Subscriber based policy for service network gateways

• US 8,863,267 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2009
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Selitser, Boris, Jansson, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEHESHTI SHIRAZI, SAYED ARESH
• Application Number:
  US12/492,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20100333187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,936 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 455/453, 455/411, 705/34, 726/12
• US Class Current: 726/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A subscriber network can provide services. External applications can use the services on the subscriber network. A service access gateway can control application access to services of the subscriber network. The service access gateway can filter requests from an external application to access services on the subscriber network based on the customer for which the external application is accessing the service.

Claims

1. A system for filtering requests to a service access gateway comprising:

a service access gateway, executing on a computer, including a computer readable medium and processor, providing access to a subscriber network that provides services to subscriber equipment connected to the subscriber network;

one or more external applications provided by one or more service providers, wherein said one or more external applications make requests for said services provided by the subscriber network, for a customer identified by an identifier, wherein the identifier is included in each said request and extracted therefrom through the service access gateway for routing the requested services to the customer, and wherein the identifier is masked and mapped through an external lookup;

wherein the service access gateway is operable to control access to said services of the subscriber network by said external applications by performing steps comprising

maintaining a plurality of service classes, each said service class being an artifact with methods and properties, wherein at least one of the service classes is configured using a configuration file that includes references to the service providers, the external applications, the services on the subscriber network, and rate and quota restrictions on service usage for the customer,

filtering the requests via a plurality of interceptors,

identifying the service class associated with the customer from the plurality of service classes using an in-memory filter that includes indications of associations between customers and service classes,

obtaining the rate and quota restrictions for the customer from the configuration file of the service class, and current usage counts associated with the customer, and

controlling the requests based on the current usage counts and the rate and quota restrictions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the rate and quota restrictions restrict use per unit time.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-memory filter that includes indications of associations between customers and service classes is stored in a subscriber profile manager in the service access gateway.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a profile provider registers a profile with the service access gateway so that the service access gateway determines how to filter the external application requests for the customer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of interceptors at the service access gateway include a service provider service level agreement (SLA) interceptor and a subscriber network node SLA interceptor.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifier is a subscriber address that uniquely identifies the customer.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps comprising:

providing a service access gateway, executing on one or more microprocessors, wherein the service access gateway includes a plurality of service classes, wherein each said service class is an artifact with methods and properties, wherein at least one of the service classes is configured using a configuration file that includes references to one or more service providers, one or more external applications, one or more services on a subscriber network, and rate and quota restrictions on service usage for a customer;

receiving, via the service access gateway, a plurality of requests from said external applications for access to said services of the subscriber network provided to subscriber equipment connected to said subscriber network, wherein said external applications are provided by a said service provider, and wherein the requests are made for the customer identified by an identifier, wherein the identifier is included in each said request and extracted therefrom through the service access gateway for routing the requested services to the said customer, and wherein the identifier is masked and mapped through an external lookup;

filtering the requests based on a plurality of inceptors in the service access gateway;

identifying a service class associated with the customer from the plurality of service classes using an in-memory filter that includes indications of associations between customers and service classes;

obtaining the rate and quota restrictions for the customer from the configuration file of the service class, and current usage counts associated with the customer; and

controlling the requests based on the current usage counts and the rate and quota restrictions.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the rate and quota restrictions restrict use per unit time.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the in-memory filter that includes indications of associations between customers and service classes is stored in a subscriber profile manager in the service access gateway.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein a profile provider registers a profile with the service access gateway so that the service access gateway determines how to filter the external application requests for the customer.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the plurality of interceptors at the service access gateway include a service provider service level agreement (SLA) interceptor and a subscriber network node SLA interceptor.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the identifier is a subscriber address that uniquely identifies the customer.

11. A method for filtering requests to a service access gateway, comprising:

providing a service access gateway, executing on one or more microprocessors, wherein the service access gateway includes a plurality of service classes, wherein each said service class is an artifact with methods and properties, wherein at least one of the service classes is configured using a configuration file that includes references to one or more service providers, one or more external applications, one or more services on a subscriber network, and rate and quota restrictions on service usage for a customer;

receiving, via the service access gateway, a plurality of requests from said external applications for access to said services of the subscriber network provided to subscriber equipment connected to said subscriber network, wherein said external applications are provided by a said service provider, and wherein the requests are made for the customer identified by an identifier, wherein the identifier is included in each said request and extracted therefrom through the service access gateway for routing the requested services to the said customer, and wherein the identifier is masked and mapped through an external lookup;

filtering the requests based on a plurality of inceptors in the service access gateway;

identifying a service class associated with the customer from the plurality of service classes using an in-memory filter that includes indications of associations between customers and service classes;

obtaining the rate and quota restrictions for the customer from the configuration file of the service class, and current usage counts associated with the customer; and

controlling the requests based on the current usage counts and the rate and quota restrictions.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the rate and quota restrictions restrict use per unit time.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the in-memory filter that includes indications of associations between customers and service classes is stored in a subscriber profile manager in the service access gateway.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein a profile provider registers a profile with the service access gateway so that the service access gateway determines how to filter the external application requests for the customer.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of interceptors at the service access gateway include a service provider service level agreement (SLA) interceptor and a subscriber network node SLA interceptor.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the identifier is a subscriber address that uniquely identifies the customer.