Secure location session manager

• US 8,687,511 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2011
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American SLS Manager Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Ghozati, Kambiz, Ung, Dara, Greenwell, Kyle, Thomas, Tojo, Wells, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davis, Ronald h
• Application Number:
  US13/067,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20110258328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1031 Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/143 Termination or inactivation of sessions, e.g. event-controlled end of session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks

Abstract

A Secure Location Session Manager (SLSM) is an intelligent router for open mobile alliance (OMA) Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Version 1.0 (and later) messages best implemented when multiple, geo-diverse SUPL servers are deployed in a distributed environment, such as an active-active redundant configuration within a wireless carrier'"'"'s network. In a standalone option, the SLSM acts as a “middleman” for all SUPL positioning messages between a mobile device and a responsible SUPL server. In an embedded option, the SLSM resides within an existing server. The SLSM manages and stores session information for all pending and ongoing SUPL positioning sessions in internal tables for routing and load balancing purposes. The external interfaces of the SLSM consist of OMA ULP messages.

Claims

1. A secure user plane location (SUPL) session router, comprising:

a session record manager to create a SUPL session record upon receipt, from a SUPL enabled terminal, of a SUPL location request to retrieve said SUPL session record, and upon receipt of a subsequent SUPL location request messaging, from said SUPL enabled terminal, to route said subsequent SUPL location request messaging to a particular SUPL server, from a plurality of SUPL servers, having serviced said SUPL location request;

wherein, for a single SUPL session, said SUPL session record is created in a routing table and retrieved from said routing table upon receipt of said subsequent SUPL location request messaging.

2. The secure user plane location (SUPL) session router according to claim 1, wherein:

said SUPL session router is a standalone session router separate from an initiating SUPL agent.

3. The secure user plane location (SUPL) session router according to claim 1, wherein:

said SUPL session router is embedded within an initiating SUPL agent.

4. The secure user plane location (SUPL) session router according to claim 1, wherein:

said SUPL session router stores session information for pending and ongoing SUPL positioning sessions in said routing table.

5. The secure user plane location (SUPL) session router according to claim 4, wherein:

said session information is routing and load balancing session information.

33. The location session manager according to claim 1, wherein:

said subsequent SUPL location request messaging is delivered to a particular one of said plurality of SUPL servers servicing an initial SUPL location request.

6. A method of managing a network initiated SUPL location request in a network comprising a plurality of SUPL servers, comprising:

creating, at secure user plane location (SUPL) session router, a SUPL session record upon receipt, from a SUPL enabled terminal, of a SUPL location request to retrieve said SUPL session record, and upon receipt of a subsequent SUPL location request messaging, from said SUPL enabled terminal, to route said subsequent SUPL location request messaging to a particular SUPL server, from said plurality of SUPL servers, having serviced said SUPL location request; and

creating, for a single SUPL session, said SUPL session record in a routing table and retrieved from said routing table upon receipt of said subsequent SUPL location request messaging.

7. The method of managing a network initiated SUPL location request in a network comprising a plurality of SUPL servers according to claim 6, wherein:

said SUPL session router is a standalone session router separate from an initiating SUPL agent.

8. The method of managing a network initiated SUPL location request in a network comprising a plurality of SUPL servers according to claim 6, wherein:

said SUPL session router is embedded within an initiating SUPL agent.

9. The method of managing a network initiated SUPL location request in a network comprising a plurality of SUPL servers according to claim 6, further comprising:

storing session information for pending and ongoing SUPL positioning sessions in an internal table.

10. The method of managing a network initiated SUPL location request in a network comprising a plurality of SUPL servers according to claim 9, wherein:

said session information is routing and load balancing session information.

34. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 9, further comprising:

delivering said subsequent SUPL location request messaging to a particular one of said plurality of SUPL servers servicing an initial SUPL location request.

11. A method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request, comprising:

transmitting, at an initiating SUPL server, a SUPL INIT trigger message to a SUPL enabled terminal;

receiving, at said initiating SUPL server, a SUPL POS INIT message;

receiving, at said initiating SUPL server, a SUPL server transfer request message; and

transferring, at said initiating SUPL server, ownership of an on-going SUPL session to a serving SUPL server.

12. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 11, wherein:

a SUPL INIT message is received from an embedded session router.

13. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 12, wherein:

said embedded session router extracts a SUPL session identifier to route said SUPL INIT trigger message directly to said initiating SUPL server.

14. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 11, wherein:

said SUPL enabled terminal populates a SUPL enabled terminal session identifier to establish a data connection with said serving SUPL server.

15. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 11, further comprising:

transferring session information of said on-going session to said serving SUPL server.

16. A method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request, comprising:

transmitting, at an initiating SUPL server, a SUPL INIT trigger message to a SUPL enabled terminal; and

receiving, at said initiating SUPL server, a SUPL POS INIT message from said SUPL enabled terminal; and

wherein a SUPL protocol address is extended to include a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to identify said initiating SUPL server for network-initiated requests.

17. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 16, further comprising:

populating, at said SUPL enabled terminal, a SUPL enabled terminal session identifier portion of a session identifier.

18. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 16, further comprising:

establishing, at said SUPL enabled terminal, an Internet Protocol (IP) based connection with a standalone session router.

19. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 16, further comprising:

initiating, at said SUPL enabled terminal, a position session.

20. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 16, wherein:

said SUPL INIT trigger message includes a SUPL server address of a standalone session router and its associated unique key.

21. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 16, wherein:

a query string of said URL contains a unique key to identify said initiating SUPL server.

22. A method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request, comprising:

transmitting, at an initiating SUPL server, a SUPL INIT trigger message to a SUPL enabled terminal, said SUPL INIT trigger message including a correlation key populated with a SUPL server session identifier;

receiving, at said initiating SUPL server, a SUPL POS INIT message via an intermediate embedded session router;

receiving, at said initiating SUPL server, a SUPL server transfer request message; and

transferring, at said initiating SUPL server, ownership of an on-going SUPL session to a serving SUPL server;

wherein a SUPL server session ID is extended to include said correlation key to identify said initiating SUPL server.

23. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 22, wherein:

populating, at said SUPL enabled terminal, a SUPL enabled terminal session identifier portion of a session identifier; and

establishing, at said SUPL enabled terminal, an Internet Protocol (IP) based connection with said serving SUPL server.

24. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 22, wherein:

receiving, at said serving SUPL server, said SUPL POS INIT message in response to said SUPL INIT trigger message.

25. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 22, wherein:

responding, at said initiating SUPL server, to said SUPL server transfer request message with session information.

26. A method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request, comprising:

receiving, at a standalone session router, a SUPL POS INIT message from a SUPL enabled terminal;

extracting, at said standalone session router, a correlation key;

performing, at said standalone session router, a table lookup to resolve an address of an initiating SUPL server; and

transmitting, at said standalone session router, said SUPL POS INIT message to said initiating SUPL server;

wherein a SUPL server session ID is extended to include said correlation key to identify said initiating SUPL server.

27. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 26, further comprising:

transmitting, at said initiating SUPL server, a SUPL INIT trigger message to said SUPL enabled terminal, said SUPL INIT trigger message including said correlation key.

28. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 26, further comprising:

populating, at said SUPL enabled terminal, a SUPL enabled terminal session identifier portion of a session identifier; and

establishing, at said SUPL enabled terminal, an Internet Protocol (IP) based connection with said standalone session router.

29. A method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request, comprising:

receiving, at a standalone session router, a SUPL INIT trigger message from an initiating SUPL server;

updating, at said standalone session router, a SUPL server session ID, that is associated with said SUPL INIT trigger message, with a correlation key;

transmitting, at said standalone session router, said SUPL INIT trigger message to a SUPL enabled terminal; and

receiving, at said standalone session router, a SUPL POS INIT message from said SUPL enabled terminal;

wherein said SUPL server session ID is extended to include said correlation key to identify said initiating SUPL server.

30. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 29, further comprising:

populating, at said SUPL enabled terminal, a SUPL enabled terminal session identifier portion of a session identifier; and

establishing, at said SUPL enabled terminal, an Internet Protocol (IP) based connection with said standalone session router.

31. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 29, further comprising:

transmitting, as said initiating SUPL server, said SUPL INIT trigger message to said standalone session router.

32. The method of managing a secure user plane location (SUPL) location request according to claim 29, further comprising:

initiating, at said SUPL enabled terminal, a position session.