Service Brokering using Domain Name Servers

• US 20110145103A1
• Filed: 06/25/2008
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Smith, Ola, Ljunggren, Andreas, Lind, Mikael, Lind, Helena
• Granted Patent: US 8,812,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

Systems and methods according to these exemplary embodiments provide techniques for locating a service using DNS search techniques. For example, an IP address of a customer'"'"'s end user device (10, 20, 30) can be used to perform a reverse DNS search from which an entry pointing to a service, e.g., a payment service or a video delivery service, can be obtained. The entry, e.g., a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), can then be used to access or evaluate the identified service.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A method for locating a service of a particular type provided by a service provider, said method comprising:

performing a reverse domain name server (DNS) search; and

retrieving at least one entry associated with said service from a DNS based on said reverse DNS search, wherein said at least one entry is at least one Uniform Resource Locator (URL) which points toward a service provider of said service of said particular type.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said particular type of service is a payment service, said service provider is one of an operator and a payment provider and wherein said at least one URL points toward at least one billing gateway with which said one of said operator and said payment provider can interact to accept payments.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said payment service is associated with a delivery of at least one of:

content, a service and goods.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said delivery is a streaming content delivery service, said service provider is an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and wherein said at least one URL points toward a caching server with which said ISP can interact to provide streaming content delivery.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

identifying, based on said retrieved at least one entry, payment methods that are offered by said operator;

selecting payment methods from those identified by said content provider; and

presenting said selected payments methods to an end user device.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein said retrieving further comprises:

performing said reverse DNS lookup operation using an IP address of an end user device which has requested said particular type of service.

32. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

adding, as said at least one entry, a text entry to said DNS pointing toward said service of said particular type, to publish a corresponding capability of said service provider.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein performing said reverse DNS search further comprises:

initiating said reverse DNS search by an end user; and

wherein said particular service is digital rights management (DRM) service and said end user uses said retrieved URL to obtain at least one DRM key.

34. The method of claim 26, wherein said performing said reverse DNS search further comprises:

initiating said reverse DNS search by a content provider; and

wherein said particular service is a location service and said content provider uses said retrieved URL to obtain a position of an end user.

35. The method of claim 26, wherein said performing said reverse DNS search further comprises:

initiating said reverse DNS search by a payment provider.

36. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to locate a service of a particular type provided by a service provider, by performing a reverse domain name server (DNS) search, and to retrieve at least one entry associated with said service from a DNS, wherein said at least one entry is at least one Uniform Resource Locator (URL) which points toward a provider of said service of said particular type.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein said particular type of service is a payment service, said service provider is one of an operator and a payment provider and wherein said at least one URL points toward at least one billing gateway with which said one of said operator and said payment provider can interact to accept payments.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein said payment service is associated with a delivery of at least one of:

content, a service and goods.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein said delivery is a streaming content delivery service, said service provider is an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and wherein said at least one URL points toward a caching server with which said ISP can interact to provide streaming content delivery.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein said processor is further configured to identify, based on said retrieved at least one entry, payment methods that are offered by said one of said operator and said payment provider, to select payment methods from those identified by said content provider;

and to present said selected payments methods to an end user device.

41. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein said processor is configured to perform said reverse DNS lookup operation using an IP address of an end user device which has requested said particular type of service.

42. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein said processor is configured to add, as said at least one entry, a text entry to said DNS pointing toward said service of said particular type, to publish a corresponding capability of said service provider.

43. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein said apparatus is one of:

an end user device, a network node associated with a content provider, a network node associated with a service provider and a network node associated with a payment provider.

44. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein said particular type of service is one of:

a payment service, a location service for finding a location of an end user device, an end user profile data service, a digital rights management (DRM) service and an available media resource service.

45. A computer program product stored on a computer-readable medium and comprising program instructions which, when executed by a computer or processor, cause the computer or processor to locate a service of a particular type provided by a service provider, the program instructions causing the computer or processor to:

perform a reverse domain name server (DNS) search; and

retrieve at least one entry associated with said service from a DNS based on said reverse DNS search, wherein said at least one entry is at least one Uniform Resource Locator (URL) which points toward a service provider of said service of said particular type.

46. The computer program product of claim 45, wherein said particular type of service is a payment service, said service provider is one of an operator and a payment provider and wherein said at least one URL points toward at least one billing gateway with which said one of said operator and said payment provider can interact to accept payments.

47. The computer program product of claim 46, wherein said payment service is associated with a delivery of at least one of:

content, a service and goods.

48. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein said delivery is a streaming content delivery service, said service provider is an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and wherein said at least one URL points toward a caching server with which said ISP can interact to provide streaming content delivery.

49. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein the program instructions further cause the computer or processor to:

identify, based on said retrieved at least one entry, payment methods that are offered by said operator;

select payment methods from those identified by said content provider; and

present said selected payments methods to an end user device.

50. The computer program product of claim 45, wherein the program instructions further cause the computer or processor to retrieve said at least one entry by:

performing said reverse DNS lookup operation using an IP address of an end user device which has requested said particular type of service.