System and method for selectively provisioning telecommunications services between an access point and a telecommunications network using a subscriber identifier

• US 8,953,620 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2009
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Caldwell, Christopher E., Linkola, Janne P.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, HOANG-CHUONG Q
• Application Number:
  US12/399,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20100226346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,167 Days
• Field of Search: 370/395.2, 370/252, 370/352, 370/338, 370/401, 455/558, 455/556.1, 455/557
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/385 of the core network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/10 between terminal device and access point, i.e. wireless air interface

Abstract

A method and system for selectively provisioning services between an access point, which supports telecommunications services over an IP network, and a carrier network includes a network connection and a telephone connector. At least one detection component detects whether a landline telephone is plugged in to the telephone connector. The access point and network are configured to provision telecommunications services based at least in part on an identifier stored in an identification module.

Claims

1. A method for provisioning telecommunications services for an access point in a converged telecommunications network the method comprising:

receiving, through an IP-based network, a registration signal from the access point,

wherein the registration signal includes an identifier received or derived from a memory device associated with the access point;

comparing the identifier to a predetermined subset of values to determine if the identifier corresponds to one of the predetermined subset of values,

wherein the predetermined subset of values is taken from a set of values employed by a core telecommunications network,

wherein the predetermined subset of values corresponds to a set of services provided through the converged telecommunications network that are only available to a specified group of users of the converged telecommunications network; and

wherein the predetermined subset of values and the set of services provided through the converged telecommunications network are established by the core telecommunications network before receiving the registration signal from the access point; and

selectively provisioning telecommunications services between the access point and the core telecommunications network,

wherein the selective provisioning is based at least in part on the comparison, and

wherein the converged telecommunications network employs the core telecommunications network, a cellular network and the IP-based network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the provisioned telecommunications services include landline voice services provided over the IP-based network based at least in part on the identifier, and wherein the provisioned telecommunications services do not include voice services provided over a licensed wireless cellular network based on the identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein provisioning telecommunications services comprises determining a set of services associated with the identifier, wherein the set of services is determined based at least in part on the comparison and comprises at least voice telecommunications services and wherein the voice telecommunications services include at least two of voice mail, call waiting, visual voice mail, and call forwarding.

4. The, method of claim 1, wherein provisioning telecommunications services comprises provisioning voice telecommunications services, and wherein the identifier is a subscriber identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein provisioning telecommunications services comprises provisioning the telecommunications services when a value of the identifier is within the predetermined subset of values and rejecting the telecommunications services when the value of the identifier is not within the predetermined subset of values.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory is a tamper-resistant memory provided by a subscriber.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory device is a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) received within the access point, wherein the access point is a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving connection type data from the access point, the connection type data including information to indicate service, equipment, or radio capabilities of the access point; and

determining call billing information based on the identifier and the connection type data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined subset of values comprises a specified range of value.

10. An apparatus for provisioning telecommunications services between an access point and a converged telecommunications network, the apparatus comprising:

a communication component configured to receive a registration signal from the access point,

wherein the registration signal is received through an IP-based network, and

wherein the registration signal includes an identifier received or derived from a memory device associated with the access point;

an identifier comparison component configured to compare the identifier to a predetermined set of values to determine if the identifier corresponds to one of the predetermined subset of values,

wherein the predetermined set of values includes multiple possible values taken from a set of values employed by a core telecommunications network,

wherein the predetermined set of values corresponds to a set of services provided through the converged telecommunications network that are only available to a specified group of users of the converged telecommunications network; and

wherein the predetermined subset of values and the set of services provided through the converged telecommunications network are established by the core telecommunications network before receiving the registration signal from the access point; and

a provisioning component configured to selectively provision telecommunications services between the access point and the core telecommunications network,

wherein the selective provisioning is based at least in part on the comparison, wherein the provisioned telecommunications services include telecommunications services provided through the IP-based network based at least in part on the identifier,

wherein the provisioned telecommunications services do not include telecommunications services provided over a cellular network based on the identifier, and

wherein the converged telecommunications network employs the core telecommunications network, the cellular network and the IP-based network.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein provisioning telecommunications services comprises determining a set of services associated with the access point, wherein the set of services is determined based at least in part on the comparison.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the provisioning component is further configured to provision the telecommunications services when a value of the identifier is within the predetermined set of values and to reject the telecommunications services when the value of the identifier is not within the predetermined set of values.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the provisioning component is further configured to:

receive connection type data from the access point, the connection type data including information to indicate service, equipment, or radio capabilities of the access point; and

determine call billing information based on the identifier and the connection type data.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the predetermined set of values comprises a first range of values and a second range of values and wherein the provisioning component is configured to provision a first type of telecommunications services when the identifier is within the first range of values and a second type of telecommunications services when the identifier is within the second range of values.

15. The apparatus claim 10, wherein the predetermined subset of values-comprises a specified range of values.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for performing a method for managing use of an access point configured for facilitating IP-based telecommunications, the method comprising:

receiving a communication from an end user'"'"'s telephone device;

obtaining an identifier associated with the access point;

providing user-specific information to a core telecommunications network,

wherein the user-specific information is included with a request for the core telecommunications network to provision telecommunications services between the access point and an IP-based network, and

wherein the user-specific information includes or is derived from the identifier, and

receiving a resource allocation from the core telecommunications network, wherein the resource allocation is provided by the core telecommunications network when the identifier is included within a predetermined set of values,

wherein the predetermined subset of values is taken from a set of values employed by the core telecommunications network,

wherein the predetermined set of values corresponds to a set of services provided through a converged telecommunications network that are only available to a specified group of users of the converged telecommunications network, and

wherein the predetermined subset of values and the set of services provided through the converged telecommunications network are established by the core telecommunications network before receiving the communication from the end user'"'"'s telephone device, and

where the converged telecommunications network employs the core telecommunications network, a cellular network and the IP-based network.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein receiving a communication comprises accepting a connection using an unlicensed wireless band, and wherein the end user'"'"'s telephone device is a cordless phone or mobile device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein receiving a communication comprises accepting a connection using a licensed wireless band, and wherein the end user'"'"'s telephone device is a cordless phone or cell phone, wherein the identifier is a subscriber identifier, and wherein the core telecommunications network includes or is coupled to a licensed cellular telephone network.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein receiving a resource allocation comprises receiving a resource allocation for a first type of telecommunications services when the identifier is within the predetermined set of values and a second type of telecommunications services when the identifier is outside the predetermined set of values.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising receiving a notification rejecting the telecommunications services when the value of the identifier is not within the predetermined set of values.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the predetermined set of values comprises a first range of values and a second range of values and wherein a first type of telecommunications services allocated when the identifier is within the first range of values and a second type of telecommunications services is allocated when the identifier is within the second range of values.

22. An apparatus for provisioning voice communications between an access point and an IP-based network in a converged telecommunications network, the apparatus comprising:

a communication component configured to receive a registration signal from the access point,

wherein the registration signal includes an identifier received or derived from a user-provided memory device that stores the identifier in a tamper-resistant memory, and

wherein the memory device is associated with the access point;

an identifier comparison component configured to compare the identifier to a predetermined subset of values to determine if the identifier corresponds to one of the predetermined subset of the values,

wherein the predetermined subset of values includes multiple possible values,

wherein the predetermined subset of values is taken from a set of values employed by a core telecommunications network,

wherein the predetermined subset of values corresponds to a set of services provided through the converged telecommunications network that are only available to a specified group of users of the converged telecommunications network; and

wherein the predetermined subset of values and the set of services provided through the converged telecommunications network are established by the core telecommunications network before receiving the registration signal from the access point; and

a provisioning component configured to selectively provision telecommunications services between the access point and the core telecommunications network, based at least in part on the comparison,

wherein the provisioned telecommunications services include voice services provided over the IP-based network based at least in part on the identifier, and

wherein the provisioned telecommunications services do not include voice services provided over a cellular network based on the identifier, and

wherein the converged telecommunications network employs the core telecommunications network, the cellular network and the IP-based network.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the provisioning component is further configured to provision the telecommunications services when a value of the identifier is within the predetermined set of values and to reject the telecommunications services when the value of the identifier is not within the predetermined subset of values.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the access point is a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point having a landline telephone connector for connecting to a landline telephone, and wherein the access point provides voice services under the Universal Mobile Access (UMA) or Generic Access Network (GAN) protocol.