SYSTEM FOR COMMUNICATING WITH A MOBILE DEVICE SERVER

• US 20120084834A1
• Filed: 10/01/2010
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: BROWN, WILLIAM A., Meuninck, Troy C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,443,420 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium operating in a mobile device server that has computer instructions to execute a web server application at the mobile device server. The web server application can be operable to detect a media resource center while roaming in a communication zone of the media resource center and to transmit a pairing key to the media resource center responsive to acquiring communication access to the communication zone. The web server application can be further operable to receive from the media resource center an indication that a roaming charge will be applied to a subscriber account associated with the mobile device responsive to the media resource center identifying from the pairing key that the mobile device server is a guest device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A portable communication device, comprising a controller to:

execute a web server application in the portable communication device, wherein the web server application is operable to;

detect a media resource center when roaming into a wireless communication zone of the media resource center, wherein the wireless communication zone is accessible to the portable communication device when a security key is provided to a gateway of the media resource center;

transmit the security key to the gateway;

transmit a pairing key to the media resource center to enable access to one or more resources of the media resource center; and

receive a message from the media resource center indicating which of a plurality of resources have been made available to the portable communication device according to a service grade identified from the pairing key by the media resource center, wherein the media resource center is operable to;

detect from the pairing key that the portable communication device is a guest device and not a subscriber device associated with the resources of the media resource center; and

determine whether to apply a roaming charge to a subscriber account associated with the portable communication device according to the service grade identified from the pairing key.

2. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the pairing key is assigned to a geographic area, and wherein the media resource center is adapted to identify the geographic area assigned to the pairing key and thereby detect that the portable communication device is a guest device.

3. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the media resource center is operable to:

transmit to the portable communication device a usage policy for dictating how resources of the media resource center can be used; and

apply the roaming charge responsive to the service grade corresponding to a charge-bearing roaming plan.

4. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the media resource center is operable to:

identify a subscriber account associated with the pairing key;

determine from the subscriber account that media services are available for use by the portable communication device; and

enable the portable communication device to utilize the media services presented by one or more resources of the media resource center.

5. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the media resource center is operable to:

detect from the pairing key that the portable communication device is managed by a first service provider that is unaffiliated with a second service provider of the media resource center; and

apply the roaming charge according to an inter-service provider roaming plan.

6. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the media resource center comprises a resource control manager that manages the plurality of resources, wherein the resource control manager is an integral part of the gateway, and wherein the pairing key and the security key are the same.

7. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the web server application is operable to:

detect a resource control manager that manages the plurality of resources of the media resource center; and

receive authorization from the resource control manager to access one or more resources selected by the resource control manager according to the pairing key.

8. The portable communication device of claim 7, wherein the one or more resources comprise at least one of one or more set-top boxes, one or more computing devices, one or more storage devices, or one or more gaming devices.

9. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the web server application is operable to:

transmit a message to a remote server via the gateway assigned to a first Internet Protocol (IP) address, wherein the message comprises an identifier of a software application and a second IP address associated with the software application;

wherein the remote server is operable to;

identify the media resource center according to the first IP address of the gateway; and

direct the media resource center to cause the software application to be executed at the portable communication device according to the second IP address.

10. The portable communication device of claim 9, wherein the message transmitted to the remote server comprises a uniform resource locator with a plurality of descriptors that identify the software application and the second IP address, and wherein the gateway inserts the first IP address into a hypertext transfer protocol header of the message or into an IP header source for network address translation.

11. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the web server application comprises a hypertext transfer protocol server application, and wherein the software application comprises one of a media application, a gaming application, a productivity application, or any combination thereof, and wherein communications between the portable communication device and the media resource center conform to an extensible markup language or a multimedia retrieval markup language.

12. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the media resource center is operable to:

detect from the service grade that the portable communication device is subscribed to a free of charge roaming plan; and

bypass the step of applying the roaming charge upon detection that the portable communication device is subscribed to the free of charge roaming plan.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium executed by a processor in a mobile device server, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer instructions executable by the processor to:

execute a web server application at the mobile device server, wherein the web server application is operable to;

detect a media resource center while the mobile device server is roaming into a communication zone of the media resource center;

transmit a pairing key to the media resource center responsive to establishing communication with the media resource center; and

receive from the media resource center an indication that a roaming charge will be applied to a subscriber account associated with the mobile device server responsive to the media resource center identifying from the pairing key that the mobile device server is a guest device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the media resource center is operable to:

identify a first subscriber of the mobile device server according to the pairing key;

detect that the first subscriber is unassociated with a second subscriber of the media resource center;

transmit to the mobile device server an authorization to utilize one or more resources of the media resource center according to a service grade identified from the pairing key; and

transmit to the mobile device server a usage policy defined by the second subscriber for instructing how resources of the media resource center can be used.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, comprising computer instructions to:

transmit a second pairing key to the media resource center to enable execution of a software application that utilizes one or more resources of the media resource center; and

receive authorization to execute the software application responsive to the media resource center validating the second pairing key.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the software application comprises one of a media application, a gaming application, a productivity application, or any combination thereof, and wherein the storage medium comprises computer instructions to:

detect that the communication zone is secure; and

transmit a security key to enable wireless communication access to at least one resource in the media resource center, wherein the security key and the pairing key are the same.

17. A resource control manager, comprising a controller to:

manage a plurality of resources communicatively coupled to the resource control manager;

receive a pairing key from a mobile device server;

identify a service grade from the pairing key;

transmit authorization to the mobile device server to access one or more resources selected from the plurality of resources according to the service grade;

detect from the pairing key that the mobile device server is a guest device; and

initiate a process that applies a roaming charge to a subscriber account associated with the mobile device server responsive to detecting a guest device.

18. The resource control manager of claim 17, wherein the resource control manager comprises a set top box, wherein the mobile device server comprises a cellular telephone executing a web server application, wherein the web server application comprises a hypertext transfer protocol web server application, and wherein the web server application is operable to:

identify a first subscriber of the mobile device server according to the pairing key;

detect that the first subscriber is unassociated with a second subscriber of the resource control manager; and

transmit to the mobile device server a usage policy of the second subscriber for instructing how resources of the resource control manager can be used.

19. The resource control manager of claim 17, wherein the media resource center is operable to:

detect the mobile device server and at least one other mobile device server having another web server application operating therein;

detect that the mobile device server and the at least one other mobile device server are requesting at least one common resource managed by the media resource center; and

arbitrate an assignment of the at least one common resource between the mobile device server and the at least one other mobile device server.

20. The resource control manager of claim 17, wherein the controller is operable to:

receive a request from the mobile device server to delegate to the mobile device server management of one or more resources;

transmit an acceptance to the mobile device server in response to determining that the pairing key authorizes the mobile device server to manage the one or more resources; and

transmit information relating to the delegated resources to enable the mobile device server to manage the one or more resources.