Exchange of access control lists to manage femto cell coverage

• US 8,094,551 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huber, Kurt Donald, Flynn, Judson John, Mansfield, William Gordon
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): HYUN, SOON D
• Application Number:
  US12/276,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20090286512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/229
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 : based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 : Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 : Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 : when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 : Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 : using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 : using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 : using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 : Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 : based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 : Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 : Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 : with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 : Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 : Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 : Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 : using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices

Abstract

System(s) and method(s) provide access management to femto cell service through access control list(s) (e.g., white list(s), or black list(s)). White list(s) includes a set of subscriber station(s) identifier numbers, codes, or tokens, and also can include additional fields for femto cell access management based on desired complexity. White list(s) can have associated white list profile(s) therewith to establish logic of femto coverage access based on the white list(s). Access lists exchange among subscribers that posses provisioned femto access points and elect to share access lists also is provided. Transference of access list(s) among subscribers is secured and based at least in part on subscriber privacy policy. Subscribers can be prompted to opt in access list sharing, or to update privacy policies to allow reciprocate sharing and update privacy settings. Based at least in part on association criteria, component identifies femto access points for a subscriber to access lists with.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an access list, wherein the access list is employed to grant femto coverage;

retaining the access list in a data storage in response to a subscriber source of the access list opting to share the access list;

prompting a subscriber intended to receive the access list, for acceptance thereof, in response to the access list being authorized for transfer; and

transferring the access list from the data storage to a femto access point associated with the subscriber intended to receive the access list.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, updating a data storage record related to the access list, in response to the transferring.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, requesting access list transfer, in response to the access list not being authorized for transfer, and informing the subscriber source of the access list.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the access list is a white list employed to grant access to femto coverage.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the access list is a first access list, and the method further comprises:

determining that the subscriber source of the access list has selected reciprocal addition to a second access list; and

detecting that an account of the intended subscriber has a provisioned femto access point associated therewith; and

exchanging at least a portion of the access list and the second access list between the subscriber source of the access list and the subscriber intended to receive the access list.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

conveying an indication to prompt a first subscriber associated with a configured access list to elect to share the configured access list; and

in response to the first subscriber electing to share the configured access list, conveying an indication to prompt a second subscriber to elect to reciprocate sharing of the configured access list with a second access list associated with the second subscriber, wherein the access list is a first access list.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, conveying an indication to configure a privacy policy for exchange of at least a portion of the access list and the configured access list between the first and second subscribers.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, receiving a privacy setting, in response to the conveying the indication to configure the privacy policy.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extracting data from a set of databases; and

establishing a first femto access point associated with a second femto access point, based at least in part on a set of criteria.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, notifying a first subscriber associated with the first femto access point, of the second subscriber associated with the second femto access point.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

prompting the first subscriber to exchange at least a portion of a first access list with the second subscriber; and

exchanging at least the portion of first access list with at least a portion of a second access list associated with the second access point, in response to the prompting being accepted.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system to perform operations, comprising:

receiving an access list, wherein the access list is employed to grant femto coverage;

retaining the access list in a data storage in response to a subscriber source of the access list opting to share the access list;

prompting a subscriber intended to receive the access list, for acceptance thereof, in response to the list being authorized for transfer; and

transferring the access list from the data storage to a femto access point associated with the subscriber intended to received the access list.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

extracting data from a set of databases and establishing a first femto access point associated with a second femto access point based at least in part on a set of criteria; and

notifying a first subscriber that owns the first femto access point of a second subscriber that owns the second femto access point.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

prompting the first subscriber to exchange at least a portion of a first access list with the second subscriber; and

communicating at least the portion of first access list from the first femto access point to the second access point, in response to the prompting being accepted.

15. A system, comprising:

an access management component configured to receive an access list, wherein the access list is employed to grant femto coverage;

a security component configured to edit the access list in accordance at least in part with a privacy policy for dissemination of the access list associated with a subscriber that shares the access list; and

a data storage configured to retain the access list.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the access list is a white list employed to grant femto coverage.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the security component is further configured to eliminate a specific identifier attribute field from the access list that is granted to an other subscriber.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the security component is further configured to generate an election flag, which conveys that a mobile station is allowed to be added to a white list that is disseminated to a first subscriber other than a second subscriber linked to a service account of the subscriber that is the source of the white list.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the security component is further configured to prompt the subscriber to authorize a device identifier attribute field to be shared through the access list.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the election flag originates at least in part in a privacy attribute field in the white list.

21. The system of claim 15, further comprising, a data mining component configured to extract and analyze data from a database, based at least in part on an association criterion that facilitates establishment of a relationship among disparate femto access points.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the data mining component is further configured to extract the data in accordance with a subscriber privacy policy.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the data mining component is further configured to notify the subscriber of a set of femto access points, with which to exchange at least a portion of the access list.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the data mining component is further configured to analyze the data based at least in part on a machine learning, that includes utilization of a utility algorithm.