Device agent

• US 7,403,763 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2005
• Issued: 07/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Maes, Stephane H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; David Q
• Application Number:
  US11/231,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20060218395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/405, 455/407, 455/425, 455/402, 455/408, 709/217, 709/202, 209/217, 209/202, 703/167
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/30 the meter or calculation of charges not being controlled from an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/31 Distributed metering or calculation of charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2033 WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/204 UMTS; GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/96 Distributed calculation of charges, e.g. in different nodes like for mobiles between HLR and VLR, or between the terminal and the billing function
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Device agents and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises monitoring, at an access device, at least a subset of device activity. The method further comprises detecting an activity satisfies at least one condition specified by a policy and executing at least one action in the policy associated with the satisfied condition.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring, at an access device with a device agent, at least a subset of device activity;

capturing an activity of the subset of device activity;

determining, at the access device, whether the activity satisfies at least one condition specified by a policy;

executing, at the access device, at least one action in the policy associated with the satisfied condition;

determining whether the device agent has been tampered with; and

in response to determining the device agent has been tampered with, preventing the access device from accessing a network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the access device is a wireless device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless device comprises a mobile telephone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the device agent is stored on a secure component of the access device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the secure component comprises one of a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) and a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM).

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the device agent is not active; and

preventing the access device from accessing the network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the action further comprises transmitting reporting information to an access provider.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring communications transmitted from the access device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring web sites accessed by the access device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring software installations on the access device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring configuration activity on the access device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring data usage.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring at least one of device provisioning communications and device management communications.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the access device, an asynchronous communication, the asynchronous communication including the policy.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing, at the access device, a device management action associated with a second policy.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity comprises a request to access a web site.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein executing the action comprises blocking the request.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein executing the action comprises redirecting the request to a second web site.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity comprises a request to access data and executing the action comprises preventing the data access.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the action comprises executing the captured activity.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of device activity comprises activity associated with usage of the access device.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of device activity comprises activity associated with interaction with the access device.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of device activity comprises activity associated with an application on the access device.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of device activity comprises receiving a communication.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the device agent has been tampered with is based on an authentication of the access device.

26. An access device comprising:

one or more policies, each policy including a logical combination of one or more conditions and one or more actions;

device agent logic adapted to monitor device activities, capture an activity on the device, determine whether the activity satisfies at least one condition specified by at least one of the one or more policies, execute at least one action in the policy associated with the satisfied condition;

determine whether the device agent logic has been tampered with, and in response to determining the device agent logic has been tampered with, prevent the access device from accessing a network; and

a communication interface adapted to transmit and receive communications.

27. The access device of claim 26, wherein the access device further comprises a secure component, and at least a portion of the device agent logic is stored on the secure module.

28. The access device of claim 26, wherein the secure component comprises one of a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) and a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM).

29. The access device of claim 26, wherein the at least one action comprises executing the captured activity.

30. The access device of claim 26, wherein the subset of device activity comprises activity associated with usage of the access device.

31. The access device of claim 26, wherein the subset of device activity comprises activity associated with interaction with the access device.

32. The access device of claim 26, wherein the subset of device activity comprises activity associated with an application on the access device.

33. The access device of claim 26, wherein the subset of device activity comprises receiving a communication.

34. A machine-readable medium having stored therein a series of executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a process comprising:

monitoring, at an access device with a device agent, at least a subset of device activity;

capturing an activity of the subset of device activity;

determining, at the access device, whether the activity satisfies at least one condition specified by a policy;

executing, at the access device, at least one action in the policy associated with the satisfied condition;

determining whether the device agent has been tampered with; and

in response to determining the device agent has been tampered with, preventing the access device from accessing a network.

35. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein executing the action further comprises transmitting reporting information to an access provider.

36. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring communications transmitted from the access device.

37. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring web sites accessed by the access device.

38. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring software installations on the access device.

39. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring configuration activity on the access device.

40. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring data usage.

41. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein monitoring the subset of device activity comprises monitoring at least one of device provisioning communications and device management communications.

42. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, further comprising receiving, at the access device, an asynchronous communication, the asynchronous communication including the policy.

43. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, further comprising executing, at the access device, a device management action associated with a second policy.