PROCESS FOR PROVIDING NETWORK ACCESS FOR A USER VIA A NETWORK PROVIDER TO A SERVICE PROVIDER

• US 20110213688A1
• Filed: 07/22/2009
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Europe Ltd (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Girao, Joao, Santos, Hugo
• Granted Patent: US 10,313,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• 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 12/1471 splitting of costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

For providing a simple network access process which can be used for accessing network with focus on a single service a process for providing network access for a user via a Network Provider (NP) to a Service Provider (SP) is claimed, the process including: establishing a connection between the user and the Network Provider (NP) by user'"'"'s request to access the Service Provider (SP); authenticating of the user by a user'"'"'s Identity Provider (IdP) on request of the Network Provider (NP); transmitting data from the Identity Provider (IdP) to the Network Provider (NP), so that the Network Provider (NP) has the information that the Service Provider (SP) or a third party is payee of the access fees; and providing the access for the user via the Network Provider (NP) to the Service Provider (SP) by the Network Provider (NP).

Claims

1. A process for providing network access for a user via a Network Provider (NP) to a Service Provider (SP), said process comprising:

establishing a connection between the user and the Network Provider (NP) by user'"'"'s request to access the Service Provider (SP);

authenticating of the user by a user'"'"'s Identity Provider (IdP) on request of the Network Provider (NP);

transmitting data from the Identity Provider (IdP) to the Network Provider (NP), so that the Network Provider (NP) has the information that the Service Provider (SP) or a third party is payee of the access fees; and

providing the access for the user via the Network Provider (NP) to the Service Provider (SP) by the Network Provider (NP).

2. A process according to claim 1, wherein said process further comprises charging the access fees to the payee by the Network Provider (NP).

3. A process according to claim 1, wherein said process further comprises producing an obligation containing billing information by the Network Provider (NP).

4. A process according to claim 3, wherein the policy decision technology which results in the obligation is the XACML technology.

5. A process according to claim 1, wherein the Identity Provider (IdP) is the Service Provider (SP).

6. A process according to claim 1, wherein during the authenticating step the Network Provider (NP) is asking the user to specify his Identity Provider (IdP).

7. A process according to claim 1, wherein the Network Provider (NP) is redirecting the user to a page where he can specify his Identity Provider (IdP).

8. A process according to claim 1, wherein the user is authenticating towards the Identity Provider (IdP).

9. A process according to claim 1, wherein the data being transmitted from the Identity Provider (IdP) to the Network Provider (NP) are based on the context built by the Network Provider (NP), the user'"'"'s policies and/or the identity of the Service Provider (SP) being accessed.

10. A process according to claim 1, wherein the Network Provider (NP) and the Identity Provider (IdP) are negotiating to select the payee.

11. A process according to claim 10, wherein the payee is selected based on context and/or user policies.

12. A process according to claim 1, wherein the Identity Provider (IdP) is redirecting the user to the Network Provider (NP) after authentication.

13. A process according to claim 1, wherein the Network Provider (NP) will construct a policy decision request, acting as a Policy Enforcement Point (PEP), and contact the Identity Provider (IdP) which will act as a Policy Decision Point (PDP).

14. A process according to claim 1, wherein the Network Provider (NP) is further negotiating and/or verifying billing obligations or information provided by the Identity Provider (IdP) with the payee.

15. A process according to claim 14, wherein during the negotiation and/or verifying step payment and/or service access options are fine-tuned.

16. A process according to claim 1, wherein the Network Provider (NP) and the payee or Service Provider (SP) both are providing their boundaries for service provisioning in terms of P3P policies.

17. A process according to claim 16, wherein the P3P policies are used to determine service level parameters and/or to negotiate access conditions.

18. A process according to claim 1, wherein the payee or Service Provider (SP) focuses on filters and billing information and the Network Provider (NP) on the payment.

19. A process according to claim 1, wherein other personal or individual information about the user will be offered to the Network Provider (NP) and/or Service Provider (SP) to enhance personalization and/or to provide information required by the Service Provider (SP) or Network Provider (NP).

20. A process according to claim 1, wherein the Network Provider (NP) is providing a WLAN for network access.