System and method for location reporting in an untrusted network environment

• US 9,992,625 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2016
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dhammawat, Abhishek, Kavunder, Arun
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Siu
• Application Number:
  US15/197,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20160316339A1
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 4554221, 4554561, 4554562, 4554563
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/00 Orthogonal multiplex systems, e.g. using WALSH codesH04J13/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/659 Internet protocol version 6 [IPv6] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/503 using an authentication, authorisation and accounting [AAA] protocol, e.g. remote authentication dial-in user service [RADIUS] or Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/30 for supporting lawful interception, monitoring or retaining of communications or communication related information circuit switched telephony call monitoring H04M3/2281
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• 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 72/53 based on regulatory allocation policies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 : Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 : Gateway arrangements

Abstract

An example method is provided and may include retrieving by a user equipment (UE) an access point (AP) Media Access Control (MAC) address for an AP to which the UE is connected; reporting location information for the UE to an evolved Packet Data Gateway over an SWu interface using Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) protocol, wherein the location information includes, at least in part, a UE location in GPS coordinates, a service set identifier, the retrieved AP MAC address and cell identity information for the UE; and populating a location database with the location information. The method can include embedding the location information in an identity initiator (Idi) of an IKE Authentication Request (IKE_AUTH_REQ) message using a Network Access Identifier (NAI) and communicating the location information from the ePDG to a PGW over an S2b interface using a private extension information element of GPRS Tunneling Protocol version 2 (GTPv2).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

retrieving by a user equipment (UE) an access point (AP) Media Access Control (MAC) address for an AP to which the UE is connected, wherein the AP is in an untrusted Internet Protocol (IP) access network;

reporting location information for the UE to a gateway, wherein the location information includes, at least in part, a location of the UE, a service set identifier (SSID) for the untrusted IP access network and the retrieved AP MAC address; and

populating a location database with the location information for the UE.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

embedding the location information for the UE using a Network Access Identifier (NAI) as part of an identity initiator (Idi) of an Internet Key Exchange (IKE) Authentication Request (IKE_AUTH_REQ) message communicated over an SWu interface.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

maintaining the location database internal to a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF); and

maintaining the location database external to a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF).

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the location information for the UE from the gateway to a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW) over an S2b interface using a private extension information element (IE) of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol version 2 (GTPv2); and

communicating the location information from the PGW to a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) over a Gx interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the location database further includes at least one of:

a device name for the UE; and

a physical address of the UE.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing, based on the AP MAC address contained in the location information for the UE, the reported location of the UE to locations of other UE previously stored in the location database that have previously connected to the AP; and

identifying the location of the UE contained in the location information for the UE as potentially invalid if it is not near corresponding locations for the other UE previously stored in the location database that have previously connected to the AP.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the reported location of the UE contained in the location information for the UE to locations of other UE previously stored in the location database; and

identifying the AP MAC address contained in the location information for the UE as potentially invalid if it does not match corresponding AP MAC addresses for the other UE previously stored in the location database that have corresponding locations near the location of the UE.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the gateway is an evolved Packet Data Gateway (ePDG).

9. One or more non-transitory tangible media encoding logic that includes instructions for execution that when executed by a processor, is operable to perform operations comprising:

retrieving by a user equipment (UE) an access point (AP) Media Access Control (MAC) address for an AP to which the UE is connected, wherein the AP is in an untrusted Internet Protocol (IP) access network;

reporting location information for the UE to a gateway, wherein the location information includes, at least in part, a location of the UE, a service set identifier (SSID) for the untrusted IP access network and the retrieved AP MAC address; and

populating a location database with the location information for the UE.

10. The media of claim 9, further comprising:

embedding the location information for the UE using a Network Access Identifier (NAI) as part of an identity initiator (Idi) of an Internet Key Exchange (IKE) Authentication Request (IKE_AUTH_REQ) message communicated over an SWu interface.

11. The media of claim 9, the operations further comprising one of:

maintaining the location database internal to a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF); and

maintaining the location database external to a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF).

12. The media of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

communicating the location information for the UE from the gateway to a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW) over an S2b interface using a private extension information element (IE) of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol version 2 (GTPv2); and

communicating the location information from the PGW to a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) over a Gx interface.

13. The media of claim 9, wherein the location database further includes at least one of:

a device name for the UE; and

a physical address of the UE.

14. The media of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

comparing, based on the AP MAC address contained in the location information for the UE, the reported location of the UE to locations of other UE previously stored in the location database that have previously connected to the AP; and

identifying the location of the UE contained in the location information for the UE as potentially invalid if it is not near corresponding locations for the other UE previously stored in the location database that have previously connected to the AP.

15. The media of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

comparing the reported location of the UE contained in the location information for the UE to locations of other UE previously stored in the location database; and

identifying the AP MAC address contained in the location information for the UE as potentially invalid if it does not match corresponding AP MAC addresses for the other UE previously stored in the location database that have corresponding locations near the location of the UE.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory element for storing data; and

a processor that executes instructions associated with the data, wherein the processor and the memory element cooperate such that the apparatus is configured for;

retrieving by a user equipment (UE) an access point (AP) Media Access Control (MAC) address for an AP to which the UE is connected, wherein the AP is in an untrusted Internet Protocol (IP) access network;

reporting location information for the UE to a gateway, wherein the location information includes, at least in part, a location of the UE, a service set identifier (SSID) for the untrusted IP access network and the retrieved AP MAC address; and

populating a location database with the location information for the UE.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further configured for:

embedding the location information for the UE using a Network Access Identifier (NAI) as part of an identity initiator (Idi) of an Internet Key Exchange (IKE) Authentication Request (IKE_AUTH_REQ) message communicated over an SWu interface.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further configured for:

maintaining the location database internal to a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF); and

maintaining the location database external to a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF).

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further configured for:

communicating the location information for the UE from the gateway to a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW) over an S2b interface using a private extension information element (IE) of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol version 2 (GTPv2); and

communicating the location information from the PGW to a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) over a Gx interface.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the location database further includes at least one of:

a device name for the UE; and

a physical address of the UE.