Dual mode service WiFi access control

• US 8,954,069 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Glass, David, Abu-Dayya, Adnan
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Application Number:
  US13/684,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20130084823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/435.1, 4554041-4042, 455/552.1
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/005 Multiple registrations, e.g. multihoming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

The provision of dual mode services is facilitated. Access to the dual mode services is controlled by associating a mobile device to an access point. Subscribers are required to provide valid geographical addresses for access points associated with the mobile devices prior to provision of service. Consequently, physical addresses are necessarily available for emergency services (e.g., E911). Mobile devices are restricted to specific access points based upon the access point identifiers automatically provided during initialization of service and maintained for authorization purposes.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that executes the executable instructions to perform operations, comprising;

receiving, from a mobile device associated with a user account, a request for a dual mode service of a wireless provider device, the request comprising a geographical address associated with a home access point device identifier that identifies an access point device with which the mobile device is paired;

activating the dual mode service for the user account;

setting the home access point device identifier to a default value for the user account in response to the activating the dual mode service;

receiving the home access point device identifier from the mobile device via an unstructured support services data message;

replacing the default value with a value based on the home access point device identifier in response to the receiving of the home access point device identifier; and

authorizing provision of the dual mode service by the wireless provider device to the mobile device based on a determination that the mobile device is connected to the system via the access point device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the geographical address is valid, and

wherein the activating comprises activating the dual mode service for the user account in response to the geographical address being determined to be valid.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the determining includes determining that the geographical address is valid based on an availability of an emergency service for the geographical address.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the determining includes determining that the geographical address is valid based on a street address of a billing record determined to correspond to the geographical address.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise establishing a secure internet protocol tunnel from the mobile device via the access point device for transmittal of the unstructured support services data message based on a determination that the default value is present.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing information representing the user account associated with the mobile device, and wherein the information comprises election information indicating an election of the dual mode service of the wireless provider device, the home access point device identifier and the geographical address associated with the home access point device identifier.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a request to reset the home access point identifier;

setting the home access point identifier to a new default value; and

transmitting a reset message to the mobile device.

6. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor from a mobile device associated with a user account, a request for a dual mode service of a wireless provider device, the request comprising a geographical address associated with a home access point identifier that identifies an access point device with which the mobile device is paired;

activating, by the system, the dual mode service for the user account;

setting, by the system, the home access point device identifier to a default value for the user account in response to the activating the dual mode service;

receiving, by the system, the home access point device identifier from the mobile device via an unstructured support services data message;

replacing, by the system, the default value with a value based on the home access point device identifier in response to the receiving of the home access point device identifier; and

limiting, by the system, provision of the dual mode service to the mobile device in response to determining that the mobile device is connected to the access point device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, by the system, that the geographical address is valid,

wherein the activating comprises activating the dual mode service for the user account in response to the geographical address being determined to be valid.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining that the geographical address is valid includes determining that an emergency service is available to service the geographical address.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining that the geographical address is valid includes checking a billing record associated with the geographical address to determine existence of a street address corresponding to the geographical address.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

establishing, by the system, a secure internet protocol tunnel from the mobile device through the access point device for transmittal of the unstructured support services data message based at least in part upon a determination that the default value is present.

17. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

storing, by the system, information representing the user account associated with the mobile device, wherein the information comprises election information indicating an election of the dual mode service of the wireless provider device, the home access point device identifier and the geographical address associated with the home access point device identifier.

11. A mobile device, comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that executes the executable instructions to perform operations, comprising;

connecting to access point devices including a home access point device;

sending a request for a dual mode service of a dual mode service provider device in association with a user account for the mobile device, the request comprising a geographical address associated with the home access point device;

generating an unstructured support service data message that comprises an identifier for the home access point device;

initiating establishment of a secure internet protocol tunnel with a dual mode service provider device via the home access point device for transmittal of the unstructured support service data message based on a determination that a default value is associated with the home access point device;

sending the identifier to the dual mode service provider device via the unstructured support service data message, wherein the default value is replaced by the identifier in response to the sending; and

receiving a dual mode service in response to a connection to the home access point device being determined to be based on a registration of the home access point device with the dual mode service provider device, wherein the registration includes an election of the dual mode service, the identifier, and the geographical address associated with the home access point device.

12. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the home access point device is configured for a wireless fidelity protocol and wherein the operations further comprise receiving the dual mode service from a network device of a local area network based on the wireless fidelity protocol.

13. The mobile device of claim 11 wherein the operations further comprise storing information identifying the access point devices including information designating one of the access point devices as the home access point device.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise monitoring broadcasts from the access point devices, including a broadcast from the home access point device, and connecting to the home access point device in response to detecting the broadcast from the home access point device.

18. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating establishment of a secure internet protocol tunnel with the dual mode service provider device via the home access point device for transmittal of the unstructured support services data message.