Methods to achieve modem-assisted-service-classification functionality in a device with multiple subscriptions

• US 9,473,931 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2014
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Payyappilly, Ajith Tom, Giaretta, Gerardo, Veerepalli, Sivaramakrishna, Yadagiri, Susheel Kumar Yadav, Zhang, Juan
• Primary Examiner(s): RAHIM, MONJUR
• Application Number:
  US14/321,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20150026758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Various embodiments provide methods performed by an modem-assisted-service-classification (MASC) client application operating on a multi-SIM computing device for implementing MASC functionality for two or more subscriptions. In various embodiments, the MASC client may implement MASC functionality by associating MASC policies for one or more access point names (APNs) with a specific subscription and by applying those policies to applications associated with those one or more APNs while that specific subscription is in active communication with its network. Thus, by managing a mapping of subscriptions, APNs/networks, and applications, the MASC client may enable implementation of MASC functionality for a multi-SIM computing device.

Claims

1. A method of implementing network access policies for a plurality of subscriptions to one or more operator networks in a multi-Subscriber-Identity-Module (multi-SIM) computing device, comprising:

receiving, by a hardware processor, a signal from an operator network identifying one of the plurality of subscriptions on which to activate a network access policy for the subscription for an access point name;

obtaining, by the hardware processor, a policy file for the subscription identified in the signal from the operator network for the access point name, wherein the policy file identifies one or more applications authorized to access network resources of the access point name;

determining, by the hardware processor, whether an application has launched;

determining, by the hardware processor, which of the plurality of subscriptions is an active subscription for the launched application;

accessing, by the hardware processor, the policy file of the active subscription for the access point name associated with the launched application;

determining, by the hardware processor, whether the launched application is identified in the accessed policy file of the active subscription for the access point name; and

sending, by the hardware processor, a report to the operator network in response to determining that the launched application is in the accessed policy file of the active subscription for the access point name, wherein the report comprises network address information for detecting network traffic associated with the launched application on the active subscription.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether an application has launched comprises determining, by the hardware processor, whether an application that exchanges communications over a wireless network has launched.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a signal from an operator network identifying one of the plurality of subscriptions on which to activate a network access policy for the subscription for an access point name comprises:

receiving, by the hardware processor, a Short Message Service (SMS) message that identifies the access point name for the subscription from an activation server on the operator network.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining, by the hardware processor, whether the SMS message includes Internet Protocol (IP) information for a server in the identified access point name; and

acquiring, by the hardware processor, the IP information for the server through a Domain Name System (DNS) query to a DNS server in the identified access point name in response to determining that the SMS message does not include the IP information for the server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a signal from an operator network identifying one of the plurality of subscriptions on which to activate a network access policy for the subscription for an access point name comprises:

opening, by the hardware processor, a user-datagram-protocol (UDP) listening port for the subscription; and

receiving, by the hardware processor, a UDP packet that identifies the access point name for the subscription from an activation server on the operator network.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, by the hardware processor, whether the UDP packet includes Internet Protocol (IP) information for a server in the identified access point name; and

acquiring, by the hardware processor, the IP information through a Domain Name System (UDP) query to a DNS server in the identified access point name in response to determining that the UDP packet does not include IP information for the server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining a policy file for the subscription identified in the signal from the operator network for the access point name comprises:

establishing, by the hardware processor, a connection with a policy-management server in the access point name; and

receiving, by the hardware processor, the policy file associated with the access point name and the subscription from the policy-management server in the access point name.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the connection with the policy-management server in the access point name is one of:

a hypertext-transfer-protocol (HTTP) connection;

an HTTP-secure connection;

a file-transfer-protocol (FTP) connection;

a trivial-file-transfer-protocol (TFTP) connection;

a transmission-control-protocol (TCP) connection; and

a UDP connection.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

starting, by the hardware processor, a policy refresh timer associated with the policy file;

determining, by the hardware processor, whether to update the policy file; and

updating, by the hardware processor, the policy file in response to determining that the policy file should be updated.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by the hardware processor, that the subscription has lost access to a shared radio-frequency (RF) resource on the multi-SIM computing device, wherein the multi-SIM computing device is a multi-SIM-multi-standby computing device;

saving, by the hardware processor, a current state of policy-update operations of the subscription in response to recognizing that the subscription has lost access to the shared RF resource;

determining, by the hardware processor, whether the subscription has reacquired the shared RF resource; and

resuming, by the hardware processor, policy-update operations of the subscription from the saved state of policy-update operations in response to determining that the subscription has reacquired the shared RF resource.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein:

determining, by the hardware processor, whether to update the policy file comprises determining whether the policy refresh timer has expired; and

updating, by the hardware processor, the policy file in response to determining that the policy file should be updated comprises updating the policy file in response to determining that the policy refresh timer has expired.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein updating the policy file in response to determining that the policy file should be updated comprises:

determining, by the hardware processor, whether the subscription has access to a shared radio-frequency (RF) resource on the multi-SIM computing device, wherein the multi-SIM computing device is a multi-SIM-multi-standby computing device;

providing, by the hardware processor, access to the shared RF resource to the subscription in response to determining that the subscription does not have access to the shared RF resource;

updating, by the hardware processor, the policy file; and

returning, by the hardware processor, access to the shared RF resource to another subscription after updating the policy file.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the multi-SIM computing device is a multi-SIM-multi-active computing device such that each subscription on the multi-SIM computing device has access to an RF resource for use in updating policy files.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether to update the policy file comprises determining, by the hardware processor, whether an update notification has been received from a policy management server in the access point name by listening on one of a UDP port and an SMS port.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein updating the policy file in response to determining that the policy file should be updated further comprises:

determining, by the hardware processor, whether the subscription has access to a shared radio-frequency (RF) resource on the multi-SIM computing device in response to determining that an update notification has been received from a policy management server in the access point name, wherein the multi-SIM computing device is a multi-SIM-multi-standby computing device;

providing, by the hardware processor, access to the shared RF resource to the subscription in response to determining that the subscription does not have access to the shared RF resource;

updating, by the hardware processor, the policy file; and

returning, by the hardware processor, access to the shared RF resource to another subscription after updating the policy file.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein sending a report to the operator network in response to determining that the launched application is in the policy file of the access point name comprises:

computing, by the hardware processor, a filter report comprising one or more of the launched application'"'"'s source and destination IP addresses, the launched application'"'"'s source and destination ports, and a protocol used by the application and computing a hash value for the launched application, in response to determining that the launched application is in a policy file of an access point name associated with the active subscription;

establishing, by the hardware processor, a connection with a reporting server in the access point name for the active subscription; and

sending, by the hardware processor, a report that includes the filter report and the hash value to the reporting server in the access point name of the active subscription over the connection.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the connection with the reporting server in the access point name for the active subscription is one of:

an HTTP connection;

an HTTP-secure connection;

an FTP connection;

a TFTP connection;

a TCP connection; and

a UDP connection.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining, by the hardware processor, whether the launched application has terminated; and

notifying, by the hardware processor, the reporting server in the access point name of the active subscription of the termination of the launched application in response to determining that the launched application has terminated.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the hardware processor, whether the subscription has lost access to a shared radiofrequency (RF) resource on the multi-SIM computing device, wherein the multi-SIM computing device is a multi-SIM-multi-standby computing device;

aborting, by the hardware processor, operations to report launched applications to the operator network of the subscription in response to determining that the subscription has lost access to the shared RF resource;

determining, by the hardware processor, whether the subscription has reacquired the shared RF resource; and

restarting, by the hardware processor, operations to report launched applications to the operator network of the subscription in response to determining that the subscription has reacquired the shared RF resource.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-SIM computing device is a multi-SIM-multi-active computing device such that each subscription on the multi-SIM computing device has access to an RF resource for use in sending a report to the operator network.

21. A mobile computing device that implements network access policies for a plurality of subscriptions to one or more operator networks, comprising:

a radio-frequency (RF) resource; and

a hardware processor coupled to the RF resource, wherein the processor is configured to;

receive a signal from an operator network identifying one of the plurality of subscriptions on which to activate a network access policy for a subscription for an access point name;

obtain a policy file for the subscription identified in the signal from the operator network for the access point name, wherein the policy file identifies one or more applications authorized to access network resources of the access point name;

determine whether an application has launched;

determine which of the plurality of subscriptions is an active subscription for the launched application;

access the policy file of the active subscription for the access point name associated with the launched application;

determine whether the launched application is identified in the accessed policy file of the active subscription for the access point name; and

send a report to the operator network in response to determining that the launched application is in the accessed policy file of the active subscription for the access point name, wherein the report comprises network address information for detecting network traffic associated with the launched application on the active subscription.

22. The mobile computing device of claim 21, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

receive a Short Message Service (SMS) message that identifies the access point name for the subscription from an activation server on the operator network.

23. The mobile computing device of claim 21, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

open a user-datagram-protocol (UDP) listening port for the subscription; and

receive a UDP packet for the subscription from an activation server on the operator network.

24. The mobile computing device of claim 21, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

establish a connection with a policy-management server in the access point name; and

receive the policy file associated with the access point name and the subscription from the policy-management server in the access point name.

25. The mobile computing device of claim 24, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

start a policy refresh timer associated with the policy file;

determine whether to update the policy file; and

update the policy file in response to determining that the policy file should be updated.

26. The mobile computing device of claim 21, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

compute a filter report comprising one or more of the launched application'"'"'s source and destination IP addresses, the launched application'"'"'s source and destination ports, and a protocol used by the application and compute a hash value for the launched application, in response to determining that the launched application is in a policy file of an access point name associated with the active subscription;

establish a connection with a reporting server in the access point name for the active subscription; and

send a report that includes the filter report and the hash value to the reporting server in the access point name of the active subscription over the connection.

27. The mobile computing device of claim 21, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

determine whether the subscription has lost access to the RF resource on the mobile computing device, wherein the mobile computing device is a multi-SIM-multi-standby computing device and wherein the RF resource is shared by the subscription and at least one other subscription;

abort operations to report launched applications to the operator network of the subscription in response to determining that the subscription has lost access to the RF resource;

determine whether the subscription has reacquired the RF resource; and

restart operations to report launched applications to the operator network of the subscription in response to determining that the subscription has reacquired the RF resource.

28. The mobile computing device of claim 21, wherein:

the RF resource comprises a plurality of RF resources; and

the mobile computing device is a multi-SIM-multi-active computing device such that each subscription on the mobile computing device has access to an RF resource for use in sending a report to the operator network.

29. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of a multi-Subscriber-Identity-Module (multi-SIM) computing device to perform operations for implementing network access policies for a plurality of subscriptions to one or more operator networks, the operations comprising:

receiving a signal from an operator network identifying one of the plurality of subscriptions on which to activate a network access policy for the subscription for an access point name;

obtaining a policy file for the subscription identified in the signal from the operator network for the access point name, wherein the policy file identifies one or more applications authorized to access network resources of the access point name;

determining whether an application has launched;

determining which of the plurality of subscriptions is an active subscription for the launched application;

accessing the policy file of the active subscription for the access point name associated with the launched application;

determining whether the launched application is identified in the accessed policy file of the active subscription for the access point name; and

sending a report to the operator network in response to determining that the launched application is in the accessed policy file of the active subscription for the access point name, wherein the report comprises network address information for detecting network traffic associated with the launched application on the active subscription.

30. A mobile computing device that implements network access policies for a plurality of subscriptions to one or more operator networks, comprising:

means for receiving a signal from an operator network identifying one of the plurality of subscriptions on which to activate a network access policy for the subscription for an access point name;

means for obtaining a policy file for the subscription identified in the signal from the operator network for the access point name, wherein the policy file identifies one or more applications authorized to access network resources of the access point name;

means for determining whether an application has launched;

means for determining which of the plurality of subscriptions is an active subscription for the launched application;

means for accessing the policy file of the active subscription for the access point name associated with the launched application;

means for determining whether the launched application is identified in the accessed policy file of the active subscription for the access point name; and

means for sending a report to the operator network in response to determining that the launched application is in the accessed policy file of the active subscription for the access point name, wherein the report comprises network address information for detecting network traffic associated with the launched application on the active subscription.