Method and system for supporting visitor access via a broadband gateway

• US 9,167,005 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Garrett, David, Karaoguz, Jeyhan, Chen, Xuemin, Diab, Wael William, Lundgren, David, Prodan, Rich
• Primary Examiner(s): LEUNG, ROBERT B
• Application Number:
  US12/981,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20110302632A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,755 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1453 Methods or systems for payment or settlement of the charges for data transmission involving significant interaction with the data transmission network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6402 Hybrid switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/32 Specific management aspects for broadband networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2491 Mapping quality of service [QoS] requirements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 : QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 : for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 : Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 : for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 : for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/205 : involving negotiation or determination of the one or more network security mechanisms to be used, e.g. by negotiation between the client and the server or between peers or by selection according to the capabilities of the entities involved negotiation of communication capabilities H04L69/24
• 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 65/1023 : Media gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 : in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1033 : Signalling gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 : at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 : Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 : Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 : for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 : Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1078 : Resource delivery mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 : Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 : Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 : Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 : Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4353 : involving decryption of additional data arrangements using cryptography for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 : Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 : Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/462 : Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 : for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6106 : specially adapted to the downstream path of the transmission network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 : using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6371 : directed to network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6373 : for rate control , e.g. request to the server to modify its transmission rate flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 : for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 : Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 : using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/265 : taking into account the quality of service QoS
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 : Reducing energy consumption in communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 : Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A method and system are provided in which a broadband gateway may enable a guest or visitor to access content available to the broadband gateway. The content may be received by the broadband gateway through one or more of a plurality of network access service providers that may provide separate physical layer access to the broadband gateway. After a visitor'"'"'s device is connected to the broadband gateway, the broadband gateway may classify the device. Based on the classification, the device may be authorized to access a portion of the content received. Once the authorization process is complete, the appropriate content may be made available and transferred to the device. The authorization process may include the authentication of a device identifier and/or a user identifier. The authorized access may be time-limited, but may be renewed or enabled when a request is received within a determined period of time.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

in a broadband gateway that enables communication with a plurality of devices, wherein the broadband gateway is configured to handle a plurality of physical layer connections to a plurality of corresponding network access service providers;

classifying, via the broadband gateway, a device after the device is communicatively coupled to the broadband gateway;

assigning, via the broadband gateway, to the device a first level of access from a plurality of levels of access based upon a classification of the device, wherein individual ones of the plurality of levels of access indicate at least one of;

a type of content for which access is to be provided;

a service or a content provider associated with the content;

an authorization procedure for granting access to the content;

a number of devices that may concurrently access the content;

a time limit for an authorized access to the content;

whether the authorized access to the content may be enabled once the authorized access has expired; and

a condition that, when satisfied, permits the authorized access to be reenabled;

authorizing, via the broadband gateway and based on the classification, access by the device to a portion of content received through one or more of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers;

communicating, via the broadband gateway, the portion of the content for which access is authorized to the device; and

changing, via the broadband gateway, the assigned first level of access to another of the plurality of levels of access in response to determining that the device has moved away from or closer to a location of the broadband gateway for at least a predefined amount of time, while the device maintains a communication link with the broadband gateway.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein authorizing further comprises:

receiving an identifier from the device;

communicating the identifier to an entity associated with providing the content that is received through the one or more of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers; and

receiving an authentication of the identifier from the entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is communicatively coupled to the broadband gateway via a wireless or wired connection.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising selecting the content to be accessed by the device from a plurality of content received through the one or more of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, based on the classification, the device is pre-authorized to access a particular portion of the content received through the one of more of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

authorizing further comprises determining which portion of the content received through the one or more of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers is to be accessed by the device based on the first level of access assigned to the device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the device is a wireless device; and

classifying further comprises assigning to the wireless device the first level of access from a plurality of levels of access based on one or both of a signal strength and a link quality between the broadband gateway and the wireless device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising disabling the authorized first level of access by the device on or after a determined time from a time when the access was authorized, the determined time being based on the classification of the device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is authorized to access a particular amount of the content received through the one or more of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from an entity associated with providing the content received through the one or more of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers, an indication of a reward associated with the authorized access by the device; and

processing the indication of the reward to enable the reward to be redeemed.

11. A system, comprising:

a broadband gateway that enables communication with a plurality of devices, wherein the broadband gateway is configured to handle a plurality of physical layer connections to a plurality of corresponding network access service providers, the broadband gateway comprising circuitry configured to;

classify a device after the device is communicatively coupled to the broadband gateway according to a previously created profile stored in the broadband gateway, wherein the profile comprises a list of users who have been previously assigned a level of access to content received by the broadband gateway from one or more of the plurality of the corresponding network access service providers;

authorize, based on the classification, a first level of access by the device to content received from the one or more of the plurality of the corresponding network access service providers;

communicate the content for which access is authorized to the device; and

change the authorized first level of access to another level of access in response to determining that the device has moved away from or closer to a location of the broadband gateway for at least a predefined amount of time, while the device maintains a communication link with the broadband gateway.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

receive an identifier from the device;

communicate the identifier to an entity associated with providing the content that is received through the one or more of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers; and

receive an authentication of the identifier from the entity.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the device is communicatively coupled to the broadband gateway via a wireless or wired connection.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the circuitry is configured to select the content to be accessed by the device from a plurality of content received through the one or more of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein, based on the classification, the device is pre-authorized to access a particular portion of the content received through the one or more of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein circuitry is configured to:

assign to the device the first level of access from a plurality of levels of access; and

determine which portion of the content received through the one or more of the plurality of network access service providers is to be accessed by the device based on the level of access assigned to the device.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the device is a wireless device; and

the circuitry is configured to assign to the wireless device the first level of access from a plurality of levels of access based on one or both of a signal strength and a link quality between the broadband gateway and the wireless device.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the circuitry is configured to disable the authorized first level of access by the device on or after a determined time from a time when the access was authorized, the determined time being based on the classification of the device.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the device is authorized to access a particular amount of the content received through the one or more of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a program that, when executed by circuitry located within a broadband gateway configured to handle a plurality of physical layer connections to a plurality of corresponding network access service providers, causes the circuitry to:

classify, via the broadband gateway, a device as a visitor device or a guest device after the device is communicatively coupled to the broadband gateway;

assign, via the broadband gateway, to the device a first level of access from a plurality of levels of access based upon a classification of the device;

authorize, via the broadband gateway and based on the classification, access by the device to content received through one or more of the plurality of corresponding network access service providers;

communicate, via the broadband gateway, the content for which access is authorized to the device; and

change, via the broadband gateway, the assigned first level of access to another of the plurality of levels of access in response to determining that the device has moved away from or closer to a location of the broadband gateway for at least a predefined amount of time, while the device maintains a communication link with the broadband gateway.