Location based sharing of a network access credential

• US 8,909,247 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tipton, Rick, Austin, Mark, Kosseifi, Mario, Tofighbakhsh, Mostafa
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Brandon
• Application Number:
  US13/291,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20130115915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 455410-411, 455418-420, 4554561-4566, 455/517
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/43 using shared identity modules, e.g. SIM sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

The disclosed subject matter provides for sharing a network access credential based on location information. Location information can include timed fingerprint location information. In an aspect, location information can be associated with a location of user equipment. This location information can be correlated with network access credentials. Location information can be used to access a relevant network access credential. The relevant network access credential can be shared with other devices. In an embodiment, sharing a network access credential can be between mobile devices. In another embodiment, sharing a network access credential can be between a remote computing device and a mobile device. Sharing a credential can allow for access to a network without having to generate or input new credentials.

Claims

1. A user equipment, comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

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

receiving location information associated with the user equipment, wherein the location information comprises timed fingerprint location information based on a first differential timing measurement related to a first pair of NodeB devices comprising a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device and a second differential timing measurement related to a second pair of NodeB devices comprising a third NodeB device and a fourth NodeB device, wherein the first and second differential timing measurements are correlated to geographic location information determined before the timed fingerprint location information is received by the user equipment, and the first and second differential timing measurements are stored as part of the timed fingerprint location information to facilitate determining a location of the user equipment;

selecting a network access credential of the user equipment based on the location information; and

facilitating communications related to distribution of the network access credential to another user equipment.

2. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the timed fingerprint location information comprises the location of the user equipment.

3. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining a permission related to access to the network access credential.

4. The user equipment of claim 3, wherein the permission is based on an aspect of a request to access the network access credential.

5. The user equipment of claim 4, wherein the aspect of the request is an identity from a user profile of the other user equipment.

6. The user equipment of claim 4, wherein the aspect of the request is a device identifier of the other user equipment.

7. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein the device identifier is a phone number.

8. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise facilitating wireless communications related to distribution of the network access credential.

9. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the facilitating the communications comprises generating a prompt for selection of a network related to the network access credential.

10. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the facilitating the communications comprises accessing a network associated with the network access credential.

11. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise communicatively coupling the user equipment to a server device located remote from the user equipment and wherein the server device is determined to:

receive the location information for the user equipment and information related to an aspect of the user equipment; and

allow access, for the other user equipment, to another network access credential based on the location information.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a user equipment comprising a processor, location information for the user equipment, wherein the location information comprises timed fingerprint location information based on a first differential timing measurement related to a first pair of NodeB devices comprising a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device and a second differential timing measurement related to a second pair of NodeB devices comprising a third NodeB device and a fourth NodeB device, wherein the first and second differential timing measurements are correlated to geographic location information determined before the timed fingerprint location information is received by the user equipment, and the first and second differential timing measurements are included in the timed fingerprint location information to facilitate determining a location of the user equipment;

receiving, by the user equipment, a network access credential associated with the user equipment based on the location information; and

allowing, by the user equipment, access to the network access credential by another user equipment.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the allowing access includes determining a permission related to a preference stored in a user profile.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining the permission is based on an aspect of a request for access to the network access credential being determined to satisfy an access policy.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the receiving the network access credential further comprises receiving network access credential information from a mobile device adapted for communications with a wireless telecommunications network device; and

the allowing access to the network access credential comprises allowing access to the network access credential by a mobile device that is not adapted for communication with a wireless telecommunications network device.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the timed fingerprint location information comprises the location of the user equipment.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions, that in response to execution, cause a computing system to perform operations, comprising:

receiving location information related to a first user equipment, wherein the location information comprises timed fingerprint location information based on a first differential timing measurement related to a first pair of NodeB devices comprising a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device and a second differential timing measurement related to a second pair of NodeB devices comprising a third NodeB device and a fourth NodeB device, wherein the first and second differential timing measurements are correlated to geographic location information determined before the timed fingerprint location information is received by the user equipment, and the first and second differential timing measurements are represented in the timed fingerprint location information to facilitate determining a location of the user equipment;

accessing a network access credential of the first user equipment based on the location information; and

allowing access to the network access credential by a second user equipment based on an aspect of a request for access to the network access credential, the request related to the second user equipment.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the first user equipment is a mobile phone device and the second user equipment is not a mobile phone device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the timed fingerprint location information comprises the location of the user equipment.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the aspect of the request is an identity from a user profile of the other user equipment.