NODE AND METHOD FOR SERVICE SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT

• US 20140018063A1
• Filed: 07/10/2012
• Published: 01/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: MATTSSON, Ulf, AVILA GONZALEZ, Victor Manuel
• Granted Patent: US 8,818,347 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

Example embodiments are presented herein service session management based on service specific data and a user subscription. Some example embodiments may comprise a user equipment, and corresponding method therein, for monitoring an internet or network access by an identified application. Upon detection, the user equipment may be configured to send service specific data associated with the identified application to an enhanced application server. The enhanced application server may manage a service session based on the service specific data and the user subscription. The management of the service session may allow for a differentiated delivery of service for certain applications.

Claims

1. A method, in a user equipment, for providing service specific data for service session management, the method comprising:

monitoring an identified application;

detecting an internet or network access from said identified application; and

thereafter sending service specific data associated with the identified application to an enhanced application server for service session management.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring further comprises receiving, from the enhanced application server, a monitoring request, said monitoring request comprising the identity of at least one application to be monitored.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising validating an authenticity of the identified application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the validating further comprises utilizing a hash algorithm.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the service specific data comprises data utilized for application traffic detection.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the service specific data comprises 5-tuple information associated with the identified application.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the service specific data comprises a type of service or application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending further comprises sending, to the enhanced application server, a user initiated quality of service request.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the enhanced application server, an upgrade or downgrade of a quality of service during an operation of the identified application based on the service specific data and/or a user subscription.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring and/or detection are provided with an enhanced application within the user equipment.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

evaluating an authenticity of the enhanced application; and

sending results of said authenticity to the enhanced application server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the evaluating further comprises evaluating licensing and/or password information.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the enhanced application is a stand-alone application or is comprised in the identified application.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified application is a non-operator provided application.

15. A user equipment, for providing service specific data for service session management, the user equipment comprising:

processing circuitry configured to monitor an identified application;

the processing circuitry further configured to detect an internet or network access attempt from said identified application; and

radio circuitry configured to send service specific data associated with the identified application to an enhanced application server for service session management.

16. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein the radio circuitry is further configured to receive, from the enhanced application server, a monitoring request, said monitoring request comprising the identity of at least one application to be monitored.

17. The user equipment of claim 16, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to validate an authenticity of the identified application.

18. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to utilize a hash algorithm to validate the authenticity of the identified application.

19. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein the service specific data comprises data utilized for application traffic detection.

20. The user equipment of claim 19, wherein the service specific data comprises 5-tuple information.

21. The user equipment of claim 19, wherein the service specific data comprises a type of service or application.

22. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein the radio circuitry is further configured to send, to the enhanced application server, a user initiated quality of service request.

23. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein the radio circuitry is further configured to receive, from the enhanced application server, an upgrade or downgrade of a quality of service during an operation of the identified application based on the service specific data and/or a user subscription.

24. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to monitor and/or detect the identified application with the use of an enhanced application within the user equipment.

25. The user equipment of claim 24, wherein processing circuitry is further configured to evaluate an authenticity of the enhanced application and the radio circuitry is further configured to send results of the authenticity to the enhanced application server.

26. The user equipment of claim 25, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to evaluate the authenticity based on licensing and/or password information.

27. The user equipment of claim 24, wherein the enhanced application is a stand-alone application or is comprised in the identified application.

28. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein the identified application is a non-operator provided application.

29. A method, in an enhanced application server, for service session management of an identified application, the method comprising:

receiving, from a user equipment, service specific data associated with an identified application; and

managing a service session of the identified application based on the service specific data and a user subscription.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the service specific data comprises data utilized for application traffic detection.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the service specific data comprises 5-tuple information.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the service specific data comprises a type of service or application.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the service specific data comprises a user initiated quality of service request.

34. The method of claim 29, further comprising receiving, from the user equipment, an authentication result, said authentication result confirming an identity of a user equipment and/or an enhanced application which is configured to receive a differentiated service.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising authenticating said authentication result.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the authenticating further comprises utilizing deep packet inspection and/or heuristics.

37. The method of claim 29, further comprising sending, to the user equipment, a monitoring request, said monitoring request comprising instructions to monitor the identified application.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the sending is performed upon detecting a change in a user subscription, during a predetermined time period, and/or upon receiving an activation request from the user equipment.

39. The method of claim 29, wherein the managing further comprises sending, to a network node, instructions to upgrade or downgrade a quality of service of an operation of the identified application based on the service specific data and the user subscription.

40. The method of claim 29, wherein the user subscription comprises predefined rules for an allowed quality of service based on use conditions.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein said use conditions comprise conditions related to a time, date, length and/or location of a use of the identified application.

42. The method of claim 29, wherein the managing further comprises sending, to a network node, instructions to alter a charging for data packets belonging to the identified application.

43. The method of claim 29, wherein the managing further comprises sending, to a gateway node, instructions for enhanced traffic detection for traffic associated with the identified application based on the service specific data.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the instructions for enhanced traffic detection further comprise instructions for establishing a traffic filter based on the service specific data.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the instructions for enhanced traffic detection further comprise instructions for providing deep packet inspection for data packets associated with the identified application.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the instructions for enhanced traffic detection further comprise instructions for extracting a 5-tuple associated with the identified application via the deep packet inspection.

47. An enhanced application server, for service session management of an identified application, the enhanced application server comprising:

processing circuitry configured to receive, from a user equipment, service specific data associated with an identified application; and

the processing circuitry further configured to manage a service session of the identified application based on the service specific data and a user subscription.

48. The enhanced application server of claim 47, wherein the service specific data comprises data utilized for application traffic detection.

51. The enhanced application server of claim 47, wherein the service specific data comprises a user initiated quality of service request.

52. The enhanced application server of claim 47, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive, from the user equipment, an authentication result, said authentication result confirming an identify of a user equipment and/or enhanced application which is configured to receive a differentiated service.

53. The enhanced application server of claim 52, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to authenticate said authentication result.

54. The enhanced application server of claim 53, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to authenticate said authentication result utilizing deep packet inspection and/or heuristics.

55. The enhanced application server of claim 47, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to send, to the user equipment, a monitoring request, said monitoring request comprising instructions to monitor the identified application.

56. The enhanced application server of claim 55, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to send the monitoring request upon detecting a change in a user subscription, during a predetermined time period, and/or upon receiving an activation request from the user equipment.

57. The enhanced application server of claim 47, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to send, to a network node, instructions to upgrade or downgrade a quality of service of an operation of the identified application based on the service specific data and the user subscription.

58. The enhanced application server of claim 47, wherein the user subscription comprises predefined rules for an allowed quality of service based on use conditions.

59. The enhanced application server of claim 58, wherein said use conditions comprise conditions related to a time, date, length and/or location of a use of the identified application.

60. The enhanced application server of claim 47, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to send, to a network node, instructions to alter a charging for data packets belonging to the identified application.

61. The enhanced application server of claim 47, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to send, to a gateway node, instructions for enhanced traffic detection for traffic associated with the identified application based on the service specific data.

62. The enhanced application server of claim 61, wherein the instructions for enhanced traffic detection further comprise instructions for establishing a traffic filter based on the service specific data.

63. The enhanced application server of claim 62, wherein the instructions for enhanced traffic detection further comprise instructions for providing deep packet inspection for data packets associated with the identified application.

64. The enhanced application server of claim 63, wherein the instructions for enhanced traffic detection further comprise instructions for extracting a 5-tuple associated with the identified application via the deep packet inspection.

65. The enhanced application server of claim 47, wherein the enhanced application server is comprised in a stand-alone or within a Policy Control and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) network node.

49. The enhanced application server of claim 49, wherein the service specific data comprises 5-tuple information.

50. The enhanced application server of claim 49, wherein the service specific data comprises a type of service or application.

66. A computer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to execute a method comprising:

monitoring an identified application;

detecting a start of said identified application, said identified application utilizing an internet or network during operation; and

sending service specific data associated with the identified application to an enhanced application server for service session management.

67. A computer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to execute a method comprising:

receiving, from a user equipment, service specific data associated with an identified application; and

managing a service session of the identified application based on the service specific data and a user subscription.