METHOD OF AUTHORIZATION FOR A CELLULAR SYSTEM

• US 20110093927A1
• Filed: 12/15/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Leppanen, Eva-Maria, Saarenpaa, Matti, Aakula, Jukka
• Granted Patent: US 8,954,033 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A method and entity of authorising in a communication system are disclosed. The method includes using authorising data to reference other data to define an authorisation associated with the other data. The authorising data includes one of a data component, data group, or data element. Further, a user profile can be provided and includes a user profile data component and an authorisation data component. The authorisation data component or the user profile data component references another authorisation component. Access is authorised to data associated with the user profile data component in accordance with the authorisation data component.

Claims

1-27. -27. (canceled)

28. A method comprising:

sending, by a generic user profile server, a request for a generic user profile data, said generic user profile data comprising a plurality of parts, at least one of the plurality of parts comprising one or more of a data component, a data group, and a data element, wherein authorization data referencing the generic user profile data is one of the plurality of parts of said generic user profile data;

receiving, at the generic user profile server, a response comprising said generic user profile data to which a requestor has authorized access rights, the authorization being defined on the basis of the authorization data; and

sending, by the generic user profile server, said generic user profile data after receiving the response comprising said generic user profile data.

29. A method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the at least one of the plurality of parts and said authorization data are parts of a common data structure.

30. A method as claimed in claim 28, wherein said authorization data is independent of said at least one of the plurality of parts.

31. A method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the authorizing data comprises defining access to said other plurality of parts with said authorization data.

32. A method as claimed in claim 28, wherein said authorization data comprises at least one of

rules for said authorization data,

data distribution information,

usage information, and

default information.

33. A method as claimed in claim 28, wherein said authorization data comprises data that is user specific or common to a plurality of users.

34. A method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising

arranging said authorization data to reference at least one element of a generic user profile information model.

35. A method as claimed in claim 28, wherein said authorizing comprises taking into account at least one of a requestor, requested data, a target subscriber, and an operation to be performed.

36. A method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising

obtaining said authorization data from at least one of a separate privacy register, a user profile server, a separate server, and a data storage.

37. A method as claimed in claim 28, wherein said authorization data is common to all components of a profile for a user.

38. A method as claimed in claim 28, wherein said authorization data is common to a plurality of users of a certain part of a profile.

39. An apparatus, comprising:

a sender configured on a generic user profile server to send a request for a generic user profile data, said generic user profile data comprising a plurality of parts, at least one of the plurality of parts comprising one or more of a data component, a data group, and a data element, wherein authorization data referencing the generic user profile data is one of the plurality of parts of said generic user profile data, the sender further configured to send said generic user profile data after receiving the response comprising said generic user profile data; and

a receiver configured on the generic user profile server to receive a response comprising generic user profile data to which a requestor has authorized access rights, the authorization being defined on the basis of the authorization data.

40. An apparatus as claimed in claim 39, wherein said apparatus comprises an application a server or a user equipment.

41. A system comprising:

at least one application; and

at least one generic user profile server comprising;

a receiver configured to receive a request from the application relating to generic user profile data;

a processor configured to access authorization data, reference the generic user profile data, said generic user profile data comprising a plurality of parts, the parts being one or more of a data component, data group, and data element;

wherein

the authorization data is one of the plurality of parts of the generic user profile data; and

a processor configured to authorize access to a requestor of one or more parts of the generic user profile data in accordance with the authorization data, and send a response to the application including data relating to the parts of the generic user profile data the requestor is authorized to access.

42. A system as claimed in claim 41, wherein said at least one application is provided on at least one of

at least one user equipment,

at least one third party server, and

a home network.

43. A system as claimed in claim 41, wherein said at least one server comprises at least one of a generic user profile server and an authorization server.

44. An apparatus, comprising:

sending means for sending a request for a generic user profile data, said generic user profile data comprising a plurality of parts, at least one of the plurality of parts comprising one or more of a data component, a data group, and a data element, wherein authorization data referencing the generic user profile data is one of the plurality of parts of said generic user profile data;

receiving means for receiving a response comprising said generic user profile data to which a requestor has authorized access rights, the authorization being defined on the basis of the authorization data; and

sending means for sending said generic user profile data after receiving the response comprising said generic user profile data.