Network access via telephony services

• US 9,154,953 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2010
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tofighbakhsh, Mostafa
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHEPPERD, ERIC W
• Application Number:
  US12/965,390
• Publication Number:
  US 20120148043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,761 Days
• Field of Search: 726 2- 7, 726/9, 726/12, 726 26- 30, 713/159, 713/182, 713/185, 380247-248, 380/270, 380277-280, 380/286, 709217-218, 709/225, 709/249
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/068 using time-dependent keys, e.g. periodically changing keys cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for controlling usage of secret information H04L9/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events

Abstract

A network provider can receive a request, via a first mobile device and a mobile wireless telephone network, for access to a wireless network secured with at least one encryption key and implemented by at least one wireless access point. In response to the request, the network provider can associate the first mobile device with a user account of a user and can provide a token to a registrar and to the first mobile device via the mobile wireless telephone network. The registrar can receive, from the first mobile device or a second mobile device associated the user via the wireless access point. After determining, based on the one or more hash values, that the first or second mobile device has possession of the token, the registrar can provide the encryption key to that mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing system of a mobile communication wireless network from a first mobile device, a request to access via an access point a wireless network secured with a network encryption key, wherein the mobile communication wireless network is different from the wireless network;

identifying, at the computing system, a user account associated with the first mobile device;

determining, at the computing system, that the user account permits access to the wireless network secured with the network encryption key;

sending, from the computing system to a registration device, a token that is usable by a second mobile device to access the network encryption key; and

sending, by the computing system via the mobile communication wireless network, the token to the first mobile device for transmission of the token to the second mobile device to enable the second mobile device to demonstrate possession of the token to access the wireless network via the access point, wherein the second mobile device demonstrates possession of the token by sending to the access point hash values based on portions of the token, and wherein the hash values are compared to hash values generated from the token received by the registration device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the registration device provides the second mobile device access to a wide area network via the wireless network secured with the network encryption key based on network settings provided to the access point by the registration device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wide area network is an Internet.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the network settings include a security protocol, a virtual private network tunnel termination address, a second encryption key usable in secure communications via the wide area network, an encryption key length, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the network settings indicate a quality of service to be provided to the second mobile device via the wireless network, a network service to be provided to the second mobile device via the wireless network, a quantity of communications to be provided to the second mobile device via the wireless network, an address accessible by the second mobile device via the wireless network, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network secured with the network encryption key is implemented using a wireless access point.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the wireless access point operates in compliance with at least a portion of an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.11 specification or at least a portion of an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.16 specification.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the wireless access point includes the registration device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the token includes a device password.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mobile device includes the second mobile device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a location of the first mobile device;

accessing a data structure that includes geographic location information associated with a plurality of wireless access points;

determining, from the location of the first mobile device and the geographic location information, a location of a particular wireless access point of the plurality of wireless access points; and

sending information to generate a map displayable by the first mobile device, wherein the map indicates the location of the particular wireless access point.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the location of the first mobile device includes receiving data indicating the location of the first mobile device from the first mobile device via the mobile communication wireless network.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication wireless network includes a cellular telephone network, a satellite telephone network, or both.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the network encryption key expires after a particular amount of time.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a user name and password associated with the user account are received from the second mobile device and authenticated before the registration device permits the second mobile device to access a wide area network via the wireless network, wherein the user name and password are different from the token.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the user name and password are sent to a remote authentication dial in service server to be authenticated.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the user account is charged a fee based on the second mobile device accessing the wireless network.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the token is sent to the first mobile device via a simple message service message.

19. A computer readable memory device comprising instructions, which when executed by a processing system, cause the processing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, via a mobile communication wireless network from a first mobile device, a request to access via an access point a wireless network secured with a network encryption key, wherein the mobile communication wireless network is different from the wireless network;

identifying a user account associated with the first mobile device;

determining that the user account permits access to the wireless network secured with the network encryption key;

sending a token to a registration device, the token usable by a second mobile device to access the network encryption key; and

sending the token via the mobile communication wireless network to the first mobile device for transmission of the token to the second mobile device to enable the second mobile device to demonstrate possession of the token to access the wireless network via the access point, wherein the second mobile device demonstrates possession of the token by sending to the access point hash values based on portions of the token, and wherein the hash values are compared to hash values generated from the token received by the registration device.

20. The computer readable memory device of claim 19, wherein the registration device provides the second mobile device access to a wide area network via the wireless network secured with the network encryption key based on network settings provided to the access point by the registration device.

21. The computer readable memory device of claim 20, wherein the wide area network is an Internet.

22. The computer readable memory device of claim 19, wherein the mobile communication wireless network includes a cellular telephone network, a satellite telephone network, or both.

23. The computer readable memory device of claim 19, wherein the token is sent to the first mobile device via a simple message service message.

24. The computer readable memory device of claim 19, wherein a user name and password associated with the user account are received from the second mobile device and authenticated before the registration device permits the second mobile device to access a wide area network via the wireless network.

25. The computer readable memory device of claim 19, wherein the user account is charged a fee based on the second mobile device accessing the wireless network.

26. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device accessible to the processor, the memory device storing instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving, via a mobile communication wireless network from a first mobile device, a request to access via an access point a wireless network secured with a network encryption key, wherein the mobile communication wireless network is different from the wireless network;

identifying a user account associated with the first mobile device;

determining that the user account permits access to the wireless network secured with the network encryption key;

sending a token to a registration device, the token usable by a second mobile device to access the network encryption key; and

sending the token via the mobile communication wireless network to the first mobile device for transmission of the token to the second mobile device to enable the second mobile device to demonstrate possession of the token to access the wireless network via the access point, wherein the second mobile device demonstrates possession of the token by sending to the access point hash values based on portions of the token, and wherein the hash values are compared to hash values generated from the token received by the registration device.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the registration device resides at a network management device coupled to a wide area network and coupled to a particular wireless access point of the wireless network;

wherein the network management device uses an access control list to control access to the wireless network; and

wherein the network management device is configured to modify the access control list based on network settings associated with the user account.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the registration device resides at multiple wireless access points of the wireless network, wherein the multiple wireless access points use an access control list to control access to the wireless network, and wherein the multiple wireless access points are configured to modify the access control list based on network settings associated with the user account.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the multiple wireless access points operate in compliance with at least a portion of an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.11 specification or at least a portion of an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.16 specification.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the token is sent to the first mobile device via a simple message service message.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the token includes a device password.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein the mobile communication wireless network includes a cellular telephone network, a satellite telephone network, or both.