WIRELESS GATEWAY SUPPORTING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE NETWORKS

• US 20130318572A1
• Filed: 05/25/2012
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: SINGH, Sukhjinder, CARVALHO, John
• Granted Patent: US 10,129,751 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An interface device may provide a first wireless network and a second wireless network in a user'"'"'s premise. The interface device may encourage some user devices to connect to the second wireless network without controlling the user devices. For example, the interface device may receive a request from a device to access its first wireless network. The interface device may then determine whether the device is a premise device by, for example, searching a database of device registration information. The interface device may determine that the device is a premise device and deny the request to access the first wireless network. The device may then be available to access the second wireless network.

Claims

1. A communication method comprising:

providing, at an interface device, access to a first wireless network and a second wireless network;

receiving, at the interface device from a user device, a request to access the first wireless network;

determining whether the user device has access to the second wireless network based on information indicative of devices having access to the second wireless network; and

in response to determining that the user device has access to the second wireless network, denying the request to access the first wireless network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises address information corresponding to the user device, and wherein the determining comprises determining whether the user device has access to the second wireless network based on the address information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a database of registration information for a plurality of devices that have previously accessed the second wireless network,

wherein the determining comprises determining whether the user device has access to the second wireless network based on the database of registration information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface device is a first interface device, and wherein access to a third wireless network is provided by a second interface device, the method further comprising:

determining whether the user device has access to the third wireless network based on information indicative of devices having access to the third wireless network; and

in response to determining that the user device has access to the third wireless network, denying the request to access the first wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device is a first client device, and wherein the request is a first request, the method further comprising:

in response to granting a second client device access to the second wireless network, updating the information indicative of devices having access to the second wireless network to indicate that the second client device has access to the second wireless network;

receiving, at the interface device from the second client device, a second request to access the first wireless network;

determining whether the second client device has access to the second wireless network based on the updated information indicative of devices having access to the second wireless network; and

in response to determining that the second client device has access to the second wireless network, denying the second request to access the first wireless network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

purging, from the information indicative of devices having access to the second wireless network, information for a user device corresponding to a predetermined time period of inactivity.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the user device has access to the second wireless network, determining whether the user device is authorized to access the second wireless network; and

in response to determining that the user device is authorized to access the second wireless network, connecting the user device to the second wireless network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second wireless network corresponds to a wireless network whose resources are reserved for use by a user of a premise in which the wireless network is provided.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless network corresponds to a wireless network whose resources are reserved for use by a service provider.

10. An interface device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the interface device to;

provide access to a first wireless network and a second wireless network;

receive, from a user device, a request to access the first wireless network;

determine whether the user device has access to the second wireless network based on information indicative of devices having access to the second wireless network; and

in response to determining that the user device has access to the second wireless network, denying the request to access the first wireless network.

11. The interface device of claim 10, wherein the request comprises address information corresponding to the user device, and wherein the memory stores further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the interface device to:

determine whether the user device has access to the second wireless network based on the address information.

12. The interface device of claim 11, wherein the memory stores further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the interface device to:

maintain a database of registration information for a plurality of devices that have previously accessed the second wireless network; and

determine whether the user device has access to the second wireless network based on the database of registration information.

13. The interface device of claim 11, wherein the interface device is a first interface device, wherein access to a third wireless network is provided by a second interface device, and wherein the memory stores further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the interface device to:

determine whether the user device has access to the third wireless network based on information indicative of devices having access to the third wireless network; and

in response to determining that the user device has access to the third wireless network, deny the request to access the first wireless network.

14. The interface device of claim 11, wherein the user device is a first client device, wherein the request is a first request, and wherein the memory stores further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the interface device to:

in response to granting a second client device access to the second wireless network, update the information indicative of devices having access to the second wireless network to indicate that the second client device has access to the second wireless network;

receive, from the second client device, a second request to access the first wireless network;

determine whether the second client device has access to the second wireless network based on the updated information indicative of devices having access to the second wireless network; and

in response to determining that the second client device has access to the second wireless network, deny the second request to access the first wireless network.

15. The interface device of claim 11, wherein the memory stores further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the interface device to:

purge, from the information indicative of devices having access to the second wireless network, information for a user device corresponding to a predetermined time period of inactivity.

16. The interface device of claim 10, wherein the memory stores further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the interface device to:

in response to determining that the user device has access to the second wireless network, determine whether the user device is authorized to access the second wireless network; and

in response to determining that the user device is authorized to access the second wireless network, connect the user device to the second wireless network.

17. The interface device of claim 10, wherein the second wireless network corresponds to a wireless network whose resources are reserved for use by a user of a premise in which the wireless network is provided.

18. The interface device of claim 10, wherein the first wireless network corresponds to a wireless network whose resources are reserved for use by a service provider.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer readable instructions which, when read by a computer, instruct the computer to perform steps comprising:

providing access to a first wireless network and a second wireless network;

receiving, from a user device, a request to access the first wireless network;

determining whether the user device has access to the second wireless network based on information indicative of devices having access to the second wireless network; and

in response to determining that the user device has access to the second wireless network, denying the request to access the first wireless network.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the request comprises address information corresponding to the user device, and wherein the determining comprises determining whether the user device has access to the second wireless network based on the address information.