Method for Personalizing Parental Control in a PCC Architecture

• US 20120331516A1
• Filed: 06/22/2011
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Perez Martinez, Alfonso de Jesus, Campo Giralte, Luis, Perez Andres, Juan Ignacio, Alvarez Dominguez, Rodrigo, Rubio Vidales, Jose
• Granted Patent: US 8,949,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer

Abstract

A Parental Control Manager “PCM” server of a Policy and Charging Control “PCC” architecture with the Parental Control Manager “PCM” server, a Policy Control Enforcement Function device with Deep Packet Inspection capabilities “PCEF-DPI device”, and a Policy Control Rules Function “PCRF” server. The PCM server includes a user interface unit for receiving a logon from a user, and for receiving from the user monitoring criteria on Internet traffic types to be monitored for the user, and corresponding actions to be carried out when any monitoring criteria fit a given Internet traffic type. The PCM server includes a network interface unit for submitting the monitoring criteria and corresponding actions received from the user to a PCRF server. A PCRF server of a PCC architecture with a PCM server, a PCEF-DPI device, and the PCRF server. A PCEF-DPI device of a PCC architecture with a PCM server, the PCEF-DPI device, and a PCRF server. A method of parental control by a user for access to websites, multimedia contents and Internet services with a PCC architecture having a PCM server, a PCEF-DPI device, and a PCRF server.

Claims

1. A method of parental control by a user for access to websites, multimedia contents and Internet services, the method carried out with a Policy and Charging Control “

PCC”

architecture having a Parental Control Manager “

PCM”

server, a Policy Control Enforcement Function device with Deep Packet Inspection capabilities “

PCEF-DPI device”

, and a Policy Control Rules Function “

PCRF”

server, the method including the steps of;

a user establishing or modifying an IP Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session at a PCEF-DPI device;

the PCEF-DPI device establishing or modifying a control session for the IP-CAN session with a PCRF server;

receiving initial control rules for the IP-CAN session at the PCEF-DPI device from the PCRF server;

installing the initial control rules at the PCEF-DPI device;

the PCEF-DPI device inspecting and classifying Internet traffic for the user in accordance with the initial control rules;

the user logging-on in a PCM server and selecting monitoring criteria on Internet traffic types and corresponding actions to be carried out when any monitoring criteria fit a given Internet traffic type;

the PCM server notifying the PCRF server the monitoring criteria and corresponding actions selected by the user;

the PCRF server generating new control rules for the IP-CAN session based on the monitoring criteria and corresponding actions selected by the user;

the PCRF server submitting these new control rules to the PCEF-DPI device;

the PCEF-DPI device installing the new control rules; and

the PCEF-DPI device inspecting and classifying Internet traffic for the user by taking corresponding actions in accordance with the new control rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring criteria include content reference and content type.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the content type includes at least one of games, messaging, voice over IP “

VoIP”

, TV, and video, and wherein the corresponding actions to be carried out include any one of;

dropping traffic, limiting a number of accesses, allowing only during a given time schedule.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the content reference is expressed as a Uniform Resource Locator “

URL”

or as a Uniform Resource Identifier “

URI”

.

5. The method of claim 4, further including a step of presenting to the user a web page for selecting anyone of:

an original web page, URLs to be monitored, words to be monitored, whether to drop traffic, whether to notify the user when content from an identified URL has been accessed or downloaded, a number of times that an identified URL may be accessed, time schedule when an identified URL may be accessed, whether a service access is to always be redirected to another web page in regard to the user continuing with the service access.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the user logging-on in the PCM server includes a step of the user opening a HTTP connection with the PCM server for logging-on therein.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the user logging-on in the PCM server includes a step of detecting at the PCEF-DPI device an Internet traffic type to be monitored for the user in accordance with earlier monitoring criteria, a step of notifying the PCM server about the Internet traffic type to be monitored for the user, and a step of presenting a logon web page for the user logging-on in the PCM server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the earlier monitoring criteria are the monitoring criteria previously received from the PCRF server as part of the new control rules, or configured at the PCEF-DPI device, or received from the PCRF server as part of the initial control rules.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of notifying the PCM server about the Internet traffic type to be monitored for the user includes a step of redirecting the user towards the PCM server.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of notifying the PCM server about the Internet traffic type to be monitored for the user includes a step of notifying the user of needs for logon in the PCM server, and a step of the user opening a HTTP connection with the PCM server for logging-on therein.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the Internet traffic type to be monitored includes at least one of:

access to websites, multimedia contents and services.

12. The method of claim 1, further including a step of authenticating the user at the PCM server.

13. A Policy Control Enforcement Function device with Deep Packet Inspection capabilities “

PCEF-DPI device”

of a Policy and Charging Control “

PCC”

architecture with a Parental Control Manager “

PCM”

server, the Policy Control Enforcement Function device with Deep Packet Inspection capabilities “

PCEF-DPI device”

; and

a Policy Control Rules Function “

PCRF”

server, the PCEF-DPI device including;

a processing unit for establishing or modifying an IP Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session with a user, and for establishing or modifying a control session for the IP-CAN session with a PCRF server;

a network interface unit for receiving initial control rules for the IP-CAN session from the PCRF server;

the processing unit arranged for installing the initial control rules;

a DPI module for inspecting and classifying Internet traffic for the user in accordance with the initial control rules;

the network interface unit arranged for receiving new control rules for the IP-CAN session from the PCRF server, the new control rules based on monitoring criteria and corresponding actions selected by the user through a PCM server per Internet traffic type basis;

the processing unit arranged for installing the new control rules; and

the DPI module arranged for inspecting and classifying Internet traffic for the user by taking corresponding actions in accordance with the new control rules.

14. The PCEF-DPI device of claim 13, wherein the DPI module is arranged for detecting an Internet traffic type to be monitored for the user in accordance with earlier monitoring criteria configured at storage accessible to the PCEF-DPI device, or received from the PCRF server as part of the initial control rules, or received from the PCRF server as part of the new control rules.

15. A Parental Control Manager “

PCM”

server of a Policy and Charging Control “

PCC”

architecture with the Parental Control Manager “

PCM”

server, a Policy Control Enforcement Function device with Deep Packet Inspection capabilities “

PCEF-DPI device”

, and a Policy Control Rules Function “

PCRF”

server, the PCM server including;

a user interface unit for receiving a logon from a user, and for receiving from the user monitoring criteria on Internet traffic types to be monitored for the user, and corresponding actions to be carried out when any monitoring criteria fit a given Internet traffic type; and

a network interface unit for submitting the monitoring criteria and corresponding actions received from the user to a PCRF server.

16. The PCM server of claim 15, wherein the network interface unit is arranged for submitting to the PCRF server monitoring criteria that include content reference and content type.

17. The PCM server of claim 16, wherein the network interface unit is arranged for submitting to the PCRF server content type that includes any one of:

games, messaging, voice over IP “

VoIP”

, TV, and video, and corresponding actions to be carried out that include any one of;

dropping traffic, limiting a number of accesses, allowing only during a given time schedule.

18. The PCM server of claim 16, wherein the network interface unit is arranged for submitting to the PCRF server the content reference expressed as a Uniform Resource Locator “

URL”

or as a Uniform Resource identifier “

URI”

.

19. The PCM server of claim 15, wherein the user interface unit is arranged for presenting a logon web page for the user logging-on in the PCM server.

20. The PCM server of claim 19, wherein the user interface unit is arranged for presenting to the user a web page for selecting anyone of:

an original web page, URLs to be monitored, words to be monitored, whether to drop traffic, whether to notify the user when content from an identified URL has been accessed or downloaded, a number of times that an identified URL may be accessed, time schedule when an identified URL may be accessed, whether a service access is to always be redirected to another web page in regard to the user continuing with the service access.

21. The PCM server of claim 19, wherein the logon web page is presented upon redirection of the user to the PCM server from a PCEF-DPI device.

22. A Policy Control Rules Function “

PCRF”

server of a Policy and Charging Control “

PCC”

architecture with a Parental Control Manager “

PCM”

server, a Policy Control Enforcement Function device with Deep Packet Inspection capabilities “

PCEF-DPI device”

, and the Policy Control Rules Function “

PCRF”

server, the PCRF server including;

a processing unit for establishing or modifying a control session with a PCEF-DPI device for an IP Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session of a user, and for generating initial control rules for the IP-CAN session;

a network interface unit for submitting the initial control rules for the IP-CAN session to the PCEF-DPI device;

the network interface unit arranged for receiving from a PCM server monitoring criteria on Internet traffic types to be monitored for the user, and corresponding actions to be carried out when any monitoring criteria fit a given Internet traffic type;

the processing unit arranged for generating new control rules for the IP-CAN session based on the monitoring criteria and corresponding actions received from the PCM server; and

the network interface unit arranged for submitting the new control rules for the IP-CAN session to the PCEF-DPI device.

23. The PCRF server of claim 22, wherein the network interface unit is arranged for receiving from the PCM server monitoring criteria that include content reference and content type.

24. The PCRF server of claim 23, wherein the network interface unit is arranged for receiving from the PCM server content type that includes any one of:

games, messaging, voice over IP “

VoIP”

, TV, and video, and corresponding actions to be carried out that include any one of;

dropping traffic, limiting a number of accesses, allowing only during a given time schedule.

25. The PCRF server of claim 23, wherein the network interface unit is arranged for receiving from the PCRF server the content reference expressed as a Uniform Resource. Locator “

URL”

or as a Uniform Resource Identifier “

URI”

.

26. The PCRF server of claim 22, wherein the processing unit is arranged for generating the initial control rules for the IP-CAN session based on provisional monitoring criteria to monitor Internet traffic types for the user.