Enterprise Access Control and Accounting Allocation for Access Networks

• US 20120084184A1
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Headwater Research LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Original Assignee: Headwater Partners I LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Inventors: Raleigh, Gregory G., Raissinia, Alireza, Green, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,924,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5691 Access to open networks; Ingress point selection, e.g. ISP selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/62 based on trigger specification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7652 shared by users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/82 Criteria or parameters used for performing billing operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/825 based on the number of used channels, e.g. bundling channels, frequencies or CDMA codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access

Abstract

Enterprise and consumer billing allocation for wireless communication device service usage activities is provided. In some embodiments, enterprise and consumer billing allocation for wireless communication device service usage activities includes: monitoring a service usage activity of a wireless communication device, and determining an enterprise and consumer billing allocation for the monitored service usage activity; reporting the monitored service usage activity to a network element, in which the network element determines an enterprise and consumer billing allocation for the monitored service usage activity; or providing a service design center for configuring an enterprise and consumer billing allocation of monitored service usage activities for a plurality of wireless communication devices associated with an enterprise account, and implementing the configured enterprise and consumer billing allocation for monitored service usage activities for the plurality of wireless communication devices associated with the enterprise account.

Claims

1. A network system for providing network access service notification messages containing information about a network access activity of an end-user device, the network system comprising:

a first service design center configured to;

obtain a first network access notification message policy comprising a first network access trigger condition and an associated first network access notification message, the first network access trigger condition comprising one or more current or requested end-user device network access activities, the first network access notification message comprising notification information to be presented to a user through a user interface,

receive a trigger condition indication from a network element,

associate the trigger condition indication with the first network access notification message, and

present the notification information to the user through the user interface;

a network provisioning instruction translator configured to;

receive, from the first service design center, the first network access trigger condition, and

determine, based on the first network access trigger condition, one or more network access trigger identification instructions; and

a network provisioning system configured to communicate the one or more network access trigger identification instructions to one or more network elements responsible for monitoring the service usage, the one or more network elements responsible for monitoring the service usage configured to;

execute the one or more network access trigger identification instructions to identify when the first network access trigger condition occurs, and

send the trigger condition indication to the first service design center.

2. The network system recited in claim 1, further comprising a master service design center configured to define a first notification policy design capability set for the first service design center, the first notification policy design capability set comprising a first subset of a master policy capability set.

3. The network system of claim 2, wherein the master service design center is further configured to define a second notification policy design capability set for a second service design center, the second notification policy design capability set comprising a second subset of the master policy capability set, the second subset of the master policy capability set either identical to or different from the first subset of the master policy capability set.

4. The network system recited in claim 1, wherein the first network access trigger condition comprises a period of time since a previous network access trigger condition, and the first network access notification message comprises a real-time or near-real-time measure of an amount of service usage or a cost of service usage.

5. The network system recited in claim 1, wherein the first network access trigger condition comprises an amount of service usage or a cost of service usage, and the first network access notification message comprises a real-time or near-real-time measure of an aggregate service usage or an aggregate cost.

6. The network system recited in claim 1, wherein the service design center is further configured to send a user notification message to a user of the end-user device based on the first network access notification message.

7. The network system recited in claim 1, wherein the first service design center is hosted on an operator network.

8. The network system recited in claim 1, wherein the first service design center is hosted on an enterprise network.

9. The network system recited in claim 1, wherein the first network access trigger condition comprises a service usage limit or a specified amount of accrued cost.

10. The network system recited in claim 1, wherein the first network access trigger condition comprises a roaming service usage limit or specified amount of accrued roaming service cost.

11. The network system recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements responsible for monitoring the service usage are configured to classify service usage by device application, and the first network access trigger condition comprises one or more device application access activities.

12. The network system recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements responsible for monitoring service usage are configured to classify service usage by network destination, and the first network access trigger condition comprises one or more device network destination access activities.

13. The network system recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements responsible for monitoring service usage comprise a service usage monitor located in a wireless operator network.

14. The network system recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements responsible for monitoring service usage comprise a service usage monitor located in an enterprise access network.

15. The network system recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more network elements responsible for monitoring service usage comprise a service usage monitor located on a wireless device.

16. The network system recited in claim 1, wherein the first network access notification message policy is associated with a first device group defined by a first list of device credentials or a first user group defined by a first list of user credentials, and the service design center is further configured to obtain a second network access notification message policy comprising a plurality of second network access trigger conditions and, for each of the plurality of second network access trigger conditions, an associated second network access notification message, the second network access notification message policy associated with a second device group defined by a second list of device credentials or a second user group defined by a second list of user credentials.

17. The network system recited in claim 16, wherein the first network access notification message policy comprises a subset of the second network access notification message policy.

21. The network system recited in claim 1, wherein the first accounting split classification policy is associated with a first device group defined by a first list of device credentials or a first user group defined by a first list of user credentials, and the service design center is further configured to obtain a second accounting split classification policy, the second accounting split classification message policy associated with a second device group defined by a second list of device credentials or a second user group defined by a second list of user credentials.

22. The network system recited in claim 21, wherein the first accounting split classification policy comprises a subset of the second accounting split classification policy.

18. A network system for classifying an accounting of access network service usage by an end-user device, the network system comprising:

a first service design center configured to;

obtain a first accounting split classification policy defining classification rules for dividing an overall access network service usage into an enterprise service usage allocation and a personal service usage allocation;

a network provisioning instruction translator configured to;

receive the first accounting split classification policy from the first service design center, and

determine, based on the first accounting split classification policy, one or more network service usage classification and reporting instructions;

a network provisioning system configured to communicate the one or more network service usage classification and reporting instructions to one or more network elements responsible for classifying the service usage, the one or more network elements responsible for classifying the service usage configured to;

execute the one or more network service usage classification and reporting instructions to determine the enterprise service usage allocation and the personal service usage allocation, and

generate a service usage report; and

a service usage accounting system configured to receive the service usage report and, based on the usage report, accrue the enterprise service usage allocation and accrue the personal service usage allocation.

19. The network system as recited in claim 18, further comprising a master service design center configured to define a first accounting policy design capability set for the first service design center, the first accounting policy design capability set comprising a first subset of a master policy capability set.

20. The network system of claim 19, wherein the master service design center is further configured to define a second accounting policy design capability set for a second service design center, the second accounting policy design capability set comprising a second subset of the master policy capability set, the second subset of the master policy capability set either identical to or different from the first subset of the master policy capability set.

23. A communications device comprising:

a secure enterprise application execution environment comprising;

memory configured to support secure execution of an enterprise software application, the enterprise software application approved by an enterprise to execute in the secure enterprise application execution environment and to access one or more secure enterprise services, and

a secure enterprise communication link configured to provide communication between the enterprise software application and one or more network resources and servers associated with at least one of the one or more secure enterprise services, and

a personal application execution environment comprising memory to support execution of personal software applications not approved by the enterprise to execute in the secure enterprise application execution environment or to access the one or more secure enterprise services; and

one or more device agents configured to;

receive a personal service plan offer from a network element, the personal service plan offer comprising one or more service plans to enable the communications device to access available network services accounted to a personal service usage allocation,

present the personal service plan offer to a user of the communications device through a user interface of the communications device,

obtain a user response to the personal service plan offer through the user interface of the communications device, and

send the user response to the network element.

24. A network system for providing network access service control for an end-user device, the network system comprising:

a first service design center configured to obtain a first network access policy comprising one or more network access service permissions associated with the end-user device or a user of the end-user device;

a network provisioning instruction translator configured to;

receive, from the first service design center, the first network access policy, and

determine, based on the first network access policy, one or more network access policy enforcement instructions; and

a network provisioning system configured to communicate the one or more network access policy enforcement instructions to one or more network elements responsible for controlling network access, the one or more network elements responsible for controlling the service usage configured to;

execute the one or more network access policy enforcement instructions to enforce network access service permissions and limits.

25. The network system recited in claim 24, further comprising a master service design center configured to define a first control policy design capability set for the first service design center, the first control policy design capability set comprising a first subset of a master policy capability set.