Communications terminal and system and rights management method

• US 9,705,883 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2013
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Jia, Xin, Zhu, Hong
• Primary Examiner(s): JHAVERI, JAYESH M
• Application Number:
  US14/441,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20150256546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/305 by remotely controlling device operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The present invention provides a communications terminal and system and a rights management method, comprising: setting a rights list; listing unique identification information of user identity of each mobile terminal device that is allowed to access to the WiFi hot spot communications terminal; the communications terminal performing authentication on unique identification information in a mobile terminal authentication request; and establishing a connection. It is made convenient for the communications terminal to effectively manage access rights, and the management becomes simpler and easier to operate. Meanwhile, the communications terminal performs authentication on the unique identification information of the user identity, thereby making the authentication process more efficient and improving the security of the authentication process. Meanwhile, priorities of the access rights of users are set, so as to ensure that a user of a high priority has preferential access, thereby making the access rights management more user-friendly.

Claims

1. A method for authorization management, comprising:

receiving, by a communication User Equipment (UE), a WiFi authentication request sent by a mobile UE requesting access of the communication UE, the WiFi authentication request comprising unique identification information for identifying a current user of the mobile UE requesting access, the communication UE being a WiFi hot spot; and

authenticating, by the communication UE, the mobile UE requesting access according to the WiFi authentication request and an authorized list, the authorized list comprising unique identification information for identifying a mobile UE user authorized to access the communication UE,

wherein the unique identification information of a user is a card number of a SIM card or a USIM card of the user, or an Email account bound to a mobile UE of the user,

wherein the method further comprises;

selecting contact information from an address book of the communication UE and importing the selected contact information to the authorized list, or adding contact information to the authorized list in a manual mode, the contact information comprising a name of a contact and unique identification information of the contact;

setting priorities in accessing the communication UE respectively for contacts in the authorized list,

wherein the method further comprises;

after the communication UE authenticates the mobile UE requesting access according to the WiFi authentication request and the authorized list,

determining, by the communication UE, whether a number of mobile UEs currently accessing the communication UE has reached an allowed maximal number of mobile UEs accessing the communication UE;

when the number of mobile UEs currently accessing the communication UE has not reached the allowed maximal number of mobile UEs accessing the communication UE, connecting, by the communication UE, to the mobile UE requesting access according to a current Media Access Control (MAC) address of the mobile UE requesting access;

when the number of mobile UEs currently accessing the communication UE has reached the allowed maximal number of mobile UEs accessing the communication UE, determining, by the communication UE according to the priorities in accessing the communication UE respectively for the contacts in the authorized list, whether a priority corresponding to the mobile UE requesting access is higher than a priority corresponding to a mobile UE currently accessing the communication UE;

when there is a mobile UE currently accessing the communication UE with a priority lower than the priority corresponding to the mobile UE requesting access, disconnecting the mobile UE currently accessing the communication UE with the low priority, and connecting to the mobile UE requesting access;

when there is no mobile UE currently accessing the communication UE with a priority lower than the priority corresponding to the mobile UE requesting access, refusing access by the mobile UE requesting access.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the authenticating, by the communication UE, the mobile UE requesting access according to the WiFi authentication request and an authorized list comprises:

determining, by the communication UE, whether the unique identification information in the WiFi authentication request is comprised in the authorized list, and determining that the mobile UE requesting access is authenticated for access when the unique identification information in the WiFi authentication request is comprised in the authorized list.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the WiFi authentication request further comprises the current MAC address of the mobile UE requesting access, and the method further comprises:

after the mobile UE requesting access is authenticated for access, connecting, by the communication UE, to the mobile UE requesting access according to the current MAC address in the WiFi authentication request.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the authorized list of the communication UE further comprises a last MAC address used in last accessing the communication UE by a user;

the connecting, by the communication UE, to the mobile UE requesting access according to the current MAC address in the WiFi authentication request comprises;

determining whether the current MAC address of the mobile UE requesting access is comprised in the authorized list;

when the current MAC address of the mobile UE requesting access is comprised in the authorized list and the current MAC address is identical to the last MAC address corresponding to the current user of the mobile UE requesting access, directly connecting to the mobile UE requesting access according to the current MAC address;

when the current MAC address is not identical to the last MAC address, updating, with the current MAC address, the last MAC address used by the current user in the authorized list, and connecting to the mobile UE requesting access according to the current MAC address;

when the current MAC address of the mobile UE requesting access is not comprised in the authorized list, adding the current MAC address of the mobile UE requesting access to the authorized list and connecting to the mobile UE requesting access according to the current MAC address.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the communication UE clears any MAC address corresponding to a mobile UE of a user in the authorized list when the communication UE turns on or off WiFi.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

after the mobile UE requesting access is authenticated for access, and before connecting to the mobile UE requesting access, performing, by the communication UE, password authentication on the mobile UE requesting access.

7. A communication User Equipment (UE), the communication UE being a WiFi hot spot, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing computer readable instructions executable by the at least one processor,

wherein the at least one processor is configured for;

receiving a WiFi authentication request sent by a mobile UE requesting access of the communication UE, the WiFi authentication request comprising unique identification information for identifying a current user of the mobile UE requesting access;

authenticating the mobile UE requesting access according to the WiFi authentication request and an authorized list, the authorized list comprising unique identification information for identifying a mobile UE user authorized to access the communication UE,

wherein the unique identification information of a user is a card number of a SIM card or a USIM card of the user, or an Email account bound to a mobile UE of the user,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured for;

selecting contact information from an address book of the communication UE and importing the selected contact information to the authorized list, or adding contact information to the authorized list in a manual mode, the contact information comprising a name of a contact and unique identification information of the contact;

setting priorities in accessing the communication UE respectively for contacts in the authorized list,

after the mobile UE requesting access is authenticated for access, determining whether a number of mobile UEs currently accessing the communication UE has reached an allowed maximal number of mobile UEs accessing the communication UE;

when the number of mobile UEs currently accessing the communication UE has not reached the allowed maximal number of mobile UEs accessing the communication UE, connecting the communication UE to the mobile UE requesting access according to a current Media Access Control (MAC) address of the mobile UE requesting access;

when the number of mobile UEs currently accessing the communication UE has reached the allowed maximal number of mobile UEs accessing the communication UE, determining, according to the priorities in accessing the communication UE respectively for the contacts in the authorized list, whether a priority corresponding to the mobile UE requesting access is higher than a priority corresponding to a mobile UE currently accessing the communication UE;

when there is a mobile UE currently accessing the communication UE with a priority lower than the priority corresponding to the mobile UE requesting access, disconnecting the mobile UE currently accessing the communication UE with the low priority, and connecting the communication UE to the mobile UE requesting access;

when there is no mobile UE currently accessing the communication UE with a priority lower than the priority corresponding to the mobile UE requesting access, refusing access by the mobile UE requesting access.

8. The communication UE according to claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is configured for:

determining whether the unique identification information in the WiFi authentication request is comprised in the authorized list, and determining that the mobile UE requesting access is authenticated for access when the unique identification information in the WiFi authentication request is comprised in the authorized list.

9. The communication UE according to claim 7, wherein the WiFi authentication request further comprises the current MAC address of the mobile UE requesting access, and the at least one processor is further configured for:

after the mobile UE requesting access has been authenticated for access, connecting the communication UE to the mobile UE requesting access according to the current MAC address in the WiFi authentication request.

10. The communication UE according to claim 9, wherein the authorized list of the communication UE further comprises a last MAC address used in last accessing the communication UE by a user;

the at least one processor is configured for;

determining whether the current MAC address of the mobile UE requesting access is comprised in the authorized list;

when the current MAC address of the mobile UE requesting access is comprised in the authorized list and the current MAC address is identical to the last MAC address corresponding to the current user of the mobile UE requesting access, directly connecting the communication UE to the mobile UE requesting access according to the current MAC address;

when the current MAC address is not identical to the last MAC address, updating, with the current MAC address, the last MAC address used by the current user in the authorized list, and connecting the communication UE to the mobile UE requesting access according to the current MAC address;

when the current MAC address of the mobile UE requesting access is not comprised in the authorized list, adding the current MAC address of the mobile UE requesting access to the authorized list, and connecting the communication UE to the mobile UE requesting access according to the current MAC address.

11. The communication UE according to claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured for clearing any MAC address corresponding to a mobile UE of a user in the authorized list when WiFi is turned on or off.

12. The communication UE according to claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is further configured for:

after the mobile UE requesting access is authenticated for access, performing password authentication on the mobile UE requesting access.

13. A communication system, comprising at least one mobile User Equipment (UE) and a communication UE,

wherein the mobile UE has a WiFi function, and requests accessing the communication UE by sending the communication UE a WiFi authentication request comprising unique identification information for identifying a current user of the mobile UE,

wherein the communication UE is a WiFi hot spot comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing computer readable instructions executable by the at least one processor,

wherein the at least one processor is configured for;

receiving the WiFi authentication request sent by the mobile UE requesting access of the communication UE, the WiFi authentication request comprising the unique identification information for identifying the current user of the mobile UE requesting access;

authenticating the mobile UE requesting access according to the WiFi authentication request and an authorized list, the authorized list comprising unique identification information for identifying a mobile UE user authorized to access the communication UE,

wherein the unique identification information of a user is a card number of a SIM card or a USIM card of the user, or an Email account bound to a mobile UE of the user,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured for;

selecting contact information from an address book of the communication UE and importing the selected contact information to the authorized list, or adding contact information to the authorized list in a manual mode, the contact information comprising a name of a contact and unique identification information of the contact;

setting priorities in accessing the communication UE respectively for contacts in the authorized list,

after the mobile UE requesting access is authenticated for access, determining whether a number of mobile UEs currently accessing the communication UE has reached an allowed maximal number of mobile UEs accessing the communication UE;

when the number of mobile UEs currently accessing the communication UE has not reached the allowed maximal number of mobile UEs accessing the communication UE, connecting the communication UE to the mobile UE requesting access according to a current Media Access Control (MAC) address of the mobile UE requesting access;

when the number of mobile UEs currently accessing the communication UE has reached the allowed maximal number of mobile UEs accessing the communication UE, determining, according to the priorities in accessing the communication UE respectively for the contacts in the authorized list, whether a priority corresponding to the mobile UE requesting access is higher than a priority corresponding to a mobile UE currently accessing the communication UE;

when there is a mobile UE currently accessing the communication UE with a priority lower than the priority corresponding to the mobile UE requesting access, disconnecting the mobile UE currently accessing the communication UE with the low priority, and connecting the communication UE to the mobile UE requesting access;

when there is no mobile UE currently accessing the communication UE with a priority lower than the priority corresponding to the mobile UE requesting access, refusing access by the mobile UE requesting access.