Communication device, method for providing a data service, communication terminal, and method for requesting a data service

• US 8,984,603 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2011
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Mobile Communications GmbH (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Kowalewski, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Zecher, Dede
• Assistant Examiner(s): AVERY, JEREMIAH L
• Application Number:
  US13/043,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20120233677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,469 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1421 Indication of expected costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1478 the splitting involving only the communication parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/164 at the network layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/61 based on the service used
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning

Abstract

A communication device is described comprising a receiver configured to receive a message from a communication terminal indicating that the communication terminal requests a data service and indicating that a cost of providing the data service is to be associated with a provider of the data service and including security information; a determining circuit configured to determine, based on the security information, whether the communication terminal is authorized to be provided with the requested data service with a cost of providing the data service being associated with a provider of the data service; and a controller, configured to establish a communication connection for providing the data service and to associate a cost of the communication connection with the provider of the data service if the authorization has been successful.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a message from a communication terminal indicating that the communication terminal requests a data service and indicating that a cost of a communication connection to provide the data service is to be allocated to a provider of the data service and including security information, wherein the security information comprises authentication information which allows the receiver to check whether the communication terminal is authorized to be provided with the requested data service with the cost of the communication connection to provide the data service being allocated to the provider of the data service;

a determining circuit configured to determine, based on the security information, whether the communication terminal is authorized to be provided with the requested data service with the cost of the communication connection to provide the data service being allocated to the provider of the data service;

a controller, configured to establish a communication connection to provide the data service and to allocate the cost of the communication connection to the provider of the data service if it has been determined that the communication terminal is authorized to be provided with the requested data service with the cost of the communication connection to provide the data service being allocated to the provider of the data service,

wherein the communication device is separate and distinct from the provider of the data service and is to receive data, corresponding to the data service, from the provider of the data service and to provide the data to the communication terminal via the communication connection.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the provider of the data service is a service server device.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, being part of a communication network.

4. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to control a component of a communication network to establish the communication connection.

5. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein the provider of the data service is a subscriber of the communication network.

6. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein the communication terminal is a user terminal of the communication network.

7. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the message indicates that a cost of the data service is to be allocated to the provider of the data service by a destination address of the message.

8. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein the address is an address of the communication device or of a service server device providing data to be communicated in the data service.

9. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein the destination address is an IP address.

10. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the security information is signing information.

11. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the security information is a hash of at least a part of the message.

12. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the message is an IPsec message.

13. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the security information comprises at least one of at least a part of the message being signed with a private key and a hash value of at least a part of the message being signed with a private key.

14. The communication device according to claim 12, wherein the determining circuit is configured to determine whether the communication terminal is authorized to be provided with the requested data service with the cost of the communication connection to provide the data service being allocated to the provider of the data service using a public key corresponding to the private key.

15. A method of operating a communication device, the method comprising:

receiving a message from a communication terminal indicating that the communication terminal requests a data service and indicating that a cost of a communication connection to provide the data service is to be allocated to a provider of the data service and including security information, wherein the security information comprises authentication information which allows the receiver to check whether the communication terminal is authorized to be provided with the requested data service with the cost of the communication connection to provide the data service being allocated to the provider of the data service;

determining, based on the security information, whether the communication terminal is authorized to be provided with the requested data service with the cost of the communication connection to provide the data service being allocated to the provider of the data service;

establishing a communication connection to provide the data service and allocating a cost of the communication connection to the provider of the data service if it has been determined that the communication terminal is authorized to be provided with the requested data service with the cost of the communication connection to provide the data service being allocated to the provider of the data service; and

receiving data, corresponding to the data service, from the provider of the data service and to provide the data to the communication terminal via the communication connection,

wherein the communication device is separate and distinct from the provider of the data service.

16. A communication terminal comprising:

a generating circuit configured to generate a message indicating that the communication terminal requests a data service and indicating that a cost of a communication connection to provide the data service is to be allocated to a provider of the data service and including security information, which comprises authentication information, which allows a receiver to check whether the communication terminal is authorized to be provided with the requested data service with the cost of the communication connection to provide the data service being allocated to the provider of the data service, allowing determination whether the communication terminal is authorized to be provided with the requested data service with a cost of the communication connection to provide the data service being allocated to the provider of the data service;

a sender configured to send the message to a communication device,

wherein the communication device is separate and distinct from the provider of the data service.

17. A method for requesting a data service comprising:

generating a message which indicates that the communication terminal requests a data service and which indicates that a cost of a communication connection to provide the data service is to be allocated to a provider of the data service and including security information which comprises authentication information, which allows the receiver to check whether the communication terminal is authorized to be provided with the requested data service with a cost of the communication connection to provide the data service being allocated to a the provider of the data service, allowing determination whether the communication terminal is authorized to be provided with the requested data service with the cost of the communication connection to provide the data service being allocated to the provider of the data service;

sending the message to a communication device,

wherein the communication device is separate and distinct from the provider of the data service.