Mobile point-of-presence for on demand network client services and security

• US 9,432,386 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2013
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2009
• 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, Wolter, David R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zewari, Sayed T
• Application Number:
  US13/892,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20130247188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: 726/22, 726/23, 726/24, 726/25, 726/26, 726/27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0823 characterised by the purposes of a change of settings, e.g. optimising configuration for enhancing reliability for optimising operational conditions of wireless networks H04W24/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1458 Denial of Service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

Devices, systems and methods are disclosed which relate to implementing a point-of-presence system on a mobile service network. Such a point-of-presence system includes a mobile device communications network; a mobile device; a point-of-presence logic installed on a mobile device; and an application server in communication with the point-of-presence logic via the communications network. Communications between the point-of-presence logic and the network and application server include network data, configuration, and/or installation of connection and device management applications. This point-of-presence system constitutes a mechanism for the service provider to best optimize network resources, even at the device level, while providing optimum network service to mobile users—even for mobile devices that have not been pre-configured for the mobile service network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

connecting, by a mobile device comprising a processor, to an application server;

receiving, by the mobile device, a network element software application for implementing a quality of service standard for a software application executing on the mobile device;

receiving, by the mobile device, a plurality of configuration parameters from the application server;

optimizing, by the mobile device via execution of the network element software application, based upon the plurality of configuration parameters, a plurality of device hardware associated with the mobile device and the software application executing on the mobile device;

providing, by the mobile device, a plurality of user network usage statistics to a user profile maintained on the application server;

in response to providing the plurality of user network usage statistics to the user profile maintained on the application server, receiving, by the mobile device, an indication, from the application server, that a server in communication with the mobile device has been reported to be under an attack; and

in response to receiving the indication that the server has been reported to be under the attack, blocking, by the mobile device, network traffic between the mobile device and the server, wherein the network traffic originates from a software defined radio of the mobile device and the network traffic is directed to the server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network traffic comprises traffic associated with the software application executing on the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the attack is a distributed denial of service attack.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the mobile device, a request for service to the application server, the request for the service comprising one of a selection by a user of a specific service level agreement and identification and billing details for the user, or a determination of an optimum quality of experience achievable by the a network for the user under a specific set of conditions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile aids in detecting anomalous behavior on behalf of the mobile device.

6. A non-transitory memory having logic stored thereon which, when executed by a processor of a mobile device, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

connecting to an application server;

receiving a network element software application for implementing a quality of service standard for a software application executing on the mobile device;

receiving a plurality of configuration parameters from the application server;

optimizing, via execution of the network element software application, based upon the plurality of configuration parameters, a plurality of device hardware associated with the mobile device and the software application executing on the mobile device;

providing a plurality of user network usage statistics to a user profile maintained on the application server;

in response to providing the plurality of user network usage statistics to the user profile maintained on the application server, receiving, from the application server, an indication that a server in communication with the mobile device has been reported to be under an attack; and

in response to receiving the indication that the server has been reported to be under the attack, blocking network traffic between the mobile device and the server, wherein the network traffic originates from a software defined radio of the mobile device and the network traffic is directed to the server.

7. The non-transitory memory of claim 6, wherein the network traffic comprises traffic associated with the software application executing on the mobile device.

8. The non-transitory memory of claim 6, wherein the attack is a distributed denial of service attack.

9. The non-transitory memory of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise providing a request for service to the application server, the request for the service comprising one of a selection by a user of a specific service level agreement and identification and billing details for the user, or a determination of an optimum quality of experience achievable by the a network for the user under a specific set of conditions.

10. The non-transitory memory of claim 6, wherein the user profile aids in detecting anomalous behavior on behalf of the mobile device.

11. An application server, comprising:

a processor;

a memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising

receiving a connection request from a mobile device,

connecting to the mobile device in response to the connection request,

providing, to the mobile device, a network element software application for implementing a quality of service standard for a software application running on the mobile device,

providing, to the mobile device, a plurality of configuration parameters associated with the mobile device, wherein the plurality of configuration parameters are utilized by the mobile device to optimize a plurality of device hardware associated with the mobile device and the software application running on the mobile device,

receiving a plurality of user network usage characteristics for a user profile maintained by the application server, and

in response to receiving the plurality of user network usage characteristics, providing, to the mobile device, an indication that a server in communication with the mobile device has been reported to be under an attack, wherein the network element software application enables the mobile device to block, upon receiving the indication, network traffic originating from a software-defined radio of the mobile device and directed to the server.

12. The application server of claim 11, further comprising receiving a request for service from the mobile device, the request for service including one of a selection by the user of a specific service level agreement and identification and billing details for the user, or a determination of an optimum quality of experience achievable by the network for the user under a specific set of conditions.

13. The application server of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise limiting access to a communications network until the network element software is installed on the mobile device.

14. The application server of claim 11, wherein the plurality of configuration parameters associated with the mobile device comprises a configuration parameter for optimizing the software defined radio of the mobile device.

15. The application server of claim 11, wherein the user profile aids in detecting anomalous behavior on behalf of the mobile device.