Systems and methods for home carrier determination using a centralized server

• US 8,160,580 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2004
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Nasielski, John Wallace, Hsu, Raymond Tah-Sheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Cordero, Marivelisse Santiago
• Application Number:
  US10/938,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20050119000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,776 Days
• Field of Search: 455/433, 455/432.1
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for determining the home network carrier associated with a mobile station and authorizing the provision of services to the mobile station using centralized storage of mobile station and home network information. In one embodiment, when a roaming mobile station attempts to access services, identifying information for the mobile station is used by a local server to query a centralized DNS server that stores a mapping of mobile station identifying information to corresponding home networks. The centralized DNS server returns an identification of the home network of the roaming mobile user, and the home network then determines whether to grant or deny the mobile station access to the local network. The mobile station identifying information may comprise an MSID such as an MIN, IRM or IMSI, which may serve as part of the address for the query to the centralized DNS server.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a local server, a request by a mobile station for roaming access to a local radio access network (RAN) associated with the local server, the request containing at least a portion of a non-Internet Protocol-based mobile station ID (non-IP-based MSID) associated with the mobile station, wherein at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID in the request comprises only a prefix;

accessing, by the local server, a remote centralized domain name system (DNS) server to determine a home network domain name associated with the mobile station based on at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSDI of the mobile station, wherein the DNS server contains a mapping of home network domain names and at least a portion of associated non-IP-based MSIDs comprising only prefixes of the non-IP-based MSIDs of associated mobile stations; and

granting or denying access of the mobile station to the local network based at least in part upon the determination of the home network domain name associated with the mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented in a local remote authentication dial-in user service (RADIUS) server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented in a visitor locator register (VLR).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-IP-based MSID is selected from the group consisting of:

a mobile identification number (MIN), an international roaming MIN (IRM), and an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI).

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising locally storing a set of roaming agreements, and determining whether the home network domain name associated with the mobile station is among one or more networks for which corresponding mobile station users have authorization via one of the set of roaming agreements to access the local network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising querying a remote RADIUS server associated with the home network domain name associated with the mobile station to determine whether the mobile station is authorized to access the local network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising caching information received in response to accessing the remote centralized server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping is maintained under the authority of a single organization independent of the home networks.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing of the remote centralized DNS server by the local server further comprises sending an access request including the non-IP-based MSID to the remote centralized DNS server, and further comprising receiving a response to the access request, wherein the response includes the home network domain name if the mapping at the remote centralized DNS server associates the non-IP-based MSID to one of the home network domain names in the mapping.

10. A method comprising:

maintaining in a remote centralized domain name system (DNS) server a central database containing a mapping of home network domain names and at least a portion of non-Internet Protocol-based mobile station IDs (MSIDs) of associated mobile stations comprising only prefixes of the non-IP-based MSIDs of associated mobile stations;

coupling the central database through an Internet DNS hierarchy to a plurality of local servers, wherein access by a roaming mobile station to one or more of the plurality of local servers is based on a home network domain name associated with at least a portion of a non-Internet Protocol-based mobile station ID (non-IP-based MSID) of the roaming mobile station;

receiving a query over the Internet DNS hierarchy from one of the plurality of local servers based on receipt by the local server of a request from the roaming mobile station to access a local network associated with the local server, wherein the query includes at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID of the roaming mobile station requesting access to the local network associated with the local server, and wherein at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID in the query comprises only a prefix; and

identifying the home network domain name associated with the roaming mobile station based on at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID of the roaming mobile station and the mapping contained in the central database of the DNS server.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the non-IP-based MSIDs are selected from the group consisting of:

mobile identification numbers (MINs), international roaming MINs (IRMs), and international mobile subscriber identities (IMSIs).

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving queries from one or more additional local servers, wherein the queries include at least a portion of respective non-IP-based MSIDs associated with one or more additional mobile stations requesting access to one or more additional local networks associated with the additional local servers; and

identifying one or more additional home networks network domain names associated with the additional mobile stations.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the identifying further comprises determining that the non-IP-based MSID is associated with one of the home network domain names in the mapping, and further comprising sending a response to the query, wherein the response includes the home network domain name.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a local server associated with a local network, wherein the local server is configured to;

receive a request by a mobile station for roaming access to the local network, the request containing at least a portion of a non-Internet Protocol-based mobile station ID (non-IP-based MSID) associated with the mobile station, wherein at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID in the request comprises only a prefix,

access a remote centralized domain name server (DNS) to determine a home network domain name associated with the mobile station based on at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID of the mobile station, wherein the DNS server contains a mapping of home network domain names and at least a portion of associated non-IP-based MSIDs comprising only prefixes of the non-IP-based MSIDs of associated mobile stations, and

grant or deny access of the mobile station to the local network based at least in part upon the determination of the home network domain name associated with the mobile station.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the local server comprises a remote authentication dial-in user service (RADIUS) server.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the local server comprises a visitor locator register (VLR).

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the local server is configured to generate a domain name server (DNS) query and to transmit the query to the centralized DNS.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the local server is configured to format the DNS query to include at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID associated with the mobile station.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the non-IP-based MSID is selected from the group consisting of:

a mobile identification number (MIN), an international roaming MIN (IRM), and an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI).

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the local server further comprises a local storage configured to store roaming agreement information and wherein the local server is configured to determine whether the home network domain name associated with the mobile station is among one or more networks for which corresponding mobile station users have authorization via the roaming agreement information to access the local network.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the local server is coupled to a remote RADIUS server associated with the home network domain name associated with the mobile station and wherein the local server is configured to query the remote RADIUS server to determine whether the mobile station is authorized to access the local network.

22. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the local server further comprises a local storage configured to cache information received in response to accessing the remote centralized server.

23. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the central database is maintained under the authority of a single organization independent of the home networks.

24. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the local server configured to access the remote centralized DNS server further comprises the local server configured to send an access request including the non-IP-based MSID to the remote centralized DNS server, and wherein the local server is further configured to receive a response to the access request, wherein the response includes the home network domain name if the mapping at the remote centralized DNS server associates the non-IP-based MSID to one of the home network domain names in the mapping.

25. An apparatus comprising:

a domain name system (DNS) server configured to;

maintain at least a portion of a central database containing a mapping of home network domain names and at least a portion of non-Internet Protocol-based mobile station IDs (non-IP-based MSIDs) of associated mobile stations comprising only prefixes of the non-IP-based MSIDs of associated mobile stations;

receive one or more queries over an Internet DNS hierarchy from one or more of a plurality of local servers based on receipt by the plurality of local servers of a request from a roaming mobile station to access a local network associated with each of the local servers, wherein each of the one or more queries includes at least a portion of a non-IP-based MSID associated with a roaming mobile station requesting access to a corresponding local network associated with the corresponding local server, wherein at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID in the one or more queries comprises only a prefix; and

identify home domain names associated with the roaming mobile stations identified in the queries by comparing at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSIDs of the roaming mobile stations with the central database of the mapping of home network domain names and at least the portion of the associated non-IP-based MSIDs,

wherein access of each roaming mobile station to one or more of the plurality of local servers is based on the home network domain name associated with each roaming mobile station.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the central database is maintained under the authority of a single organization independent of the home networks.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the non-IP-based MSIDs are selected from the group consisting of:

mobile identification numbers (MINs), international roaming MINs (IRMs), and international mobile subscriber identities (IMSIs).

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the DNS server configured to identify home networks domain names associated with the roaming mobile stations further comprises the DNS server configured to determine that one or more of the non-IP-based MSIDs are associated with one of the home network domain names in the mapping, and further comprising the DNS server configured to send one or more responses corresponding to the one or more queries, wherein the one or more responses include the respective one of the identified home network domain names associated with the respective one of the roaming mobile stations.

29. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving, at a local server, a request by a mobile station for roaming access to a local radio access network (RAN) associated with the local server, the request containing at least a portion of a non-Internet Protocol-based mobile station ID (non-IP-based MSID) associated with the mobile station, wherein at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID in the request comprises only a prefix;

means for accessing, by the local server, a remote centralized domain name system (DNS) server to determine a home network domain name associated with the mobile station based on at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSDI of the mobile station, wherein the DNS server contains a mapping of home network domain names and at least a portion of associated non-IP-based MSIDs comprising only prefixes of the non-IP-based MSIDs of associated mobile stations; and

means for granting or denying, at the local server, access of the mobile station to the local network based at least in part upon the determination of the home network domain name associated with the mobile station.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising:

a first set of codes for causing a computer to receive, at a local server, a request by a mobile station for roaming access to a local radio access network (RAN) associated with the local server, the request containing at least a portion of a non-Internet Protocol-based mobile station ID (non-IP-based MSID) associated with the mobile station, wherein at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID in the request comprises only a prefix;

a second set of codes for causing the computer to access a remote centralized domain name system (DNS) server to determine a home network domain name associated with the mobile station based on at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSDI of the mobile station, wherein the DNS server contains a mapping of home network domain names and at least a portion of associated non-IP-based MSIDs comprising only prefixes of the non-IP-based MSIDs of associated mobile stations; and

a third set of codes for causing the computer to grant or deny access of the mobile station to the local network based at least in part upon the determination of the home network domain name associated with the mobile station.

31. An apparatus, comprising:

means for maintaining in a remote centralized domain name system (DNS) server a central database containing a mapping of home network domain names and at least a portion of non-Internet Protocol-based mobile station IDs (MSIDs) of associated mobile stations comprising only prefixes of the non-IP-based MSIDs of associated mobile stations;

means for coupling the central database through an Internet DNS hierarchy to a plurality of local servers, wherein access by a roaming mobile station to one or more of the plurality of local servers is based on a home network domain name associated with at least a portion of a non-Internet Protocol-based mobile station ID (non-IP-based MSID) of the roaming mobile station;

means for receiving a query over the Internet DNS hierarchy from one of the plurality of local servers based on receipt by the local server of a request from the roaming mobile station to access a local network associated with the local server, wherein the query includes at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID of the roaming mobile station requesting access to the local network associated with the local server, and wherein at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID in the query comprises only a prefix; and

means for identifying the home network domain name associated with the roaming mobile station based on at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID of the roaming mobile station and the mapping contained in the central database of the DNS server.

32. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising:

a first set of codes for causing a computer to maintain in a remote centralized domain name system (DNS) server a central database containing a mapping of home network domain names and at least a portion of non-Internet Protocol-based mobile station IDs (MSIDs) of associated mobile stations comprising only prefixes of the non-IP-based MSIDs of associated mobile stations;

a second set of codes for causing the computer to couple the central database through an Internet DNS hierarchy to a plurality of local servers, wherein access by a roaming mobile station to one or more of the plurality of local servers is based on a home network domain name associated with at least a portion of a non-Internet Protocol-based mobile station ID (non-IP-based MSID) of the roaming mobile station;

a third set of codes for causing the computer to receive a query over the Internet DNS hierarchy from one of the plurality of local servers based on receipt by the local server of a request from the roaming mobile station to access a local network associated with the local server, wherein the query includes at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID of the roaming mobile station requesting access to the local network associated with the local server, and wherein at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID in the query comprises only a prefix; and

a fourth set of codes for causing the computer to identify the home network domain name associated with the roaming mobile station based on at least the portion of the non-IP-based MSID of the roaming mobile station and the mapping contained in the central database of the DNS server.