Systems and methods for subscriber profile management

• US 8,275,370 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2011
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amdocs Canadian Managed Services Inc. (Amdocs Ltd.), Amdocs Development Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Bridgewater Systems Corp. (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jones, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): MATHARU, MANPREET S
• Application Number:
  US13/017,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20110124313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 4554321-4353, 455/433, 455/465.5, 455/456.1, 455/410, 455/411, 455/405, 455/406
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• 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

Systems and methods subscriber profile management to facilitate seamless roaming of mobile devices from one network to another. A subscriber profile management system is provided that includes a time to live (“TTL”) generator that generates a TTL limit for a subscriber based on usage characteristics of the subscriber. The subscriber profile management system further includes an administration module that administers TTL limits, TTL limit database that store TTL limits, a subscriber profile database that stores subscriber profiles, a usage measurement database that stores usage measurements, and a TTL limit reference module that administers TTLs when a subscriber profile and TTL limit are transmitted. The invention further includes a series of methods that support seamless roaming capabilities of a subscriber throughout visited networks without the need to continually make proxy calls to re-authenticate a subscriber.

Claims

1. A subscriber profile management system in a wireless home network, comprising:

a time to live (TTL) generator that generates a TTL limit for a subscriber based on usage characteristics of the subscriber, wherein the TTL limit specifies a time limit for which a subscriber profile is to remain active within a visited network when the subscriber accesses the visited network;

an administration module that administers the TTL limit;

a TTL Limit Reference Module that stores and administers the TTL limit when the subscriber profile and the TTL limit are transmitted to the visited network for the subscriber;

a usage measurement interface that provides an interface to an external source that provides subscriber usage measurements;

wherein the subscriber profile management system transmits the subscriber profile and the TTL limit when a service request is received from the visited network for the subscriber having the wireless home network different from the visited network, wherein the subscriber profile management system is located within the wireless home network;

wherein the subscriber profile management system generates and manages the TTL limit for the subscriber of the wireless home network.

2. The subscriber profile management system of claim 1, further comprising a TTL limit database that stores the TTL limit.

3. The subscriber profile management system of claim 1, further comprising a subscriber profile database that stores the subscriber profile, wherein the subscriber profile includes subscriber credentials and a subscriber service profile.

4. The subscriber profile management system of claim 1, further comprising a subscriber profile interface that provides an interface to an external source that provides the subscriber profile.

5. The subscriber profile management system of claim 1, further comprising a usage measurement database that stores subscriber usage measurements.

6. The subscriber profile management system of claim 1, wherein the usage characteristics include roaming characteristics.

7. A wireless home network system, comprising:

a TTL limit database that stores a TTL limit for a visiting subscriber when the visiting subscriber has been granted network access to a visited network, wherein the TTL limit specifies a time limit for which a subscriber profile is to remain active within the visited network when the visiting subscriber accesses the visited network;

a subscriber profile database that stores the subscriber profile when the visiting subscriber has been granted network access to the visited network;

an administration module that administers the subscriber profile and the TTL limit, wherein the visiting subscriber is from a home network that differs from a network in which the system resides; and

a TTL Limit Reference Module that stores and administers the TTL limit when the subscriber profile and the TTL limit are transmitted to the visited network for the subscriber.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein upon receiving a service request the system determines whether an active TTL exists for the visiting subscriber requesting service.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein when the active TTL limit does not exist for the visiting subscriber requesting service, the system requests the subscriber profile and the TTL limit from the home network of the visiting subscriber.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the TTL limit is based on one or more of usage characteristics of the visiting subscriber, billing characteristics of the visiting subscriber, a type of subscription for the visiting subscriber, bill payment characteristics of the visiting subscriber, mobility characteristics of the visiting subscriber and fraud control parameters.

11. A method in a visited wireless network, comprising:

receiving a service request from a visiting subscriber in a service area of a visited network;

requesting a visiting subscriber profile and a time to live (TTL) limit, wherein the TTL limit specifies a time limit for which the visiting subscriber profile is to remain active within the visited network when the visiting subscriber accesses the visited network;

receiving the visited subscriber profile and the TTL limit;

caching the visiting subscriber profile and the TTL limit; and

providing the service to the visiting subscriber;

storing and administering the TTL limit when the visiting subscriber profile and the TTL limit are transmitted to the visited network for the visiting subscriber.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising recording a roaming start time.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising deactivating the TTL limit when an elapsed time from the roaming start time exceeds the TTL limit.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the visited network and a home network are operated by the same network provider.