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a subset of the reported usage that is pertinent to a peer node.

7. The method of claim 6, the reported usage is certified with a terminal-specific digital signature of the peer node.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining an additional resource usage report, the additional usage report indicates a data exchange between the UT and a peer node;

quantifying the data exchange based on the additional usage report; and

comparing the quantified data exchange with a related quantity obtained from the reported usage.

9. The method of claim 8, validating the reported usage further comprises analyzing a result of the comparison.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying from the reported usage at least one of:

elevated QoS employed by the UT;

resource under-usage;

or

substandard QoS for the UT.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising reporting the elevated QoS, resource under-usage or substandard QoS to adjust account billing for the reported usage.

12. An apparatus that provides accounting for wireless communications, comprising:

a communication interface that obtains a reported resource usage submitted by a UT, the reported usage is certified with a terminal-specific digital signature; and

a processing circuit that validates the reported usage.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, the processing circuit verifies authenticity of the certified reported usage by:

verifying validity of a digital certificate associated with the terminal-specific digital signature by validating a CA signature on the digital certificate;

verifying the terminal-specific digital signature with a public key obtained form the digital certificate;

or

authenticating the terminal-specific digital signature with a shared-secret key stored at the terminal and at an authorized network entity.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a data parser that extracts from the reported usage at least one of:

a number of packets sent or received;

a number of bytes sent or received;

a recipient or originator of data sent or received by the UT;

time of a wireless communication;

duration of a wireless communication;

or

activation or duration of elevated QoS mechanisms, or a combination thereof.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a reporting module that submits a usage report for the UT based on information extracted by the data parser.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, the data parser further extracts from the reported usage substandard QoS or resource under-usage, which is submitted with the usage report by the reporting module.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising memory that stores a list of authorized UTs and associated identifiers and public keys, wherein the processing circuit:

obtains an identifier of the UT from the reported usage;

employs the identifier to obtain a public key associated with the UT stored in the memory; and

employs the public key and usage data included in the reported usage to verify accuracy of the terminal-specific digital signature.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising at least one of:

an acquisition module that polls the UT for the reported usage;

or

a timing module that periodically scans received communication for the reported resource usage.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, the processing circuit obtains resource usage pertinent to a peer node of the UT from a subset of the reported usage.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, the reported usage is certified with a terminal-specific digital signature of the peer node.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

the communication interface obtains an additional resource usage report that indicates a data exchange between the UT and a peer node;

a data parser quantifies the data exchange based on the additional usage report; and

the processing circuit compares the quantified data exchange with a related quantity obtained from the reported usage.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, the processing circuit validates the reported usage based at least in part on a result of the comparison.

23. An apparatus that accounts for wireless communications, comprising:

means for obtaining a reported resource usage submitted by a UT, the reported usage is certified with a terminal-specific digital signature; and

means for validating the reported usage.

24. A processor configured to account for wireless communications, comprising:

a first module for obtaining a reported resource usage submitted by a UT, the reported usage is certified with a terminal-specific digital signature; and

a second module for validating the reported usage.

25. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium, comprising;

a first set of codes for causing a computer to obtain a reported resource usage submitted by a UT, the reported usage is certified with a terminal-specific digital signature; and

a second set of codes for causing the computer to validate the reported usage.

26. A method of accounting for remote communications, comprising:

utilizing a set of resources in conjunction with wireless data exchange; and

transmitting a report of resource usage, the report is certified with a UT-specific digital signature.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising logging usage of the set of resources and including a subset of the usage log in the report.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising sending, receiving or consuming data pertaining to the set of resources and including an amount of the data in the report.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising specifying in the report at least one of:

a number of packets sent, received or consumed for a resource of the set;

a number of bytes sent, received or consumed for the resource;

an ID of a UT consuming data provided by the resource;

an ID of a peer node facilitating utilization of the resource;

time of initiating or terminating the resource;

duration of utilization of the resource;

a public key associated with the UT-specific digital certificate;

or

QoS level associated with the resource.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising employing a secure interface, processing module, or memory to track, compile, or digitally sign the report.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising at least one of:

preventing access to the secure processing module or secure memory;

or

preventing output of the report from the secure interface or secure memory if the report is not certified with the digital signature.

32. The method of claim 26, further comprising coupling with a peer node in conjunction with utilizing a resource of the set and identifying the peer node in the report.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising at least one of:

obtaining a usage summary of the resource that is certified with a digital signature of the peer node;

or

certifying a resource utilization summary with the UT-specific digital signature and submitting the certified summary to the peer node.

34. The method of claim 26, the report is further certified, at least in part, with a digital signature of a peer node that is pertinent to utilization of a resource of the set.

35. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

obtaining a biometric identifier of a user of a UT; and

allowing or denying access to a resource of the set based on the biometric identifier.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising submitting the biometric identifier with the report in conjunction with allowing access to the resource.

37. A user terminal (UT) configured to account for remote communications, comprising:

a processing circuit that utilizes a set of resources in conjunction with wireless data exchange;

an accounting module that compiles and transmits a report of resource usage, the report is certified with a digital signature specific to the UT; and

memory that stores a digital certificate associated with the digital signature.

38. The UT of claim 37, further comprising a data tracking module that logs usage of the set of resources and provides a subset of the usage log for inclusion in the report.

39. The UT of claim 37, wherein:

the processing circuit consumes data pertaining to the set of resources, or facilitates consumption of such data for a second UT; and

the accounting module includes an amount of consumed data in the report.

40. The UT of claim 37, the accounting module specifies in the report at least one of:

a number of packets sent, received or consumed;

a number of bytes sent, received or consumed;

an ID of the UT;

an ID of a peer node participating in utilization of a resource;

time of initiating or terminating the resource;

duration of utilization of the resource;

a public key associated with the UT-specific digital certificate;

or

QoS level associated with the resource.

41. The UT of claim 37, further comprising a secure interface that prevents or mitigates access to the processing circuit, memory or accounting module.

42. The UT of claim 41, the secure interface prevents transmission of the report from the accounting module until the report is certified by the digital signature.

43. The UT of claim 37, wherein:

the processing circuit employs a wireless communication interface to communicatively couple with a peer node in conjunction with utilizing a resource; and

the accounting module identifies in the report the peer node and a number of data packets or bytes exchanged between the UT and the peer node.

44. The UT of claim 43, wherein at least one of:

the processing circuit obtains a usage summary of the resource that is certified with a digital signature of the peer node;

or

the accounting module certifies a resource utilization summary with the UT-specific digital signature and submits the certified summary to the peer node.

45. The UT of claim 37, the report is further certified, at least in part, with a digital signature of a peer node that is pertinent to utilization of a resource.

46. The UT of claim 37, further comprising a biometric scanner that obtains a biometric identifier of a user of the UT, the processing circuit allows or denies access to a resource based on the biometric identifier.

47. The UT of claim 46, the accounting module submits the biometric identifier with the report if the processing circuit allows access to the resource.

48. An apparatus configured to account for remote communications, comprising:

means for utilizing a set of resources in conjunction with wireless data exchange; and

means for transmitting a report of resource usage, the report is certified with a UT-specific digital signature.

49. A processor configured to account for remote communication, comprising:

a first module for utilizing a set of resources in conjunction with wireless data exchange; and

a second module for transmitting a report of resource usage, the report is certified with a UT-specific digital signature.

50. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium, comprising;

a first set of codes for causing a computer to utilize a set of resources in conjunction with wireless data exchange; and

a second set of codes for causing the computer to transmit a report of resource usage, the report is certified with a UT-specific digital signature.