METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING ACCESS TO A SERVICE

• US 20150304298A1
• Filed: 06/29/2015
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kreiner, Barrett, Reeves, Jonathan, Schaub, Ryan
• Granted Patent: US 10,084,766 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/14 for detecting or protecting against malicious traffic

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing access to a service are disclosed. An example method includes analyzing a received request to verify a requesting device, the received request identifying multicast group memberships of the requesting device. Access is provided to the service in response to verifying the requesting device using the multicast group memberships.

Claims

1. A method of providing access to a service, the method comprising:

analyzing a received request to verify a requesting device, the received request identifying multicast group memberships of the requesting device; and

providing access to the service in response to verifying the requesting device using the multicast group memberships.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multicast group memberships are first multicast group memberships identifying group memberships of the requesting device at a first time, the method further comprising storing second multicast group memberships of the requesting device identifying group memberships of the requesting device at a second time prior to the first time, wherein analyzing the received request to verify the requesting device includes comparing the first multicast group memberships to the second multicast group memberships.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second time identifies a time at which the requesting device first accessed the service.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein an identity of the requesting device is verified when the second multicast group memberships represent a subset of the first multicast group memberships.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising disallowing access to the service when the second multicast group memberships include a group membership that is not included in the first multicast group memberships.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising requesting additional credentials to validate the requesting device when the second multicast group memberships include the group membership that is not included in the first multicast group memberships.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising updating the second multicast group memberships to match the first multicast group memberships when the second multicast group memberships represent the subset of the first multicast group memberships.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a group membership of the multicast group memberships is associated with an attribute of the requesting device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the attribute is a geographic location of the requesting device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the geographic location is a prior geographic location and includes a distribution center, a manufacturing location, or a point of sale.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the attribute is a model of the requesting device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the group membership is an Internet Protocol version 6 multicast group.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory to store machine readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

analyzing a received request to verify a requesting device, the received request identifying multicast group memberships of the requesting device; and

providing access to a service in response to verifying the requesting device using the multicast group memberships.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the multicast group memberships are first multicast group memberships identifying group memberships of the requesting device at a first time, wherein the operations further comprise storing second multicast group memberships of the requesting device identifying group memberships of the requesting device at a second time prior to the first time, and wherein analyzing the received request to verify the requesting device comprises comparing the first multicast group memberships to the second multicast group memberships.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein an identity of the requesting device is verified when the second multicast group memberships represent a subset of the first multicast group memberships.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise disallowing access to the service when the second multicast group memberships include a group membership that is not included in the first multicast group memberships.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise requesting additional credentials to validate the requesting device when the second multicast group memberships include the group membership that is not included in the first multicast group memberships.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise updating the second multicast group memberships to match the first multicast group memberships when the second multicast group memberships represent the subset of the first multicast group memberships.

15. (canceled)

20-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A tangible machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

analyzing a received request to verify a requesting device, the received request identifying multicast group memberships of the requesting device; and

providing access to a service in response to verifying the requesting device using the multicast group memberships.

26. The tangible machine-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the multicast group memberships are first multicast group memberships identifying group memberships of the requesting device at a first time, and the method further comprising storing second multicast group memberships of the requesting device identifying group memberships of the requesting device at a second time prior to the first time, wherein analyzing the received request to verity the requesting device includes comparing the first multicast group memberships to the second multicast group memberships.

27-36. -36. (canceled)