Methods and apparatus for providing an access profile system associated with a broadband wireless access network

• US 7,756,509 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Rajagopalan, Bala, Bakshi, Sanjay
• Primary Examiner(s): Pérez-Gutiérrez; Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miah; Liton
• Application Number:
  US11/394,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20070237093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• 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 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and apparatus for providing an access profile system associated with a broadband wireless access network are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining that a wireless device in a packet-based network is an unauthenticated wireless device based upon a failed authentication process;

establishing a data-bearing path with the unauthenticated wireless device;

generating an access profile associated with a user of the unauthenticated wireless device, wherein the access profile includes one or more classification rules to establish one or more packet filters;

transmitting the access profile to the unauthenticated wireless device in the packet-based network, wherein the access profile is configured to prevent the unauthenticated wireless device from transmitting one or more requests for network services, over the data-bearing path, that are unavailable to unauthenticated wireless devices; and

providing access of a subset of the network services associated with the packet-based network to the unauthenticated wireless device over the data-bearing path based on the access profile.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the access profile comprises generating an unauthenticated access profile in response to the determining.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the access profile comprises generating the access profile based on at least one of destination Internet Protocol (IP) address information, protocol type information, or application layer classification information.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the access profile comprises generating the access profile in a wireless communication network based on Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) technology.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein providing access of the subset of network services comprises providing access of at least one of an emergency service, a non-fee based service, or an initial subscription service based on an unauthenticated access profile.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein providing access of the one or more network services comprises controlling one or more packets based on one or more classification rules associated with an unauthenticated access profile, the one or more classification rules being generated by a base station of the packet-based network.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said providing access comprises providing access of emergency services over the data-bearing path based on the access profile.

8. A method comprising:

establishing, by an unauthenticated wireless device, a connection with a network access node of a packet-based network in response to a failed authentication with the network access node;

receiving, by the unauthenticated wireless device, an access profile associated with a user of the unauthenticated wireless device, wherein the access profile includes one or more classification rules to establish one or more packet filters, the one or more packet filters configured to regulate transmission of one or more packets associated with a request for network services;

preventing, by the unauthenticated wireless device, the transmission of the one or more packets associated with the request for network services based on the one or more packet filters, wherein the network services are unavailable to unauthenticated wireless devices; and

accessing, by the unauthenticated wireless device, a subset of the network services associated with the packet-based network over the connection based on the access profile.

9. A method as defined in claim 8 wherein receiving the access profile comprises receiving one or more classification rules associated with an unauthenticated access profile to the unauthenticated wireless device, the one or more classification rules being generated by the network access node of the packet-based network.

10. A method as defined in claim 8 wherein accessing the subset of the network services comprises accessing at least one of an emergency service, a non-fee based service, or an initial subscription service based on an unauthenticated access profile.

11. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a machine accessible medium including content, which when accessed, causes a machine to;

determine that a wireless device in a packet-based network is an unauthenticated wireless device based upon a failed authentication process;

establish a data-bearing path with the unauthenticated wireless device;

generate an access profile associated with a user of the unauthenticated wireless device, wherein the access profile includes one or more classification rules to establish one or more packet filters;

transmit the access profile to the unauthenticated wireless device in the packet-based network, wherein the access profile is configured prevent the unauthenticated wireless device from transmitting one or more requests for network services, over the data-bearing path, that are unavailable to unauthenticated wireless devices; and

provide access of a subset of the network services associated with the packet-based network to the unauthenticated wireless device over the data-bearing path based on the access profile.

12. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 11, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the machine to generate the access profile by generating an unauthenticated access profile in response to the determination that wireless device is an unauthenticated wireless device.

13. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 11, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the machine to generate the access profile by generating the access profile based on at least one of destination Internet Protocol (IP) address information, protocol type information, or application layer classification information.

14. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 11, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the machine to provide access of the subset of network services by providing access of at least one of an emergency service, a non-fee based service, or an initial subscription service based on an unauthenticated access profile.

15. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 11, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the machine to provide access to the subset of network services by controlling one or more packets based on one or more classification rules associated with an unauthenticated access profile, and wherein the one or more classification rules are generated by a base station of the packet-based network.

16. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 11, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the machine to authenticate at least one of the user or the wireless device.

17. An apparatus comprising:

an authenticator configured to determine that a wireless device in a packet-based network is an unauthenticated wireless devices in response to a failed authentication process;

a profile generator to generate an access profile associated with a user of the unauthenticated wireless device, wherein the access profile includes one or more classification rules to establish one or more packet filters;

a communication interface coupled to the profile generator, to establish a data-bearing path with the unauthenticated wireless device in response to the failed authentication process and to transmit the access profile to the unauthenticated wireless device, wherein the access profile is configured to prevent the unauthenticated wireless device from transmitting one or more packets associated with a request for network services over the data-bearing path, wherein the network services are unavailable to unauthenticated wireless devices; and

a packet controller operatively coupled the profile generator to provide access of a subset of the network services, over the data-bearing path, associated with the packet-based network to the unauthenticated wireless device based on the access profile.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the profile generator is configured to generate an unauthenticated access profile in response to a failure to authenticate at least one of the user or the unauthenticated wireless device.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the access profile comprises at least one of destination Internet Protocol (IP) address information, protocol type information, or application layer classification information.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the packet controller is configured to provide access of at least one of an emergency service, a non-fee based service, or an initial subscription service based on an unauthenticated access profile.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the packet controller is configured to control one or more packets based on one or more classification rules associated with an unauthenticated access profile, the one or more classification rules being generated by a base station of the packet-based network.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 17 wherein the authenticator is operatively coupled to the profile generator to authenticate at least of the user or the wireless device.