METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SHARING A SERVICE IN A WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20130325700A1
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: James Gordon Beattie, Jr., Shiv Kumar, Soumyajit Chakraborty, Stephen J. Griesmer
• Inventors: CHAKRABORTY, SOUMYAJIT, BEATTIE, JAMES GORDON Jr., GRIESMER, STEPHEN J., KUMAR, SHIV
• Granted Patent: US 10,075,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/32 Post and telecommunications franking apparatus G07B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/60 Business processes related to postal services shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00
• 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: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

A method and apparatus for sharing a service in a wireless network are disclosed. For example, the method receives a request for sharing a service from a first user endpoint device associated with a first customer, wherein the request is directed to a second user endpoint device associated with a second customer, performs an authentication of the first user endpoint device, determines whether the first user endpoint device has a subscription to a sharing service, determines whether the second user endpoint device has a subscription to the sharing service, attempts to obtain an authorization to enable the first user endpoint device to access the service that is associated with the second user endpoint device, wherein the service is related to a financial transaction privilege and provides a response granting the request for the sharing of the service, if the authorization is received.

Claims

1. A method for sharing a service in a wireless network, comprising:

receiving a request for sharing the service from a first user endpoint device associated with a first customer, wherein the request is directed to a second user endpoint device associated with a second customer;

performing an authentication of the first user endpoint device;

determining whether the first user endpoint device has a subscription to a sharing service, if the first user endpoint device is successfully authenticated;

determining whether the second user endpoint device has a subscription to the sharing service;

attempting to obtain an authorization to enable the first user endpoint device to access the service that is associated with the second user endpoint device, if both the first user endpoint device and the second user endpoint device have a subscription to the sharing service, wherein the service is related to a financial transaction privilege; and

providing a response granting the request for the sharing of the service, if the authorization is received.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing dynamically an offer to the first user endpoint device to subscribe to the sharing service, if the first user endpoint device does not have a subscription to the sharing service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the attempting to obtain the authorization is performed by sending an authorization request to the second user endpoint device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the attempting to obtain the authorization is performed by communicating with another server of another wireless network, wherein the another server determines whether the second user endpoint device has a subscription to the sharing service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the attempting to obtain the authorization is performed by analyzing a service profile associated with the second user endpoint device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the analyzing the service profile of the second user endpoint devices determines if the request for the sharing service is to be granted to the first user endpoint device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the analyzing the service profile associated with the second user endpoint devices determines if the request for the sharing service is to be granted for the service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for the sharing service comprises a parameter of the second user endpoint device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the parameter of the second user endpoint device comprises an Internet protocol address of the second user endpoint device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the parameter of the second user endpoint device comprises an access point of the second user endpoint device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a sharing of the service is selectively turned-on or turned-off by the second customer of the second user endpoint device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein second customer is able to indicate whether the service is available via the sharing service.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking a usage of the service that is shared.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

charging a fee based on the usage to the first customer.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

charging a fee based on the usage to the second customer.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing a call to and from the first user endpoint device, in accordance with the authorization.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a communication session between the first user endpoint device and second first user endpoint device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the sharing service enables the second customer to transfer a financial transaction privilege of the second customer to the first customer.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for sharing a service in a wireless network, comprising:

receiving a request for sharing the service from a first user endpoint device associated with a first customer, wherein the request is directed to a second user endpoint device associated with a second customer;

performing an authentication of the first user endpoint device;

determining whether the first user endpoint device has a subscription to a sharing service, if the first user endpoint device is successfully authenticated;

determining whether the second user endpoint device has a subscription to the sharing service;

attempting to obtain an authorization to enable the first user endpoint device to access the service that is associated with the second user endpoint device, if both the first user endpoint device and the second user endpoint device have a subscription to the sharing service, wherein the service is related to a financial transaction privilege; and

providing a response granting the request for the sharing of the service, if the authorization is received.

20. An apparatus for sharing a service in a wireless network, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium in communication with the processor, wherein the computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method, comprising;

receiving a request for sharing the service from a first user endpoint device associated with a first customer, wherein the request is directed to a second user endpoint device associated with a second customer;

performing an authentication of the first user endpoint device;

determining whether the first user endpoint device has a subscription to a sharing service, if the first user endpoint device is successfully authenticated;

determining whether the second user endpoint device has a subscription to the sharing service;

attempting to obtain an authorization to enable the first user endpoint device to access the service that is associated with the second user endpoint device, if both the first user endpoint device and the second user endpoint device have a subscription to the sharing service, wherein the service is related to a financial transaction privilege; and

providing a response granting the request for the sharing of the service, if the authorization is received.