LOCATION BASED SHARING OF A NETWORK ACCESS CREDENTIAL

• US 20170264645A1
• Filed: 05/23/2017
• Published: 09/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tipton, Rick, Austin, Mark, Kosseifi, Mario, Tofighbakhsh, Mostafa
• Granted Patent: US 10,084,824 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/43 using shared identity modules, e.g. SIM sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A network access credential can be shared among devices based on location information for a device. Location information can include timed fingerprint location information. In an aspect, location information can be associated with a location of user equipment. This location information can be correlated with network access credentials. Location information can be used to access a relevant network access credential. The relevant network access credential can be shared with other devices. In an embodiment, sharing a network access credential can be between mobile devices. In another embodiment, sharing a network access credential can be between a remote computing device and a mobile device. Sharing a credential can allow for access to a network without having to generate or input new credentials.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving a differential time measurement for a first user equipment associated with a first NodeB site pair of devices comprising a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device;

obtaining, based on the differential time measurement, a historical geographic location value corresponding to a historical differential timing measurement for the first NodeB site pair of devices;

obtaining a network access credential affiliated with the first user equipment based on the historical geographic location value, and

in response to determining that a rule related to a spatial condition between the first user equipment and a second user equipment has been satisfied, enabling access by the second user equipment to the network access credential.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network access credential affiliated with the first user equipment is received from the first user equipment.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the network access credential affiliated with the first user equipment is not received from the first user equipment.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiving the network access credential is predicated on a permission received via a user interface.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the differential time measurement for the first user equipment is received from the first user equipment.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the differential time measurement for the first user equipment is received from a radio access network device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the differential time measurement for the first user equipment is received from the second user equipment.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is comprised in a radio access network device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is comprised in a core-network device affiliated with a network provider identity.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the spatial condition is based on a communication range of a communication modality for a communication link between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the communication modality for the communication link is a Bluetooth communication modality.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a network device comprising a processor, a differential time measurement for a first user equipment, wherein the differential time measurement is associated with a first NodeB site pair of devices comprising a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device;

retrieving, by the network device, a historical geographic location value based on the differential time value and a historical differential timing measurement for the first NodeB site pair of devices;

receiving, by the network device, a network access credential affiliated with the first user equipment; and

enabling, by the network device, access to the network access credential for a second user equipment based on a determination that the first user equipment is within a determined distance of the second user equipment.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving the network access credential comprises receiving the network access credential from the first user equipment.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving the network access credential comprises receiving the network access credential from a device other than the first user equipment.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the differential time measurement for the first user equipment is received from the first user equipment.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the differential time measurement for the first user equipment is received from a radio access network device.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the differential time measurement for the first user equipment is received from the second user equipment.

18. A machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving a differential time measurement for a first user equipment, wherein the differential time measurement is associated with a first NodeB site pair of devices comprising a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device;

retrieving a historical geographic location value based on the differential time value and a historical differential timing measurement for the first NodeB site pair of devices;

receiving a network access credential affiliated with the first user equipment; and

enabling access to the network access credential for a second user equipment based on a determination that the first user equipment is within a determined range of the second user equipment.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the determined range is based on a communication range of a communication modality for a communication link between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the communication modality for the communication link is a Bluetooth communication modality.