Systems and Methods for Subscriber Profile Management

• US 20110124313A1
• Filed: 01/31/2011
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amdocs Canadian Managed Services Inc. (Amdocs Ltd.), Amdocs Development Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Bridgewater Systems Corp. (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Inventors: JONES, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,275,370 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

Systems and methods subscriber profile management to facilitate seamless roaming of mobile devices from one network to another. A subscriber profile management system is provided that includes a time to live (“TTL”) generator that generates a TTL limit for a subscriber based on usage characteristics of the subscriber. The subscriber profile management system further includes an administration module that administers TTL limits, TTL limit database that store TTL limits, a subscriber profile database that stores subscriber profiles, a usage measurement database that stores usage measurements, and a TTL limit reference module that administers TTLs when a subscriber profile and TTL limit are transmitted. The invention further includes a series of methods that support seamless roaming capabilities of a subscriber throughout visited networks without the need to continually make proxy calls to re-authenticate a subscriber.

Claims

1. A subscriber profile management system that generates and manages a time to live (TTL) limit for a subscriber of a home network, comprising:

a time to live (TTL) generator that generates a TTL limit for a subscriber based on usage characteristics of the subscriber;

wherein the TTL limit specifies a time limit for which a subscriber profile is to remain active within a visited network when the subscriber accesses the visited network, and

an administration module that administers the TTL limits.

2. The subscriber profile management system of claim 1, further comprising a TTL limit database that stores TTL limits.

3. The subscriber profile management system of claim 1, further comprising a subscriber profile database that stores subscriber profiles, wherein a subscriber profile includes subscriber credentials and subscriber service profiles.

4. The subscriber profile management system of claim 1, further comprising a subscriber profile interface that provides an interface to an external source that provides subscriber profiles.

5. The subscriber profile management system of claim 1, further comprising a usage measurement database that stores subscriber usage measurements.

6. The subscriber profile management system of claim 1, further comprising a usage measurement interface that provides an interface to an external source that provides subscriber usage measurements.

7. The subscriber profile management system of claim 1 further comprising a TTL Limit Reference Module that stores and administers TTL limits when a subscriber profile and TTL limit are transmitted to another network for a subscriber.

8. The subscriber profile management system of claim 1, wherein the subscriber profile management system transmits a subscriber profile and TTL limit when a service request is received from a visited network for a subscriber having a home network different from the visited network, wherein the subscriber profile management system is located within the home network.

9. The subscriber profile management system of claim 1, wherein the usage characteristics include roaming characteristics.

10. A subscriber profile management system that manages time to live (TTL) limits for a visiting subscriber having a home network when the visiting subscriber visits a visited network, comprising:

a TTL limit database that stores TTL limits for visiting subscribers when visiting subscribers have been granted network access to a visited network, wherein the TTL limit specifies a time limit for which a subscriber profile is to remain active within the visited network when the visiting subscriber accesses the visited network;

a subscriber profile database that stores visiting subscriber profiles when visiting subscribers have been granted network access to a visited network; and

an administration module that administers subscriber profiles and TTL limits, wherein subscribers are from a home network that differs from the network in which the subscriber profile management system resides.

11. The subscriber profile management system of claim 10, wherein upon receiving a service request the subscriber profile management system determines whether an active TTL exists for the visiting subscriber requesting service.

12. The subscriber profile management system of claim 11, wherein when an active TTL limit does not exist for the visiting subscriber requesting service, the subscriber profile management system requests a subscriber profile and TTL limit from a home network of the visiting subscriber.

13. The subscriber profile management system of claim 10, wherein a TTL limit is based on one or more of usage characteristics of the visiting subscriber, billing characteristics of the visiting subscriber, a type of subscription for the visiting subscriber, bill payment characteristics of the visiting subscriber, mobility characteristics of the visiting subscriber and fraud control parameters.

14. A method for a visited network to provide a service to a visiting subscriber having a home network, comprising:

(a) receiving a service request from the visiting subscriber in a visited network service area;

(b) requesting a subscriber profile and time to live (TTL) limit, wherein the TTL limit specifies a time limit for which the visiting subscriber profile is to remain active within a visited network when the visiting subscriber accesses a visited network;

(d) receiving the visited subscriber profile and TTL limit;

(e) caching the visiting subscriber profile and TTL limit; and

(f) providing the service to the visiting subscriber.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising recording a roaming start time after step (c).

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising deactivating the TTL limit when the elapsed time from the roaming start time exceeds the TTL limit.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the visited network and home network are operated by the same network provider.