Wireless network service interfaces

• US 8,626,115 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2011
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Headwater Research LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Original Assignee: Headwater Partners I LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Inventors: Raleigh, Gregory G., Raissinia, Alireza, Lavine, James
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US13/229,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20130065551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/202, 709/224, 455/414.1, 455/432.1, 455/435.1, 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5041 characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/53 using mediation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 : Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 : Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 : Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A system communicatively coupled to a device over a wireless access network, the system comprising one or more processors configured to establish, in cooperation with one or more agents on the device, a secure control link enabling secure communications between the system and the one or more agents over the wireless access network, and a service interface enabling the one or more processors to communicate over the secure control link with the one or more agents to assist the one or more agents to change at least an aspect of a service plan associated with the device, and provide, to the one or more agents, information about a past or current service usage by the device to enable the one or more agents to present, through a user interface of the device, a notification associated with the past or current service usage by the device.

Claims

1. A wireless network system communicatively coupled to an end-user device over a wireless access network, the wireless network system comprising:

one or more processors configured to establish, in cooperation with one or more device agents on the end-user device, a secure control link enabling secure communications between the wireless network system and the one or more device agents over the wireless access network, wherein the secure control link is secured by an encryption protocol; and

a service interface enabling the one or more processors to communicate over the secure control link with the one or more device agents to;

assist the one or more device agents to change at least an aspect of a service plan associated with the end-user device, and

provide, to the one or more device agents, information about a past or current service usage by the end-user device, the information about the past or current service usage by the end-user device enabling the one or more device agents to present, through a user interface of the end-user device, a notification associated with the past or current service usage by the end-user device.

2. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein the information about the past or current service usage by the end-user device comprises a cost associated with usage of the wireless access network.

3. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to communicate over the secure control link with the one or more device agents to provide, to the one or more agents, the information about the past or current service usage by the end-user device before communicating over the secure control link with the one or more device agents to assist the one or more device agents to change the at least an aspect of a service plan associated with the end-user device.

4. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more device agents comprise a software application.

5. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more device agents is a software application.

6. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein the service interface is consistent across more than one network.

7. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein assist the one or more device agents to change at least an aspect of a service plan associated with the end-user device comprises assist the one or more device agents to obtain a catalog of one or more available service plan options from the wireless network system.

8. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein the service interface further enables the one or more processors to assist the one or more device agents to provide, through a user interface of the end-user device, an estimated, projected, predicted, or expected measure of usage of the wireless access network by the end-user device.

9. The wireless network system recited in claim 8, wherein the estimated, projected, predicted, or expected measure of usage of the wireless access network by the end-user device comprises one or more classifications of data usage.

10. The wireless network system recited in claim 9, wherein at least one of the one or more classifications of data usage is based on a network destination accessible to the end-user device.

11. The wireless network system recited in claim 9, wherein at least one of the one or more classifications of data usage is based on an application on or available to the end-user device.

12. The wireless network system recited in claim 9, wherein at least one of the one or more classifications of data usage is based on a network type of the wireless access network.

13. The wireless network system recited in claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to communicate over the secure control link with the one or more device agents to assist the one or more device agents to provide, through the user interface of the end-user device, the estimated, projected, predicted, or expected measure of usage of the wireless access network by the end-user device before communicating over the secure control link with the one or more device agents to assist the one or more device agents to change the at least an aspect of a service plan associated with the end-user device.

14. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more device agents comprises software, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide at least a portion of the software to the end-user device.

15. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein the information about a past or current service usage by the end-user device comprises a measure of past or current usage of the wireless access network by the end-user device.

16. The wireless network system recited in claim 7, wherein the catalog of one or more available service plan options includes a listing of one or more available service plans.

17. The wireless network system recited in claim 7, wherein the catalog of one or more available service plan options is based on a credential of the end-user device.

18. The wireless network system recited in claim 7, wherein the service plan is a first service plan, and wherein the catalog of one or more available service plan options includes an option to purchase a second service plan.

19. The wireless network system recited in claim 7, wherein the service plan is a first service plan, and wherein the catalog of one or more available service plan options includes an option to select a second service plan.

20. The wireless network system recited in claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide the catalog of one or more available service plan options to the one or more device agents.

21. The wireless network system recited in claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to obtain the catalog of one or more available service plan options from one or more network elements.

22. The wireless network system recited in claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to obtain a user response from the one or more device agents, the user response indicating a selection of one of the one or more available service plan options.

23. The wireless network system recited in claim 22, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to send a confirmation to the one or more device agents, the confirmation configured to assist the one or more device agents in presenting a service plan confirmation message through the user interface of the end-user device.

24. The wireless network system recited in claim 22, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to assist in provisioning one or more network elements based on the user response.

25. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein the information about a past or current service usage by the end-user device comprises a measure of past or current usage of the service plan associated with the end-user device.

26. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein the information about a past or current service usage by the end-user device comprises a percentage of usage of the service plan associated with the end-user device.

27. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more device agents comprises software.

28. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein assist the one or more device agents to change at least an aspect of a service plan associated with the end-user device comprises:

provide one or more service plan options to the one or more device agents, and

receive a service plan option selection from the one or more device agents, the service plan option selection indicating at least one of the one or more service plan options.

29. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein assist the one or more device agents to change at least an aspect of a service plan associated with the end-user device comprises:

receive, from the one or more device agents, a service selection information request.

30. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein assist the one or more device agents to change at least an aspect of a service plan associated with the end-user device comprises:

receive, from the one or more device agents, a service selection information request,

provide one or more service plan options to the one or more device agents, and

receive a service plan option selection from the one or more device agents, the service plan option selection indicating at least one of the one or more service plan options.

31. The wireless network system recited in claim 30, wherein the service selection information request comprises a device credential.

32. The wireless network system recited in claim 1, wherein the information about a past or current service usage by the end-user device comprises one or more classifications of data usage.

33. The wireless network system recited in claim 32, wherein at least one of the one or more classifications of data usage is based on a network destination accessible to the end-user device.

34. The wireless network system recited in claim 32, wherein at least one of the one or more classifications of data usage is based on an application on or available to the end-user device.

35. The wireless network system recited in claim 32, wherein at least one of the one or more classifications of data usage is based on a network type of the wireless access network.