MOBILE CONTENT DELIVERY VIA TOLL-FREE UNIFORM RESOURCE LOCATORS

• US 20170141923A1
• Filed: 11/13/2015
• Published: 05/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Gong, Kelly, Susan, Huang, Jian
• Granted Patent: US 9,973,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/09 Third party charged communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

A device associated with a cell tower in a Public Land Mobile Network receives, from a mobile device via a network, a uniform resource locator (URL) that is appended with a first signature generated at the mobile device using a private key of a public/private key pair associated with a toll-free campaign. The device obtains a public key of the public/private key pair, extracts the first signature from the URL, decrypts the first signature using the public key to obtain data, and encrypts the data using the private key to generate a second signature. The device compares the second signature with the first signature, denies toll-free network access to content associated with the URL when the second signature does not match the first signature, and designates data involved with accessing the content associated with the URL as being toll-free when the second signature matches the first signature.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with content in a network that a mobile user is attempting to access via a mobile device;

obtaining a unique identifier (ID) associated with a toll-free data campaign, and a private key of a public/private key pair associated with the toll-free data campaign;

generating a signature using the private key;

appending the generated signature to the URL to create a modified URL; and

sending the modified URL in a request to access the content from a remote network device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

appending the unique campaign ID to the URL to create the modified URL.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote network device comprises a web server that hosts the content.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

intercepting the modified URL at network processing unit (NPU) in the network;

extracting, by the NPU, the signature from the modified URL;

validating, by the NPU, the signature; and

designating data, associated with the URL, transmitted via the network as non-chargeable to the mobile user if the signature is validated successfully.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the network comprises a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) and wherein the NPU is associated with a cell tower within the PLMN.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) or a Satellite Mobile Network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises a cellular telephone;

a wireless laptop, palmtop or tablet computer;

a wireless wearable computer device;

a vehicle mounted wireless telephone;

or a wireless personal digital assistant (PDA).

8. A device, comprising:

a communication interface configured to connect to a network, and to receive, from a mobile device via the network, a uniform resource locator (URL) that is appended with a first signature generated at the mobile device using a private key of a public/private key pair associated with a toll-free data campaign; and

a processing unit configured to;

obtain a public key of the public/private key pair,

extract the first signature from the URL,

decrypt the first signature using the public key to obtain a block of data,

encrypt the block of data using the private key to generate a second signature,

compare the second signature with the first signature,

deny toll-free network access to content associated with the URL when the second signature does not match the first signature, and

designate data involved with accessing the content associated with the URL as being toll-free when the second signature matches the first signature.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the URL is further appended with a unique identifier associated with the toll-free data campaign.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the communication interface is further configured to receive, from a network device via the network, a unique identifier associated with the toll-free data campaign and the private key that is further associated with the toll-free data campaign.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

obtain, via the communication interface, the public key of the public/private key pair from a database using the received unique identifier associated with the toll-free data campaign.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the network comprises a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) or a Satellite Mobile Network.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the URL identifies a network location of content hosted by a remote network device.

14. The device of claim 8, wherein the device comprises a network processing unit (NPU) associated with a cell tower located in a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN).

15. A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions executable by a computational device, wherein the instructions comprise instructions to cause the computational device to:

receive, from a mobile device via a network, a content request that includes a uniform resource locator (URL) that is appended with a first signature generated at the mobile device using a private key of a public/private key pair that is associated with a toll-free data campaign;

extract the first signature from the URL;

validate the content request based on the extracted first signature; and

grant or deny toll-free network access to the content associated with the URL based on the validation of the content request.

16. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the URL is further appended with a unique identifier associated with the toll-free data campaign.

17. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions to validate the content request further comprise instructions to cause the computational device to:

obtain a public key of the public/private key pair,

decrypt the first signature using the public key to obtain a block of data,

encrypt the block of data using the private key to generate a second signature, and

compare the second signature with the first signature.

18. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 17, wherein a mobile user at the mobile device initiates the content request and wherein the instructions to grant or deny toll-free network access to the content further comprise instructions to cause the computational device to:

deny toll-free network access to the content associated with the URL when the second signature does not match the first signature, and

designate data involved with accessing the content associated with the URL as being non-chargeable to the mobile user in the network when the second signature matches the first signature.

19. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 17, wherein the URL is further appended with a unique identifier associated with the toll-free data campaign and wherein the instructions to obtain the public key further comprise instructions to cause the computational device to:

obtain the public key of the public/private key pair from a database via the network using the received unique identifier associated with the toll-free data campaign.

20. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the URL identifies a network location of content hosted by a remote network device.