User Interest and Identity Control on Internet

• US 20120198061A1
• Filed: 10/06/2009
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Stenfelt, John, Kopplin, Dirk, Rommer, Stefan, Ronneke, Hans Bertil
• Granted Patent: US 9,197,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks

Abstract

The present invention relates to a solution for handling customer activity when connecting to a wireless communication network and in particular for statistics of customer activity using the network. This is provided in a number of aspects such as methods, node, and system for reporting user profile statistics from deep packet inspection of data packets in a packet data network (100) to a policy and charging rules function entity (104) which in turn informs a subscriber usage profile repository (106), i.e. SUPR. The SUPR provides access to external application servers (108) to the subscriber usage profile information after access control.

Claims

1. A method in a core part of a wireless communication network comprising the steps of:

receiving user statistics from deep packet inspection;

storing user information comprising user statistics together with user identity information;

receiving a request from an application server, relating to an IP address and requesting user information; and

providing at least part of stored user information to the application server.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an attachment request from a user equipment (UE) and assigning at least one IP address to the UE;

updating a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) with at least one IP address assigned for the UE;

updating a subscriber usage profile repository (SUPR) with information relating to the UE;

enabling deep packet inspection of data relating to the UE and assigned IP address and retrieving user statistics using a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF);

reporting user statistics information to the PCRF;

forwarding user statistics information to the SUPR;

providing user information deducible from the user statistics information and/or the user identity information to at least one application server requesting such information; and

storing identity information relating to application servers.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein user statistics comprise at least one of visited URI'"'"'s by the UE, application used by the UE, protocols used by the UE, and type of services used by the UE.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the SUPR store information is related to an identifiable UE.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein deducible user information is provided in an XML format.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of authenticating the application server before providing user information to the application server.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein a network address translation unit provides information about relation between public and private IP addresses to the SUPR.

8. The method according to claim 2, further comprising a step of updating the PCRF and SUPR if IP address is changed for the UE.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of handling multiple IP addresses.

10. A node in wireless communications network, comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable storage medium; and

a communication interface;

wherein the processor is arranged to execute instructions sets stored in the storage medium, using the communication interface, for;

i. receiving an attachment request from a user equipment (UR) and assigning at least one IP address to the UE;

ii. updating a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) with at least one IP address assigned for the UE;

iii. updating a subscriber usage profile repository (SUPR) with information relating to the UE;

iv. enabling deep packet inspection of data relating to the UE and assigned IP address and retrieving user statistics using a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF);

v. reporting user statistics information to the PCRF;

vi. forwarding user statistics information to the SUPR;

vii. providing user information deducible from the user statistics information and/or the user identity information to application servers requesting such information; and

viii. storing identity information relating to application servers.

11. A method related to a communications network comprising:

storing user information relating to an identifiable user and user usage profile;

receiving a request relating to the user information from an external application server-comprising an IP address;

providing at least past of the user information to the external application server; and

charging for the providing of the user information.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising comparing user ID connected to IP address with recent requests.

13. A core network in a wireless communication network, comprising:

a gateway; and

a policy and charging rules function entity;

wherein the gateway is arranged to provide communicative connection with a user equipment (UE) to provide access to a packet data network for the UE, provide deep packet inspection (DPI) of data packets passing through the gateway, determine user statistics from the DPI, and provide user statistics to the policy and charging rules function entity (PCRF) and wherein the network further comprises a subscriber usage profile repository receiving user statistics information from the PCRF and providing access to the subscriber usage information to application servers requesting such information.

14. The network according to claim 13, wherein the gateway is one of a PGW or a GGSN.

15. The network according to claim 13, further comprising at least one of a network address translation entity and a firewall.