Method And Apparatus For Home Network Access By A Trusted Monitoring Agent

• US 20120254401A1
• Filed: 03/31/2011
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Adams, Corey F., Brehm, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,645,531 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A manner of extending a home network to a remote TMA service. A TMA in the TMA service acquires and stores a UID (unique identifier) and a MS-UID (monitoring service UID), than registers with an SG (signaling gateway) and is then redirected to an MA-SG (monitoring application SG). The MA-SG may be dedicated to the TMA service or may host communications for more than one service. When an HA that subscribes to the monitoring service registers, it is also redirected to the MA-SG, and a secure tunnel is established between the TMA and the HA and maintained by heartbeat messages. The secure tunnel may be redirected to an MA-PS (monitoring application proxy server) depending on the bandwidth consumed in the monitoring process and traffic conditions.

Claims

1. A method of providing access for a service comprising a TMA (trusted monitoring agent) to a home network comprising an HA (home agent) registered with an SG (signaling gateway), comprising:

acquiring a UID (unique identifier) in the TMA;

registering the TMA with an MA-SG (monitoring application signaling gateway);

initiating a heartbeat between the TMA and the MA-SG.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising acquiring a MS-UID (monitoring service UID) in the TMA.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising encrypting and storing the UID and the MS-UID by the TMA.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising registering the MS-UID with an OSS/BSS of a communications network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein registering the TMA with an MA-SG comprises registering the TMA with an SG of the communications network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein registration with the SG comprises an authentication procedure.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising redirecting monitoring communications to the MA-SG from the SG in response to an instruction from the SG to the TMA.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the MA-SG is a part of the same monitoring service as the TMA.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the MA-SG is a hosting MA-SG.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the hosting MA-SG is part of a monitoring service different than the monitoring service associated with the TMA.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving in the TMA an allocation of ports associated with the service.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication that a subscribing HA has registered with the MA-SG for the monitoring service associated with the TMA.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising monitoring at least one device of the home network associated with the HA.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one device of the home network is a medical device controller.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one device of the home network is a home security system controller.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising initiating a heartbeat between the TMA and the HA.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising monitoring the messages between the TMA and the HA and suspending the heartbeat when recent message traffic is sufficient to maintain the opening in the NAT boundary or boundaries, if any, associated with the monitoring service and the home network.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an alarm from the home network and initiating an emergency call from a telephone in the home network.

19. A TMA (trusted monitoring agent) for remotely monitoring at least one home network comprising an HA, the TMA comprising:

a processor;

a memory device accessible to the processor;

an HA register for maintaining a registry of HAs through which the at least one home network is being monitored;

a heartbeat message generator for generating heartbeat messages between the TMA and at least the HA of the at least one network.

20. The TMA of claim 19, further comprising a heartbeat adjuster for adjusting the frequency of heartbeat messages.