Dual mode service WiFi access control

• US 9,585,116 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Glass, David, Abu-Dayya, Adnan
• Primary Examiner(s): Sabouri, Mazda
• Application Number:
  US14/568,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20150099487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/005 Multiple registrations, e.g. multihoming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

The provision of dual mode services is facilitated. Access to the dual mode services is controlled by associating a mobile device to an access point. Subscribers are required to provide valid geographical addresses for access points associated with the mobile devices prior to provision of service. Consequently, physical addresses are necessarily available for emergency services (e.g., E911). Mobile devices are restricted to specific access points based upon the access point identifiers automatically provided during initialization of service and maintained for authorization purposes.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving, from a mobile device, a request for a dual mode service of a wireless provider device, the request comprising a geographical address associated with a home access point device with which the mobile device is to be paired;

associating the geographical address, a dual mode service election indicator, and a default home access point device identifier with a user account for the mobile device in response to the receiving;

receiving a home access point device identifier from the mobile device via the home access point device, wherein the home access point device identifier identifies the home access point device; and

activating the dual mode service for the mobile device in response to the receiving the home access point device identifier and based on presence of the geographical address, the dual mode service election indicator, and the default home access point device identifier with the user account.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the activating comprises replacing the default home access point device identifier with the home access point device identifier in the user account.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

authorizing provision of the dual mode service by the wireless provider device to the mobile device based on a determination that the mobile device is connected to the system via the access point device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

denying provision of the dual mode service by the wireless provider device to the mobile device based on a determination that the mobile device is connected to the system via the access point device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the geographical address is valid, and wherein the associating the geographical address with the user account is responsive to the geographical address being determined to be valid.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the determining that the geographical address is valid is based on an availability of an emergency service for the geographical address.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the determining that the geographical address is valid is based on a street address of a billing record determined to correspond to the geographical address.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

establishing a secure internet protocol tunnel from the mobile device via the home access point device for transmittal of the home access point device identifier based on a determination that the default value is present.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a reset request to reset the home access point device identifier; and

replacing the home access point device identifier with the default value in response to the receiving the reset request.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, an activation request from a mobile device for activation of a dual mode service of a wireless provider device in association with a user account for the mobile device, the request comprising a geographical address associated with a home access point device with which the mobile device is to be paired;

associating, by the system, the geographical address, a dual mode service election indicator, and a default home access point device identifier with the user account in response to the receiving the activation request;

receiving, by the system, a home access point device identifier from the mobile device via the home access point device, wherein the home access point device identifier identifies the home access point device; and

activating the dual mode service, including replacing, by the system, the default home access point device identifier with the home access point device identifier in the user account.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, a request from the mobile device for the dual mode service; and

authorizing, by the system, provision of the dual mode service by the wireless provider device to the mobile device based on a determination that the home access point device identifier is included in the request.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, a request from the mobile device for the dual mode service; and

denying, by the system, provision of the dual mode service by the wireless provider device to the mobile device based on a determination that the home access point device identifier is not included in the request.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the replacing is based on presence of the geographical address, the dual mode service election indicator, and the default home access point device identifier with the user account.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining, by the system, that the geographical address is valid based on an availability of an emergency service for the geographical address, wherein the associating the geographical address with the user account is responsive to the geographical address being determined to be valid.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

establishing, by the system, a secure internet protocol tunnel from the mobile device via the home access point device for transmittal of the home access point device identifier based on a determination that the default value is present.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, a reset request to reset the home access point device identifier; and

replacing, by the system, the home access point device identifier with the default value in response to the receiving the reset request.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving, from a mobile device, a request for a dual mode service of a wireless provider device, wherein the request comprises a geographic address associated with a home access point device with which the mobile device is to be paired;

associating the geographic address, a dual mode service election indicator, and a default home access point device identifier with a user identity associated with the mobile device in response to the receiving;

receiving a home access point device identifier from the mobile device via the home access point device, wherein the home access point device identifier identifies the home access point device; and

facilitating activation of the dual mode service for the mobile device in response to the receiving the home access point device identifier and based on the geographic address, the dual mode service election indicator, and the default home access point device identifier.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the facilitating the activation comprises facilitating a replacement of the default home access point device identifier associated with the user identity with the home access point device identifier.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the geographic address is valid, and wherein the associating the geographic address with the user identity is responsive to the geographic address being determined to be valid.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the determining that the geographic address is valid is based on a street address of a billing record determined to correspond to the geographic address.