Policy enforced intelligent persona manager

• US 10,631,192 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2015
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2015
• 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.)
• Inventors: Dowlatkhah, Sangar, Lau, Erie Lai Har
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Linh T.
• Application Number:
  US14/827,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20170048327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,712 Days
• Field of Search: 709226, 709227, 709229, 709203, 709217, 709225, 709206, 709207, 4554521, 4554522, 4554011, 4554042, 455413, 455567, 3405731, 3405391, 34053912, 37926513, 379 8819, 379 8821, 37920102, 37926602, 705 1466, 707798, 707E17046
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5006 Creating or negotiating SLA contracts, guarantees or penalties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5048 Automatic or semi-automatic definitions, e.g. definition templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0215 based on user or device properties, e.g. MTC-capable devices services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] H04W4/70; wireless resource selection or allocation plan definition based on terminal or device properties H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0268 using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24

Abstract

An intelligent persona manager is provided to dynamically and intelligently instantiate policies and rules for devices that are associated with a subscriber account. The intelligent persona manager can determine a device associated with a subscriber account can be used in many different scenarios and for different purposes, and the intelligent persona manager can determine which persona of the subscriber account is currently associated with the active session and select rules or policies to apply from a set of policies that are associated with the subscriber account.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a device comprising a processor, that a user equipment device has initiated an active session with a network device of a mobile network;

retrieving, by the device, policies from a user profile associated with the user equipment device and from a subscriber account associated with the network device, wherein the policies are retrieved using a policy aggregator that is associated with an intelligent persona manager that incorporates an application program interface manager, after a search of the policies that are collected from devices associated with a third party, and a policy and charging rules function device of a mobile network, and wherein the policies are based on a type of entity associated with the active session comprising data streams;

analyzing, by a policy broker of the device, the policies, wherein the policy broker communicates to provide the policies to external source devices and retrieve the policies from service provider devices associated with service providers;

determining, by the device, a first role associated with the user profile, and a second role associated with the network device based on contextual information determined to relate to the active session, wherein the first role and the second role are determined based on an analysis of a graph structure that compares existing contracts to select the first role, wherein the first role and second role are related to edges of the graph and communication with a second persona device associated with the second persona is via Wi-Fi communications, and wherein the first role and the second role comprise information relating to purpose and priority of communication associated with the active session, wherein the contextual information is determined as a function of a time of usage of the user equipment device, an application of the user equipment device, a service associated with the active session, content of the communication associated with the active session, party information relating to a party to the communication, and a location of the user equipment device, wherein the contextual information comprises a prescription information, and a treatment history;

determining, by the device, a priority level of the active session based on the time of usage of the user equipment device, the content of the communication associated with the active session, the party information relating to the party to the communication and the location of the user equipment, wherein the priority level is based on a likelihood of a medical emergency situation arising; and

applying, by the device, a policy of the policies, wherein the policy is selected, using the intelligent manager, based on the first role of the user profile and the second role of the network device, a relationship between the first role and the second role, and the priority level and wherein applying the policy changes a functionality of the user equipment device by enabling a text message communication functionality of the user equipment device in response to a determination that the urgency ranking indicates a non-emergency situation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy comprises a rule associated with an availability of the service and the priority of the communication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy is further selected based on at least one of the policy and charging rules function, an availability of the policies in a policy data store, and preference information associated with a preference of a user identity of the user profile.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy is a first policy, and further comprising:

receiving, by the device, a policy override selection from a profile manager device; and

in response to the receiving the policy override selection, applying, by the device, a second policy of the policies to the text message communication functionality of the user equipment device and adjusting a role selection process.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

associating, by the device, the second policy with the user profile.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy is a first policy, and further comprising:

retrieving, by the device, from a first policy data store determined not to be associated with the mobile network associated with the active session, a second policy related to the user profile.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

sending, by the device, the second policy to a second policy data store determined to be associated with the mobile network to be stored by the second policy data store.

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

determining that the contextual information is associated with a defined emergency; and

applying a temporary policy to the first device that replaces the policy and that enables the voice communication functionality of the first device.

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

determining that a first device associated with a subscriber account assigned to a subscriber identity has initiated an active session with a second device;

in response to requesting policies associated with a first subscriber account associated with the first device and a second subscriber account associated with the second device, receiving the policies, wherein the policies are retrieved, by a policy aggregator that is associated with an intelligent persona manager that incorporates an application program interface manager, after the policy aggregator conducts a search of the policies that are collected from a third party device, and a policy and charging rules function device of a mobile network, and wherein the policies are based on a type of entity associated with the active session comprising data streams;

analyzing the policies by a policy broker, wherein the policy broker communicates with external source devices to provide the policies to external source devices and retrieve the policies from service provider devices associated with service providers;

determining a first persona associated with the first subscriber account and a second persona associated with the second subscriber account based on contextual information relating to the active session, wherein the first persona and the second persona are determined based on an analysis of a graph structure that compares existing contracts to select the first persona, wherein the first persona and the second persona are related to edges of the graph structure and communication with a second persona device associated with the second persona is via Wi-Fi communications, and wherein the first persona and the second persona relate to an importance ranking of communication associated with the active session, wherein the contextual information is determined as a function of a time of usage of the first device, an application of the first device, a service associated with the active session, content of the communication associated with the active session, a party to the communication, and a location of the first device, wherein the contextual information comprises a prescription information, and a treatment history;

determining a priority level of the active session based on the time of usage of the first device, the application of the first device, the service associated with the active session, the content of the communication associated with the active session, the party to the communication, and the location of the first device, wherein the priority level is based on a likelihood of a medical emergency situation; and

applying a policy of the policies, wherein the policy is selected, by the intelligent persona manager, based on the first persona of the first subscriber account and the second persona of the second subscriber account, a relationship between the first persona and the second persona, and the priority level and wherein applying the policy changes a permission of an application determined to be executing on the first device in response to a determination that the urgency ranking indicates a non-emergency situation.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the policy is a first policy, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a policy override selection from a profile manager device;

applying a second policy of the policies, wherein applying the second policy further changes the permission of the application determined to be executing on the first device; and

associating the second policy with the second persona.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

overriding the policy with a replacement policy in response to a change in the contextual information and adjusting a persona selection process.

12. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

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

determining that a first device associated with a subscriber account of a subscriber identity has initiated an active session with a second device;

retrieving policies associated with a first subscriber account associated with the first device and a second subscriber account associated with the second device, wherein the policies are retrieved, by a policy aggregator that is associated with an intelligent persona manager that incorporates an application program interface manager, after the policy aggregator conducts a search of the policies that are collected from devices associated with a third party, and a policy and charging rules function device of a mobile network, and wherein the policies are based on a type of entity associated with the active session comprising data streams;

analyzing the policies by a policy broker of the system, wherein the policy broker communicates to provide the policies to external source devices and retrieve the policies from service provider devices associated with service providers;

determining a first persona associated with the first subscriber account and a second persona associated with the second subscriber account based on contextual information determined to relate to the active session, wherein the first persona and the second persona are determined based on an analysis of a graph structure that compares existing contracts to select the first persona, wherein the first persona and the second persona are related to edges of the graph structure and communication with a second persona device associated with the second persona is via Wi-Fi communications, and wherein the contextual information is determined as a function of a time of usage of the first device, an application of the first device, a service associated with the active session, content of a communication associated with the active session, a party identity indicative of a party to the communication, and a location of the first device wherein the contextual information comprises a prescription information, and a treatment history;

determining an urgency ranking of the active session based on the time of usage of the first device, the application of the first device, the service associated with the active session, the content of the communication associated with the active session, the party identity indicative of the party to the communication, and the location of the first device, wherein the urgency rating is based on a likelihood of an occurrence of a medical emergency situation; and

applying a policy of the policies, wherein the policy is selected, by the intelligent persona manager, based on the first persona of the first subscriber account and the second persona of the second subscriber account, a relationship between the first persona and the second persona, and the urgency ranking and wherein the applying the policy changes a functionality of the first device by disabling a voice communication functionality of the first device in response to a determination that the urgency ranking indicates a non-emergency situation.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the policy comprises a rule associated with at least one of a quality of the service, a quality of experience of the service, a communication priority ranking of the communication associated with the active session, or an availability of the service.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the policy is a function of the policy and charging rules function device, policy information received from a policy data store, and preference information associated with a preference of the subscriber identity.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the first persona corresponds to a determined usage of the device.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the policy is a first policy, and wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to receiving a policy override selection from the first device, applying a second policy of the policies, different from the first policy, to the voice communication functionality of the first device and adjusting a persona selection process.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

associating the second policy with the first persona.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the determining the first persona comprises determining the first persona further based on a relationship determined between nodes of the graph structure, wherein the first persona is related to edges of the graph structure, and wherein the nodes are related to devices associated with the active session and subscriber accounts corresponding to the devices.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the policy is a first policy, wherein the operations further comprise:

initiating storage of a second policy related to the subscriber account in a first policy data store of a mobile network associated with the active session, and wherein the second policy is retrieved from a second policy data store that is not associated with the mobile network.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the second policy data store is associated with a service provider identity determined to be associated with the active session.