Arrangement for controlling access to data network

• US 8,917,735 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2010
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shieh, Hugh
• Primary Examiner(s): Alia, Curtis A
• Application Number:
  US12/820,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20110310863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/315, 370/328, 370/389, 370/392, 370/395.5, 370/401, 370/431, 370/463, 370/464, 370/465, 370/466, 455/405, 455/407, 455/462, 455/550.1, 455/553.1, 455/554.2, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2517 using port numbers

Abstract

A soft AP module that is installed in the subscriber device is adapted to assign preselected ports numbers as part of its network address translation process. Those port numbers are registered to be used solely for this purpose, port numbers that are registered to applications that are seldomly used, or port numbers in the range 49152-65535. One or more modules in the service provider'"'"'s facilities analyze the packets that pass through the service provider'"'"'s facilities. Each module detects the aforementioned predetermined port numbers in the analyzed packets and thus identifies the network load that is attributed to devices the employ the W²LANs.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless telephone with capability to connect to a data network, the wireless telephone including,

an antenna; and

a module configured to implement an access point (AP), a router, and network address translation to thereby create a wireless local area network which, when receiving a packet from a device coupled to said wireless local area network that requests connection to a specified destination address on the data network, replaces a local area network source address of said packet with a network address of said router and inserts a port number in said packet, wherein said module selects said port number from a set of pre-chosen port numbers according to a device type of said device;

wherein devices of a first type on said wireless local area network are assigned respective first port numbers by said wireless telephone, said first port numbers being selected such that a modulo n representation of each of said first port numbers is a first number, n being an integer, and wherein devices of a second type are assigned respective other port numbers by said wireless telephone, said other port numbers being selected such that said modulo n representation of each of said other port numbers is a second number.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 where said data network is the Internet.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 where said module that selects said port number makes the selection independently of identity of an application that said requesting device is executing.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 where said preselected numbers are port numbers that are registered with an Internet Assigned Numbers Authority for use in wireless local area network network address translations.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 where said preselected numbers are between 49152 and 65535.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 where said preselected numbers are port numbers that are registered with an Internet Assigned Numbers Authority for use by applications that flow through said wireless local area network less than 1% of the time.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 where said telephone includes another module for enabling a user of said telephone to specify a type for a device that seeks connection to said wireless local area network.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further including a quality of service (QoS) module that controls data flow rates of devices connected to said wireless local area network.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 where said telephone includes another module for enabling a user of said telephone to allow or disallow a connection to said wireless local area network of a device that seeks said connection.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 where said telephone includes another module for enabling a user of said telephone to allow access by a device that seeks connection to said wireless local area network, and to specify a type for said device.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an element upstream of said module that includes a packet sniffer that:

identifies a port number of incoming packets to thereby obtain data pertaining to network load; and

processes said data to determine which of said incoming packets are from said wireless local area network according said port number.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 where said element is between said module and said data network.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 where said processing computes a percentage of packets incoming to said element from said wireless local area network relative to other packets arriving at said element.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 where said processing focuses on said wireless telephone.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first number is 0, said second number is 1, and n is 8.

16. A method for use with a wireless telephone with capability to connect to a data network, said wireless telephone implementing an access point (AP) function, router, and network address translation functions and thereby creating a wireless local area network, the method comprising:

receiving a packet from a device coupled to said wireless local area network, the packet associated with a request for a connection to a destination address on the data network;

inserting a port number in said packet from a set of port numbers, the port number being selected according to a device type of said device;

said wireless telephone assigning devices of a first type on said wireless local area network respective first port numbers, said first port numbers being selected such that a modulo n representation of each of said first port numbers is a first number, n being an integer; and

said wireless telephone assigning devices of a second type other port numbers, said other port numbers being selected such that said modulo n representation of each of said other port numbers is a second number.

17. A method for use with a wireless telephone with capability to connect to a data network, said wireless telephone implementing an access point (AP) function, router, and network address translation functions and thereby creating a wireless local area network, the method comprising:

receiving a packet from a connected device coupled to said wireless local area network, the packet associated with a request for a connection to a destination address on the data network;

inserting a port number in said packet, the port number being selected according to, at least in part, a quality of service class requested by an application of the connected device;

said wireless telephone assigning a first quality of service class a first port number, said first port number being selected such that a modulo n representation of said first port number is a first number, n being an integer; and

said wireless telephone assigning a second quality of service class another port number, said other port number being selected such that said modulo n representation of said other port number is a second number.