OBTAINING TARGETED SERVICES USING A UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION HEADER (UIDH)

• US 20130318346A1
• Filed: 05/22/2012
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: LIBONATE, Brian, PREHN, Paul H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,832,436 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/068 using time-dependent keys, e.g. periodically changing keys cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for controlling usage of secret information H04L9/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols

Abstract

A system is configured to receive, from a user device, a request for content; obtain, based on receiving the request, an identifier for a subscriber associated with the system and a key; encode the identifier and the key to create a unique identifier; store the unique identifier in the request to create a modified request; provide the modified request to a content provider identified by the request; receive, from the content provider, the content and targeted content, the targeted content being associated with the unique identifier and conforming to an attribute of the subscriber; and provide, to the user device, the content and the targeted content.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a content distribution system and from a user device, a request for content;

obtaining, by the content distribution system and based on receiving the request, an identifier for a subscriber associated with the content distribution system and a key;

encoding, by the content distribution system, the identifier and the key to create a unique identifier associated with the subscriber;

storing, by the content distribution system, the unique identifier in the request to create a modified request;

providing, by the content distribution system, the modified request to a content provider identified by the request;

receiving, by the content distribution system and from the content provider, the content and targeted content, the targeted content being associated with the unique identifier and conforming to an attribute of the subscriber; and

providing, by the content distribution system and to the user device, the content and the targeted content.

2. The method of claim 1, where obtaining the identifier and the key further includes:

generating a random number; and

creating the key based on the random number, the key being valid for a period of time.

3. The method of claim 2, where the unique identifier is created using a one-way cryptographic hash function,

where the unique identifier corresponds to a string of alphanumeric characters or symbols, and

where the unique identifier is valid for the period of time based on the key.

4. The method of claim 1, where obtaining the identifier for the subscriber and the key further includes:

receiving session information, associated with a session via which the request is received, the session information identifying;

a private address to be used by the user device when communicating with the content distribution system,

a public address to be used by the content provider when communicating with the content distribution system, and

the identifier; and

obtaining, from the session information, the identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the unique identifier with the identifier; and

storing the unique identifier and the identifier in a memory associated with the content distribution system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a subscriber profile, associated with the identifier, the subscriber profile identifying the attribute of the subscriber;

obtaining information associated with first targeted content and information associated with second targeted content,

the information, associated with the first targeted content, identifying a first attribute for which the first targeted content is intended, and

the information, associated with the second targeted content, identifying a second attribute for which the second targeted content is intended;

associating the first targeted content with the unique identifier when the attribute matches the first attribute; and

precluding the unique identifier from being associated with the second targeted content when the attribute does not match the second attribute.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the content provider, a request to authenticate the subscriber, the request to authenticate the subscriber including the unique identifier and a certain attribute,

the certain attribute being received, from the user device, by the content provider;

determining that the unique identifier is associated with the identifier;

retrieving, from a memory associated with the content distribution system, a subscriber profile associated with the identifier, the subscriber profile including the attribute of the subscriber;

providing, to the content provider, a notification that the subscriber is authenticated when the attribute matches the certain attribute.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

obtaining a time at which the unique identifier is to expire; and

determining that the unique identifier has not expired when a time at which the request to authenticate is received occurs before the time at which the unique identifier is to expire.

9. A system, comprising:

one or more devices to;

receive a request for content and session information,

the request for content being transmitted by a user device, and

the session information including an identifier for a subscriber associated with the system and addresses to be used during a session with the user device, generate a unique identifier based on the identifier;

insert the unique identifier in the request to create a modified request,

transmit the modified request to a content provider identified by the request;

receive, from the content provider, first content and second content,

the first content being identified by the request,

the second content being associated with the unique identifier and conforming to one or more attributes of the subscriber; and

provide the first content and the second content to the user device.

10. The system of claim 9, where, when generating the unique identifier, the one or more devices are further to:

generate a random value,

create a key based on the random value, the key being valid for a period of time, and

generate the unique identifier based on the identifier and the key, the unique identifier being valid for the period of time, and

corresponding to a string of alphanumeric characters or symbols.

11. The system of claim 10, where the one or more devices are further to:

receive another request for content, the other request including the unique identifier,

determine that the unique identifier has expired when a time at which the other request is received is not within the period of time,

generate another unique identifier based on the identifier and another key, and

provide another modified request to a content provider, the other modified request including the other unique identifier.

12. The system of claim 10, where the one or more devices are further to:

receive, from the content provider, a request to authenticate the subscriber, the request to authenticate the subscriber including the unique identifier,

determine that the unique identifier has expired when a time at which the request to authenticate the subscriber is received is not within the period of time, and

transmit, to the content provider, a notification that the subscriber cannot be authenticated based on the determination that the unique identifier has expired.

13. The system of claim 9, where the one or more devices are further to:

receive, from the content provider, a request to authenticate the subscriber, the request to authenticate the subscriber including the unique identifier and a certain attribute received from the user device,

determine that the unique identifier is associated with the identifier,

retrieve, from a memory associated with the system, a subscriber profile associated with the identifier, the subscriber profile including the one or more attributes;

providing, to the content provider, a notification that the subscriber cannot be authenticated when the one or more attributes do not match the certain attribute.

14. The system of claim 9, where the one or more devices are further to:

associate the unique identifier with the identifier, and

store the unique identifier and the identifier in a memory associated with the system.

15. The system of claim 9, where the one or more devices are further to:

obtain a subscriber profile, associated with the identifier, the subscriber profile identifying the one or more attributes,

obtain information associated with the second content

the information, associated with the second content, identifying one or more first attributes for which the second content is intended,

associate the second content with the unique identifier when a quantity of the one or more attributes that match the one or more first attributes is greater than a threshold, and

transmit, to the device, a notification that the second content is associated with the unique identifier.

16. The system of claim 15, where the one or more devices are further to:

receive, from the content provider, a request to identify a particular device from which content, that is targeted to the subscriber, can be obtained, the request to identify the particular device including the unique identifier,

determine that the unique identifier corresponds to the second content, and

provide, to the content provider, information associated with the particular device from which the second content can be obtained.

17. One or more computer-readable media, comprising:

one or more instructions, which when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

receive session information and a first request for content, the session information including at least an identifier for a subscriber associated with the one or more computer-readable media, and the first request being transmitted by the user device;

generate a unique identifier based on the identifier and a key;

store the unique identifier in the first request to create a modified request;

transmit the modified request to a content provider identified by the first request,

the unique identifier enabling the content provider to provide content that is targeted to the subscriber;

receive, from the content provider, a second request to authenticate the subscriber, the second request including the unique identifier and a particular attribute associated with the subscriber;

identify attributes associated with the unique identifier, the attributes corresponding to the subscriber;

determine whether at least one of the attributes matches the particular attribute; and

provide, to the content provider, a notification that the subscriber is authenticated when the at least one of the attributes matches the particular attribute.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

provide, to the content provider, a notification that the subscriber cannot be authenticated when the at least one of the attributes does not match the particular attribute.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

receive, from the content provider, the content that is targeted to the subscriber as a result of the notification that the subscriber is authenticated; and

transmit, to the user device, the content that is targeted to the subscriber.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine, in response to the second request, that the identifier corresponds to the unique identifier,

retrieve a profile, associated with the subscriber, based on the identifier;

determine, based on the profile, whether the subscriber authorizes the attributes to be used to authenticate the subscriber in response to the second request; and

identify the attributes when the profile indicates that the subscriber authorizes the attributes to be used to authenticate the subscriber.

21. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

retrieve, in response to the first request a profile, associated with the subscriber, based on the identifier;

determine, based on the profile, whether the subscriber authorizes the content, that is targeted to the subscriber, to be provided to the user device; and

transmit the first request, to the content provider and in a manner that does not include the unique identifier, when the subscriber does not authorize the content, that is targeted to the subscriber, to be provided to the user device.

22. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine whether the content provider is identified in a list of content providers from which the content, that is targeted to the subscriber, is not to be obtained; and

transmit the modified request, to the content provider, when the content provider is not included in the list of content providers.

23. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine whether the content provider is identified in a list of content providers from which content, that is targeted to the subscriber, is not to be obtained; and

transmit the first request, to the content provider and in a manner that does not include the unique identifier, when the content provider is included in the list of content providers.