Methods and apparatus to provide a consumer services cloud in a communications network

• US 9,769,069 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2015
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2015
• 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.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cui, Zhi, Anschutz, Thomas A., Blackburn, Alan, Brisebois, Arthur Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, MAN U
• Application Number:
  US14/683,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20160301779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 370217-225, 370252-401, 709221-231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/566 Routing instructions carried by the data packet, e.g. active networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to provide a consumer services cloud in a communications network are disclosed. An example method includes obtaining, at a first device in a communications network, network communications transmitted from a client device of a communications network customer that are diverted via a software-defined networking switch. The example method also includes analyzing the network communications to identify which of multiple possible users associated with the communications network customer is a current user of the client device; in response to identifying the current user, accessing a first profile corresponding to the identified current user to determine a rule to be used to handle the network communications within the communications network. The example method also includes configuring the software-defined networking switch to: identify subsequent network communications that correspond to the identified current user of the client device; and handle the subsequent network communications in accordance with the rule.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

obtaining, at a first device in a communications network, network communications transmitted from a client device of a communications network customer that are diverted via a software-defined networking switch;

analyzing the network communications to identify which of multiple possible users associated with the communications network customer is a current user of the client device, wherein the analyzing of the network communications includes analyzing at least one of an Internet protocol header and a control message;

in response to identifying the current user, accessing subscription information for the communications network customer to determine a rule to be used to handle the network communications within the communications network; and

configuring the software-defined networking switch to;

identify subsequent network communications that correspond to the identified current user of the client device; and

route the subsequent network communications to the communications network in compliance with the subscription information.

2. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the network communications includes identifying authentication information in a request for access to the communications network from the client device, and, the configuring of the software-defined networking switch includes configuring the software-defined networking switch to route communications between the client device and the communications network when client device is authorized to access the communications network based on the authentication information.

3. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the network communications includes analyzing at least one of a message header and a control message, the determining of the rule includes accessing network address translation information for the communications network customer, and the configuring of the software-defined networking switch includes configuring the software-defined networking switch to perform network address translation on the subsequent communications.

4. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the network communications includes analyzing at least one of a message header, a control message, or a type of an application that generated the network communications, the determining of the rule includes accessing user network access control information configured by an authorized person associated with the communications network customer, and the configuring of the software-defined networking switch includes configuring a forwarding table of the software-defined networking switch to selectively block the subsequent network communications to comply with the user network access control information.

5. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the network communications are first network communications, and the method further includes:

obtaining, at the first device, second network communications destined for the client device that are diverted by the software-defined networking switch;

analyzing the second network communications based on a security rule to identify a security risk of the second network communications;

transmitting a notification to the client device including an identification of the security risk; and

configuring a forwarding table of the software-defined networking switch to comply with a response obtained from the client device to the notification.

6. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the configuring of the software-defined networking switch to handle the subsequent network communications in accordance with the rule includes configuring the software-defined networking switch to route the subsequent network communications without re-directing the subsequent network communications to the first device.

7. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the client device includes a computing device connected to the communications network via customer premises equipment.

8. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the client device includes a mobile device connected to the communications network via a wireless communications network base station.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable storage medium including computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to perform operations including;

analyzing network communications transmitted from a client device of a communications network customer to identify which of multiple possible users associated with the communications network customer is a current user of the client device, the network communications being diverted to the apparatus by a software-defined networking switch;

in response to identifying the current user, accessing a first profile corresponding to the identified current user to determine a rule to be used to handle the network communications within the communications network;

processing information from a networked service to identify a pattern;

storing at least one of the pattern and an action that is responsive to the pattern in association with the identified current user; and

configuring the software-defined networking switch to;

identify subsequent network communications that correspond to the identified current user of the client device;

handle the subsequent network communications in accordance with the rule; and

take the action based on identifying traffic corresponding to the pattern and the identified current user.

10. The apparatus defined in claim 9, wherein the client device includes a computing device connected to the communications network via customer premises equipment.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 9, wherein the client device includes a mobile device connected to the communications network via a wireless communications network base station.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 9, wherein the processing of the information from the networked service to identify the pattern includes processing information from multiple, separate networked services to identify behaviors associated with the multiple, separate networked services.

13. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a processor of a first device to perform operations including:

analyzing network communications to identify which of multiple possible users associated with a communications network customer is a current user of a client device, the network communications including at least one of an Internet Protocol header and a control message, the network communications transmitted from the client device of the communications network customer, and the network communications being diverted to the first device by a software-defined networking switch;

in response to identifying the current user, accessing a first profile corresponding to the identified current user, and, accessing network address translation information for the communications network customer to determine a rule to be used to handle the network communications within the communications network; and

configuring the software-defined networking switch to;

identify subsequent network communications that correspond to the identified current user of the client device;

perform network address translation on the subsequent network communications; and

handle the subsequent network communications in accordance with the rule.

14. The storage medium defined in claim 13, wherein the analyzing of the network communications includes analyzing at least one of a message header and a control message, the determining of the rule includes accessing subscription information for the communications network customer, and the configuring of the software-defined networking switch includes configuring the software-defined networking switch to route the subsequent network communications to the communications network in compliance with the subscription information.

15. The storage medium defined in claim 13, wherein the analyzing of the network communications includes identifying IEEE 802.1X authentication information in a request for access to the communications network from the client device, and, the configuring of the software-defined networking switch includes configuring the software-defined networking switch to route communications between the client device and the communications network when the client device is authorized to access the communications network based on the IEEE 802.1X authentication information.

16. The storage medium defined in claim 13, wherein the network communications are first network communications and the operations further include:

analyzing second network communications based on a security rule to identify a security risk of the second network communications, the second network communications having the client device as a destination and being diverted by the software-defined networking switch;

when the security risk satisfies a threshold risk, transmitting a notification to the client device identifying the security risk; and

configuring a forwarding table of the software-defined networking switch to comply with a response obtained from the client device to the notification.

17. The storage medium defined in claim 13, wherein the configuring of the software-defined networking switch to handle the subsequent network communications in accordance with the rule includes configuring the software-defined networking switch to route the subsequent network communications without re-directing the subsequent network communications to the first device.