Method and system for supporting differentiated network service for mobile customers and applications

• US 6,687,495 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2002
• Issued: 02/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Teltier Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Teltier Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Lobo, Jorge, Quayle, Alan, Bhatia, Randeep, Venkatesh, Guda
• Primary Examiner(s): VUONG, QUOCHIEN B
• Application Number:
  US10/289,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20030087649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 455/457
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/02 by periodical registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• 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 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

A method and a system are disclosed for obtaining the dynamic network state of mobile subscribers, such as subscriber location, presence or other state information. This information, which may be distributed within various core mobile network elements, is obtained via a differentiated network service gateway (DNSG) that interfaces with the mobile network elements in a manner that accommodates the network'"'"'s operator enforced controls and limitations. The DNSG implements service level agreements (SLAs) that support differentiated quality-of-service (QoS) in terms of accessing the dynamic network state of the mobile subscribers. The consumers (DNSG clients) of the dynamic network state information may include applications that provide communication and transactional services to mobile subscribers based on their network state, and the mobile subscribers themselves. The consumers register with the DNSG for SLAs to obtain a desired QoS that determines the precision and speed at which the network service functions for their exclusive use. The DNSG uses the SLAs to allocate available resources to the consumers and for scheduling queries to the core network elements so as to obtain the network state of the mobile subscribers according to the requirements of the SLAs.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining a mobile subscriber'"'"'s dynamic network state from a mobile communication network and making the dynamic network state available to a requesting entity that is a consumer of the network state information, comprising:

periodically issuing network queries to one or more mobile network resources to ascertain said mobile subscriber'"'"'s dynamic network state;

providing information about said dynamic network state to said requesting entity based on a request for notification of changes in said mobile subscriber'"'"'s network state, a request for said mobile subscriber'"'"'s current network state, or both; and

scheduling said network queries according to a Service Level Agreement (SLA) established with said requesting entity.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said requesting entity is an application service provider offering services based on said mobile subscriber'"'"'s dynamic network state and wherein said method further includes registration of said application service provider and provisioning to associate said application service provider with an application level SLA or a set of subscriber-selectable SLAs.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said requesting entity is said mobile subscriber and wherein said method further includes registration of said mobile subscriber and provisioning to associate said mobile subscriber with an SLA.

4. A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said requesting entity is an application service provider offering services based on said mobile subscriber'"'"'s dynamic network state and wherein said method further includes a first registration of said application service provider and a first provisioning to associate said application service provider with a set of subscriber-selectable SLAs, and a second registration of said mobile subscriber and a second provisioning to associate one of said subscriber-selectable SLAs with said application service provider.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said SLA is defined in terms of a Quality of Service (QoS) representing a speed at which said mobile subscriber'"'"'s dynamic network state is to return following a request therefor, and a precision in terms of age of the obtained dynamic network state.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said SLA is one of several SLAs established with a plurality of requesting entities, and wherein said SLAs collectively provide differentiated levels of service to said plurality of requesting entities in accordance with mobile network resource limitations.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein said SLA is a differentiated best services (DBS) SLA that is used to offer a service that may degrade with increases in demand from said plurality of requesting entities and for which it is guaranteed that overall increases in said requests from requesting entities having DBS SLAs of equal quality can only deteriorate quality of requesting entities having DBS SLAs of lower quality.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein said requests from requesting entities having DBS SLAs are prioritized according to said age value and wherein said request is satisfied if said mobile subscriber dynamic network state sought by said request can be obtained within a time specified by said age value of said DBS SLA and wherein an exception is issued if said mobile subscriber dynamic network state sought by said request cannot be obtained within a time specified by said age value.

9. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein said SLA is a guaranteed level of service (GLS) SLA that is used to guarantee that all of said requests having GLS SLA service will be satisfied irrespective of increases in demand from said plurality of requesting entities.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9 wherein said requests from requesting entities having GLS SLAs are scheduled according to the number of said requesting entities having GLS SLAs and said age values associated with said GLS SLAs.

11. A system for obtaining a mobile subscriber'"'"'s dynamic network state from a mobile communication network and making said dynamic network state available to a requesting entity (mobile subscriber or application) that is a consumer of the information, comprising:

means for periodically issuing network queries to one or more mobile network resources to ascertain said mobile subscriber'"'"'s dynamic network state;

means for providing information about said dynamic network state to said requesting entity based on a request for notification of changes in said mobile subscriber'"'"'s network state, a request for said mobile subscriber'"'"'s current network state, or both; and

means for scheduling said network queries based on consideration of mobile network resource limitations and according to a Service Level Agreement (SLA) established with said requesting entity.

12. A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said requesting entity is an application service provider offering services based on said mobile subscriber'"'"'s dynamic network state and wherein said system further includes registration means for registering said application service provider and provisioning means for associating said application service provider with an application level SLA or a set of subscriber-selectable SLAs.

13. A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said requesting entity is said mobile subscriber and wherein said system further includes registration means for registering said mobile subscriber and provisioning means for associating said mobile subscriber with an SLA.

14. A system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said requesting entity is an application service provider offering services based on said mobile subscriber'"'"'s dynamic network state and wherein said system further includes first registration means for registering said application service provider and first provisioning means for associating said application service provider with a set of subscriber-selectable SLAs, and second registration means for registering said mobile subscriber and second provisioning means for associating one of said subscriber-selectable SLAs with said application service provider.

15. A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said SLA is defined in terms of a Quality of Service (QoS) representing a speed at which said mobile subscriber'"'"'s dynamic network state is to return following a request therefor, and a precision in terms of age of the obtained dynamic network state.

16. A system in accordance with claim 15 wherein said SLA is one of several SLAs established with a plurality of requesting entities, and wherein said SLAs collectively provide differentiated levels of service to said plurality of requesting entities in accordance with mobile network resource limitations.

17. A system in accordance with claim 16 wherein said SLA is a differentiated best services (DBS) SLA that is used to offer a service that may degrade with increases in demand from said plurality of requesting entities and for which it is guaranteed that overall increases in said requests from requesting entities having DBS SLAs of equal quality can only deteriorate quality of requesting entities having DBS SLAs of lower quality.

18. A system in accordance with claim 17 wherein said requests from requesting entities having DBS SLAs are prioritized according to said age value and wherein said system includes request handling means for satisfying said request if said mobile subscriber dynamic network state sought by said request can be obtained within a time specified by said age value of said DBS SLA and for issuing an exception if said mobile subscriber dynamic network state sought by said request cannot be obtained within a time specified by said age value.

19. A system in accordance with claim 16 wherein said SLA is a guaranteed level of service (GLS) SLA that is used to guarantee that all of said requests having GLS SLA service will be satisfied irrespective of increases in demand from said plurality of requesting entities.

20. A system in accordance with claim 19 wherein said system includes a request handler for handling requests from requesting entities having GLS SLAs by scheduling according to the number of said requesting entities having GLS SLAs and said age values associated with said GLS SLAs.

21. A differentiated network service gateway (DNSG) for obtaining a mobile subscriber'"'"'s dynamic network state from a mobile communication network and making said dynamic network state available to a requesting entity (mobile subscriber or application) that is a consumer of the information, comprising:

a provisioning interface;

a registration server accessed by said provisioning interface for registering DNSG clients;

a registration database storing for each registered DNSG client a client identifier, a mobile subscriber identifier, and a service level agreement (SLA) quality of service identifier;

a request handler adapted to receive requests from said DNSG clients and return dynamic network state information for a mobile subscriber;

a cached network data module (CNDM) storing retrieved mobile subscriber dynamic state information on behalf of said request handler;

a differentiated best services (DBS) server adapted to prioritize requests from said request handler based on a quality of service associated with a requesting DNSG client having a DBS SLA and to issue network queries to one or more mobile network resources to ascertain said mobile subscriber dynamic network state information; and

a guaranteed level services (GLS) server adapted to schedule network queries based said a quality of service associated with a requesting DNSG client having a GLS SLA and to periodically issue queries to said one or more mobile network resources to ascertain said mobile subscriber dynamic network state information.