Automated Device Provisioning and Activation

• US 20120208496A1
• Filed: 04/25/2012
• Published: 08/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Headwater Research LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Original Assignee: Headwater Partners I LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Inventors: Raleigh, Gregory G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,478,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0876 Aspects of the degree of configuration automation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 : Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 : Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 : by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 : Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 : Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 : for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 : Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0236 : Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 : for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 : using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 : by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 : for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 : for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 : avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 : involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 : Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 : Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 : Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 : including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 : involving digital signatures
• 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 15/49 : Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 : based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/61 : based on the service used
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 : Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 : Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8055 : Selecting cheaper transport technology for a given service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/88 : Provision for limiting connection, or expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 : Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/00 : Security arrangements; Authentication; Protecting privacy or anonymity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 : Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/037 : of the control plane, e.g. signalling traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 : Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 : Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 : Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/12 : using signalling between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 : Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 : Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 : using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 : Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 : Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 : Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 : Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/04 : Large scale networks; Deep hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 : Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 : Management or planning

Abstract

Various embodiments are disclosed for a services policy communication system and method. In some embodiments, a communications device stores a set of device credentials for activating the communications device for a service on a network; and sends an access request to the network, the access request including the set of device credentials.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring traffic associated with an end-user device communicatively coupled to a network system over a wireless access network, the traffic comprising one or more data transfers;

identifying, in the traffic, particular data transfers within a service activity category, the service activity category identifying a set of one or more service activities less than all service activities associated with the end-user device, the service activity category identifying at least one of a particular end-user device application and a particular network communication end point;

determining a service usage measure based on the identification of the particular data transfers within the service activity category; and

providing a notification to the end-user device, the notification based at least in part on the service usage measure, the notification configured to assist in causing a user interface of the end-user device to present notification information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the notification to the end-user device comprises sending the notification over a secure service control link, the secure service control link secured by an encryption protocol and configured to support control-plane communications with the end-user device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

obtaining a device credential to assist in establishing the secure service control link; and

encrypting the notification using an encryption key, the encryption key shared by the end-user device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the service activity category is associated with one or more of an Internet protocol (IP) address, a network tag, uniform resource locator (URL), a domain, a website, a traffic content type, and a transaction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification information comprises one or more of the service usage measure, a cost associated with the service usage measure, a service usage projection, a plan limit, information associated with an existing overage, information associated with a projected overage, information associated with a service plan period, information associated with a WiFi network, and information associated with a roaming network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is further based, at least in part, on a user preference, a service plan, a setting of the end-user device, a roaming status of the end-user device, or a network type.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification information comprises a service offer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein an aspect of the service offer is based on an end-user device user interface discovery pattern or history, an application discovery pattern or history, or a content discovery pattern or history.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising obtaining a user input comprising a response to the service offer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein obtaining the user input comprises receiving the user input from the end-user device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein obtaining the user input comprises receiving the user input from the end-user device over a secure service control link, the secure service control link secured by an encryption protocol and configured to support control-plane communications with the end-user device.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising provisioning one or more network elements based on the user input.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the one or more network elements assists in billing for wireless access network usage associated with the end-user device.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining a user input.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the user input comprises an acknowledgment of an overage condition.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the user input comprises a user preference.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein obtaining the user input comprises receiving the user input from the end-user device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein obtaining the user input comprises receiving the user input from the end-user device over a secure service control link, the secure service control link secured by an encryption protocol and configured to support control-plane communications with the end-user device.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising provisioning one or more network elements based on the user input.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one of the one or more network elements assists in billing for wireless access network usage associated with the end-user device.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising applying a control policy to at least a portion of the traffic, the control policy based at least in part on the user input.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the control policy is configured to restrict the particular data transfers within the service activity category.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the control policy is configured to block the particular data transfers within the service activity category.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the control policy is configured to control the particular data transfers within the service activity category when the end-user device is connected to the wireless access network.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a control policy to at least a portion of the traffic, the control policy based at least in part on the service usage measure.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the control policy is further based, at least in part, on a user preference.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the control policy is configured to block, shape, accelerate, or throttle data traffic within the service activity category.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a billing record based on the service usage measure.

29. A billing record generated using the method of claim 28.

30. A network system comprising:

means for monitoring traffic associated with an end-user device communicatively coupled to a network system over a wireless access network, the traffic flow comprising one or more data transfers;

means for identifying, in the traffic, particular data transfers within a service activity category, the service activity category identifying a set of one or more service activities less than all service activities associated with the end-user device, the service activity category identifying at least one of a particular end-user device application and a particular network communication end point;

means for determining a service usage measure based on the identification of the particular data transfers within the service activity category; and

means for providing a notification to the end-user device, the notification based at least in part on the service usage measure, the notification configured to assist in causing a user interface of the end-user device to present notification information.