Interface for access management of FEMTO cell coverage

• US 8,490,156 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• 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): Hoffman, Brandon
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, ANTHONY D
• Application Number:
  US12/276,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20090288139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• Field of Search: 726/2, 713/150, 713/161
• US Class Current: 726/2
• 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

Access management of femto cell service through access control list(s), or “white list(s)” is disclosed. Such white list(s) can be configured via a networked interface which facilitates access management to a femto cell. White list(s) includes a set of subscriber station(s) identifier numbers, codes or tokens, and can also include additional fields for femto cell access management based on desired complexity. Various interfaces and user profiles are associated with granting different levels of access to requesting UEs.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the instructions to perform operations, comprising;

determining association data indicative of an association between access control data structures associated with respective femto access point devices, wherein the access control data structures comprise identifier data associated with user equipments that are authorized to access the respective femto access point devices, and

facilitating storage of the access control data structures based on the association data, wherein the facilitating comprises compressing the identifier data based on the association data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the facilitating comprises determining a hierarchical representation of the access control data structures based on the association data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

updating the identifier data based on update data received from a subscriber data store via a macro network.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the updating comprises updating the identifier data in response to determining a change has occurred in token data associated with a user equipment of the user equipments.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein an access control data structure of the access control data structures comprises timing data associated with a user equipment of the user equipments, wherein the timing data is employed to deny access to the femto cell coverage by the user equipment in response to a determination that a specified time period has expired.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from a communication device, a request to access an access control data structure of the access control data structures,

determining administrative rights data associated with the communication device, and

based on the administrative rights data, determining display data associated with the access control data structure.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating a presentation of the display data on the communication device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining the association data comprises determining that a first access control data structure of the access control data structures is associated with a second access control data structure of the access control data structures in response to a determination that first identifier data of a first user equipment associated with a third access control data structure of the access control data structures has been added to the first access control data structure, and a determination that second identifier data of a second user equipment associated with second access control data structure has been added to the third access control data structure.

9. A method, comprising:

determining, by a system comprising a processor, association data indicative of an association between a first access control data structure and a second access control data structure, wherein the first access control data structure is employed to control access to a first femto access point device and the second access control data structure is employed to control access to a second femto access point device;

determining, by the system, a compressed access control data structure based on compressing the first access control data structure and the second access control data structure in accordance with the association data; and

facilitating, by the system, storage of the compressed access control data structure.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

sharing, by the system, the first access control data structure with a third femto access point device, wherein the sharing comprises facilitating utilization of the first access control data structure to control access to the third femto access point device.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

updating, by the system, the first access control data structure based on information received from a subscriber data store accessible via a macro network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the updating comprises updating the first access control data structure in response to determining that identifier data associated with a user equipment authorized to access the first femto access point device has changed.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining the compressed access control data structure comprises determining, based on the association data, a hierarchical representation of the first access control data structure and the second access control data structure.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

facilitating, by the system, a presentation of an abbreviated interface for editing the first access control data structure.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the facilitating the presentation comprises facilitating the presentation via a device utilized for receiving a femto cell management notification.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, input data indicative of a device via the abbreviated interface; and

granting, by the system, temporary access of a femto resource associated with the first femto access point to the device based on the input data.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

prohibiting, by the system, access of the femto resource by the device in response to determining that a time period associated with the temporary access has expired.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

requesting, by the system, authorization data associated with an extension of the temporary access in response the determining that the time period has expired.

19. A system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the instructions to perform operations, comprising;

in response to determining that a first user equipment associated with a first femto access point device is authorized to access a second femto access point device, and that a second user equipment associated with the second femto access point device is authorized to access a third femto access point device,

determining association data indicative of an association of the first femto access point device with the third femto access point device,

based on the association data, determining a hierarchical access control data structure associated with the first femto access point device and the third femto access point device, wherein the determining the hierarchical access control data structure comprises compressing identifier data indicative of a first set of user equipments that is authorized to access the first femto access point device and a second set of user equipments that is authorized to access the second femto access point device, and

facilitating storage of the hierarchical access control data structure.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the hierarchical access control data structure comprises a tree representation that is determined based on a first access control data structure associated with the first femto access point device and a second access control data structure associated with the third femto access point device.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the determining the hierarchical access control data structure comprises determining the hierarchical access control data structure by employing data compression.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the data compression comprises wavelet compression.

23. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

determining association data indicative of an association between access control data structures associated with respective femto access point devices, wherein the access control data structures comprise identifier data associated with user equipments that are authorized to access the respective femto access point devices; and

facilitating storage of the access control data structures based on the association data, wherein the facilitating comprises compressing the identifier data based on the association data.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the facilitating comprises determining a hierarchical representation of the access control data structures based on the association data.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the compressing comprises compressing the identifier data based on wavelet compression.