Methods and systems for efficient deployment of communication filters

• US 8,554,178 B1
• Filed: 07/22/2009
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Swaminathan, Ramkumar, Pavanasam, Chidambaram, Shuck, Kenton
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): PLATA, EDD RIANNE L
• Application Number:
  US12/507,445
• Time in Patent Office: 1,539 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411, 455/432.1, 455/448, 455/432.3, 380/248
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0019 adapted for mobile IP [MIP]

Abstract

Methods and systems for efficient deployment of communication filters are presented. In an exemplary embodiment, a wireless communication device (WCD) attempts to register with a foreign agent and a home agent by using mobile IP. During this process, an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server receives a first message from the foreign agent, where the first message seeks to authenticate the WCD. The AAA server responds to the first message with a second message containing a filter to be applied to the WCD'"'"'s communication. The AAA server than receives a third message containing the filter, and the AAA server responsively transmits a fourth message to the home agent, seeking to have the home agent apply the filter to the WCD'"'"'s communication. In this way, communications between the home agent and the AAA server can be reduced because the home agent only communicates with the AAA server if the WCD is subject to a filter.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a server receiving a first message from a first foreign agent, wherein via the first message the first foreign agent seeks to authenticate a first wireless communication device (WCD);

responsive to receiving the first message, the server determining that the first WCD is to be subject to, at a home agent, a first filter, wherein the first filter represents rules for the home agent to apply data packets of to the first WCD'"'"'s communication;

responsive to determining that the first WCD is to be subject to, at the home agent, the first filter, the server transmitting a second message to the first foreign agent, wherein the second message includes an attribute that contains a representation of the first filter;

the server receiving a third message from the first foreign agent, wherein the third message includes (i) accounting information associated with the first WCD, (ii) an address of the home agent, and (iii) the attribute that contains the representation of the first filter; and

responsive to receiving the third message, the server transmitting a fourth message to the home agent, wherein the fourth message contains the representation of the first filter and requests the home agent to apply the first filter to at least some communications associated with the first WCD, such that the home agent does not perform home agent authentication for the first WCD.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the first filter is a reference to a specification of the first filter stored on the home agent.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the first filter is a specification of the first filter, and wherein the specification contains rules associated with the WCD.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message is an access-request message, wherein the second message is an access-accept message, and wherein the third message is an accounting-request message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the server comprises an authentication module and an accounting module, wherein the authentication module receives the first message and transmits the second message, and wherein the accounting module receives the third message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the server has access to a database of profiles, each profile in the database associated with a WCD, and wherein the server determining that the first WCD is subject to the first filter comprises:

the server looking up the first WCD in the database of profiles; and

the server finding an entry for the first WCD in the database of profiles, wherein the entry contains the representation of the first filter.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the server receiving a fifth message from the first foreign agent, wherein via the fifth message the first foreign agent seeks to authenticate a second WCD;

responsive to receiving the fifth message, the server determining that the second WCD is subject a second filter;

responsive to determining that the second WCD is subject to the second filter, the server transmitting a sixth message to the first foreign agent, wherein the sixth message includes an attribute that contains a representation of the second filter;

the server receiving a seventh message from the first foreign agent, wherein the seventh message includes (i) accounting information associated with the second WCD, (ii) the address of the home agent, and (iii) an attribute that contains the representation of the second filter; and

responsive to receiving the seventh message, the server transmitting an eighth message to the destination, wherein the eighth message contains the representation of the second filter.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the server receiving a fifth message from the home agent, wherein the fifth message acknowledges that the home agent has installed the first filter so that the first filter is applied to at least some communications associated with the first WCD.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute is a class attribute.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is also communicatively coupled to a second foreign agent, the method further comprising:

after transmitting the fourth message the server receiving a fifth message from the second foreign agent, wherein via the fifth message the second foreign agent seeks to authenticate a second WCD;

responsive to receiving the fifth message, the server determining that the second WCD is subject the second filter, wherein the second filter represents rules for the home agent to apply to the second WCD'"'"'s communication;

responsive to determining that the second WCD is subject to the second filter, the server transmitting a sixth message to the second foreign agent, wherein the sixth message includes an attribute that contains a representation of the second filter;

the server receiving a seventh message from the second foreign agent, wherein the seventh message includes (i) accounting information associated with the second WCD, (ii) the address of the home agent, and (iii) the attribute that contains the representation of the second filter; and

responsive to receiving the seventh message, the server transmitting an eighth message to the destination, wherein the eighth message contains the representation of the second filter.

11. A server comprising:

a processor;

a data storage containing a profile associated with a wireless communication device (WCD), wherein the profile indicates that the WCD is to be subject to, at a home agent, a filter, wherein the filter represents rules for the home agent to apply to data packets of the WCD'"'"'s communication;

program instructions, stored in the data storage and executable by the processor, to (i) receive a first message from a foreign agent, wherein via the first message the foreign agent seeks to authenticate the WCD, (ii) responsive to receiving the first message, determine that the WCD is to be subject to, at the home agent, the filter, (iii) responsive to determining that the WCD is to be subject to, at the home agent, the filter at the home agent, transmit a second message to the foreign agent, wherein the second message includes an attribute that contains a representation of the filter, (iv) receive a third message from the foreign agent, wherein the third message contains (a) accounting information associated with the WCD, (b) an address of the home agent, and (c) the attribute that contains the representation of the filter, and (v) responsive to receiving the third message, transmit a fourth message to the home agent, wherein the fourth message contains the representation of first filter and requests the home agent to apply the filter to at least some communications associated with the WCD, such that the home agent does not perform home agent authentication for the first WCD.

12. The server of claim 11, wherein the profile includes a reference to a specification of the filter stored on the home agent.

13. The server of claim 11, wherein the profile includes a specification of the filter, wherein the specification contains rules associated with the WCD.

14. The server of claim 11, wherein the profile is stored in a database of profiles, and wherein the program instructions to determine that the WCD is subject to the filter comprise:

program instructions, stored in the data storage and executable by the processor, to look up the WCD in the database of profiles, and find an entry for the WCD in the database of profiles, wherein the entry contains the representation of the filter.