Method and apparatus for providing an access to a tethering service via an endpoint device

• US 9,615,256 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2015
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hendricks, Patrick, Arasavelli, Yehoshuva, Buyukdura, Feza
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hitesh
• Application Number:
  US14/739,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20150281969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0884 by delegation of authentication, e.g. a proxy authenticates an entity to be authenticated on behalf of this entity vis-à-vis an authentication entity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method and non-transitory computer readable medium for providing an access to a tethering service via an endpoint device are disclosed. For example, the method detects an attempt to access a non-network monitored service at an endpoint device, determines whether the endpoint device is authorized to access the non-network monitored service by sending a query to a service provider network, and provides an access to the non-network monitored service if the endpoint is authorized.

Claims

1. A method for providing an access to a tethering service, the method comprising:

detecting an attempt to access the tethering service at a first endpoint device where a second endpoint device connects to the first endpoint device while the first endpoint device is communicating with a service provider network, where data that is accessed by the first endpoint device via the service provider network is transferred to the second endpoint device;

determining, by the first endpoint device, whether the first endpoint device is authorized to access the tethering service by;

sending a query to a server in the service provider network, wherein the query comprises a hyper text transfer protocol message that comprises a unique identifier associated with the tethering service, wherein the unique identifier comprises a universal resource locator that uniquely identifies the tethering service from among a plurality of non-network monitored services, wherein the non-network monitored services comprise services that do not require the server in the service provider network for operation; and

receiving from the server in the service provider network, an authorization message to access the tethering service; and

providing, by the first endpoint device, the access to the tethering service when the first endpoint device receives the authorization message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first endpoint device comprises an endpoint associated with a mobile device service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises detecting an attempt to transmit data over a physical interface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the physical interface comprises a universal serial bus interface.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the physical interface comprises a Bluetooth communication interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprise detecting an attempt to transmit data over a network other than the service provider network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprise detecting an attempt to execute an application.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor of a first endpoint device, cause the processor to perform operations for providing an access to a tethering service, the operations comprising:

detecting an attempt to access the tethering service at the first endpoint device where a second endpoint device connects to the first endpoint device while the first endpoint device is communicating with a service provider network, where data that is accessed by the first endpoint device via the service provider network is transferred to the second endpoint device;

determining whether the first endpoint device is authorized to access the tethering service by;

sending a query to a server in the service provider network, wherein the query comprises a hyper text transfer protocol message that comprises a unique identifier associated with the tethering service, wherein the unique identifier comprises a universal resource locator that uniquely identifies the tethering service from among a plurality of non-network monitored services, wherein the non-network monitored services comprise services that do not require the server in the service provider network for operation; and

receiving from the server in the server provider network, an authorization message to access the tethering service; and

providing the access to the tethering service when the first endpoint device receives the authorization message.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first endpoint device comprises an endpoint associated with a mobile device service.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the detecting comprises detecting an attempt to transmit data over a physical interface.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the physical interface comprises a universal serial bus interface.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the physical interface comprises a Bluetooth communication interface.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the detecting comprise detecting an attempt to transmit data over a network other than the service provider network.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the detecting comprise detecting an attempt to execute an application.

15. An apparatus for providing an access to a tethering service, comprising:

a processor of a first endpoint device; and

a computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

detecting an attempt to access the tethering service at the first endpoint device where a second endpoint device connects to the first endpoint device while the first endpoint device is communicating with a service provider network, where data that is accessed by the first endpoint device via the service provider network is transferred to the second endpoint device;

determining whether the first endpoint device is authorized to access the tethering service by;

sending a query to a server in the service provider network, wherein the query comprises a hyper text transfer protocol message that comprises a unique identifier associated with the tethering service, wherein the unique identifier comprises a universal resource locator that uniquely identifies the tethering service from among a plurality of non-network monitored services, wherein the non-network monitored services comprise services that do not require the server in the service provider network for operation; and

receiving from the server in the service provider network an authorization message to access the tethering service; and

providing the access to the tethering service when the first endpoint device receives the authorization message.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first endpoint device comprises an endpoint associated with a mobile device service.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the detecting comprises detecting an attempt to transmit data over a physical interface.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the physical interface comprises a universal serial bus interface.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the physical interface comprises a Bluetooth communication interface.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the detecting comprise detecting an attempt to transmit data over a network other than the service provider network.