SERVICE PROVIDER CERTIFIED DEVICE POLICY MANAGEMENT

• US 20150085756A1
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent Canada Incorporated (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: SHETH, TIRU K., SUBRAMANIAN, RAMASWAMY
• Granted Patent: US 9,445,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0012 Details of application programming interfaces [API] for telephone networks; Arrangements which combine a telephonic communication equipment and a computer, i.e. computer telephony integration [CPI] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a policy server. The method includes: receiving a request for service, the request including an identification of user equipment; determining a user equipment type (TAC); evaluating a policy rule based on the user equipment type, the policy rule including a condition referencing at least one user equipment type; and responding to the request for service based on evaluation of the policy rule.

Claims

1. A method performed by a policy server, the method comprising:

receiving a request for service, the request including an identification of user equipment;

determining a user equipment type;

evaluating a policy rule based on the user equipment type, the policy rule including a condition referencing at least one user equipment type; and

responding to the request for service based on evaluation of the policy rule.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a marketing name for the user equipment, wherein the condition references the at least one user equipment type according to the marketing name.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the marketing name corresponds to a plurality of user equipment types.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user equipment type is a type allocation code (TAC) extracted from a user-equipment-info attribute value pair (AVP) received in the request for service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition references a plurality of user equipment types.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the request for service is not related to a known subscriber; and

authorizing default services based on the user equipment type.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the default services include a limit on at least one of an available time period and a data volume.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

authorizing a default session configured to provide access to a service portal;

storing the identification of user equipment in association with the default session;

receiving, from the portal, a request for identification of user equipment associated with the session;

sending the stored identification of user equipment to the portal;

receiving new subscriber information including the identification of user equipment; and

updating the session based on the new subscriber information.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining that the request for service is not related to a known subscriber, wherein the default session is based on an unknown subscriber identifier and certified user equipment type.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing an IP address for the default session, wherein the request for identification of user equipment associated with the session includes the IP address.

11. A policy server comprising:

an interface configured to receive a service request initiated by a user equipment attaching to a mobile network, the service request including a user equipment identification;

a device mapper configured to determine a marketing name of the device based on the user equipment identification;

a rules engine processor configured to evaluate conditions of policy rules and execute actions corresponding to true conditions, at least one policy rule including a condition based on the marketing name of the device.

12. The policy server of claim 11, wherein the device mapper comprises a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing a plurality of type allocation codes, each type allocation code mapped to a marketing name.

13. The policy server of claim 11, wherein the condition of the at least one rule includes a certified device marketing name and the action of the at least one rule instructs the rules engine to allow a session providing service to the user equipment.

14. The policy server of claim 13, further comprising:

a session information storage configured to store information regarding the session including the marketing name of the user equipment; and

an application programming interface configured to provide an external service portal access to the session information and configured to receive subscriber information from the service portal.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processor of a policy server, the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions for:

receiving a request for service, the request including an identification of user equipment;

determining a user equipment type;

evaluating a policy rule based on the user equipment type, the policy rule including a condition referencing at least one user equipment type; and

responding to the request for service based on evaluation of the policy rule.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions for determining a marketing name for the user equipment, wherein the condition references the at least one user equipment type according to the marketing name.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the user equipment type is a type allocation code (TAC) extracted from a user-equipment-info attribute value pair (AVP) received in the request for service.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions for:

determining that the request for service is not related to a known subscriber; and

authorizing default services based on the user equipment type.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions for:

authorizing a default session configured to provide access to a service portal;

storing the identification of user equipment in association with the default session;

receiving, from the portal, a request for identification of user equipment associated with the session;

sending the stored identification of user equipment to the portal;

receiving new subscriber information including the identification of user equipment; and

updating the session based on the new subscriber information.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions for:

determining that the request for service is not related to a known subscriber, wherein the default session is based on an unknown subscriber identifier and certified user equipment type; and

storing an IP address of the default session, wherein the request for identification of user equipment associated with the session includes the IP address.