System and method for addressing networked terminals via pseudonym translation

• US 7,418,485 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2003
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Payrits, Szabolcs
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Haresh N
• Application Number:
  US10/422,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20040215824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,951 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229, 709/200, 709217-228, 709/236, 719/316, 715236-239, 455431-440, 455/557, 707/200
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/385 Uniform resource identifier for session initiation protocol [SIP URI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system, apparatus, and method for performing terminal address translation, and more particularly for identifying addresses of mobile terminals in a mobile network in order to communicate messages with the mobile terminals. Messages are received from a service consumer at a pseudonymity proxy operable within the mobile network, where the message includes an information exchange message including a pseudonym locally identifying a target mobile terminal. The pseudonym is translated into an address of the target mobile terminal unknown to the service consumer. The information exchange message is forwarded from the pseudonymity proxy to the address of the target mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a message from a service consumer at a pseudonymity proxy within the mobile network, wherein the message includes a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) message including a pseudonym identifying a target mobile terminal via a header of the SOAP message;

determining, via the pseudonymity proxy, a header element of the header that includes a SOAP attribute identifying a targeted recipient of information in the header, the header element including a child element providing at least a pseudonym type and the pseudonym;

resolving the pseudonym type and the pseudonym as a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) pointing to an XML element;

extracting the pseudonym from the XML element pointed to by the URI;

resolving the pseudonym into an address of the target mobile terminal unknown to the service consumer; and

forwarding the SOAP message from the pseudonymity proxy to the address of the target mobile terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the SOAP attribute comprises a SOAP actor or role global attribute identifying the targeted recipient of the header information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the SOAP attribute comprises a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) identifying the targeted recipient of the header information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the header further comprises a first child element of the header element, the first child element comprising the pseudonym, and a pseudonym type in the form of a URI.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein translating the pseudonym into an address of the target mobile terminal comprises translating the pseudonym in a manner depending on the pseudonym type.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the URI identifies an XML element containing the pseudonym in a format corresponding to the pseudonym type.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising resolving the URI as a link to the XML element in accordance with an XPointer framework.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the header further comprises a first child element of the header element, the first child element comprising a pseudonym type in the form of a URI and a resolvable reference to the pseudonym.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the header further comprises an optional second child element of the header element, the second child element comprising the pseudonym data itself.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the pseudonym data comprises an encrypted MSISDN.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein resolving the pseudonym into an address of the target mobile terminal comprises determining, via the pseudonymity proxy, whether the header includes header element including the SOAP attribute identifying the targeted recipient of information in the header, and whether the header element includes the child element providing at least the pseudonym type and the pseudonym.

12. The method of claim 11, if the header element and child element are present, determining whether the pseudonym type is supported by the pseudonymity proxy, and if so, resolving the pseudonym type and the pseudonym as the URI pointing to the XML element.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising resolving the pseudonym to the address of the target mobile terminal via a pseudonym resolution module.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein forwarding the information message from the pseudonymity proxy to the address of the target mobile terminal comprises forwarding the SOAP message without the header element to the target mobile terminal.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein resolving the pseudonym into an address of the target mobile terminal comprises:

parsing the message by the pseudonymity proxy to obtain the pseudonym and a URI associated with an identifier provider;

forwarding the message by the pseudonymity proxy to the identifier provider addressed by the URI;

locating and transmitting the address of the target mobile terminal via the identifier provider based on the pseudonym; and

receiving the transmitted address of the target mobile terminal at the pseudonymity proxy.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein resolving the pseudonym into an address of the target mobile terminal comprises:

parsing the message by the pseudonymity proxy to obtain the pseudonym and a URI associated with an identifier provider; and

locating the address of the target mobile terminal at the pseudonymity proxy based on the pseudonym.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein resolving the pseudonym into an address of the target mobile terminal comprises decrypting an encrypted MSISDN serving as the pseudonym by a mobile network operator.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein resolving the pseudonym into an address of the target mobile terminal comprises communicating a request including the pseudonym to an identifier provider within the mobile network to provide a globally unique identifier of the target mobile terminal in response to the request.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a Web Service message including the information message from a service consumer to the pseudonymity proxy via a transport protocol.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein sending the Web Service message from the service consumer to the pseudonymity proxy via a transport protocol comprises sending the message and the information message from the service consumer to the pseudonymity proxy utilizing any one of HTTP, SMTP, BEEP, and SIP as the transport protocol.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein a Web Service message sent from the service consumer comprises a first transport message, and wherein the information message forwarded by the pseudonymity proxy is embedded within a second transport message.

15. A method comprising:

receiving a message from a service consumer at a pseudonymity proxy operable within the mobile network, wherein the message includes an information message including a pseudonym locally identifying a target mobile terminal;

translating the pseudonym into an address of the target mobile terminal unknown to the service consumer, wherein translating the pseudonym into an address of the target mobile terminal comprises;

resolving the pseudonym into an identifier unique to the terminal or terminal user, wherein the identifier comprises a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) address; and

resolving the SIP address into the address of the target mobile terminal, wherein the manner of resolving the identifier into the address of the target mobile terminal is dependent on an identifier type, and wherein resolving the identifier into the address of the target mobile terminal comprises;

(i) retrieving the SIP address from a pseudonym resolution module;

(ii) initiating a SIP session to a SIP proxy for transmitting the information message;

(iii) via the SIP proxy, performing a location lookup for the target mobile terminal and returning a network address of the target mobile terminal to the pseudonymity proxy; and

forwarding the information message from the pseudonymity proxy to the address of the target mobile terminal, wherein forwarding the information message comprises forwarding the information message from the pseudonymity proxy to the network address of the target mobile terminal via a transport protocol message.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the transport protocol message comprises an HTTP message, and wherein the information message comprises a SOAP message.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the transport protocol message comprises a SIP message used as the transport for the information message, wherein the information message comprises a SOAP message.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the identifier comprises a Mobile Station Integrated Services Digital Network (MSISDN) identifier, and wherein resolving the identifier into an address of the target mobile terminal comprises retrieving an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the target mobile terminal from a subscriber identification resolution module serving as a Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS) proxy in a mobile operator network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein no IP address is registered with the identifier, and further comprising utilizing a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) push to initiate a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context for General Packet Radio Access (GPRS) access.

27. A computer-usable medium having instructions stored thereon which are executable by a computer system for identifying globally unique identifiers of mobile terminals by performing steps comprising:

parsing a message received from a service consumer within a mobile network, the message including a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) message including a pseudonym identifying a target mobile terminal via a header of the SOAP message;

determining a header element of the header that includes a SOAP attribute identifying a targeted recipient of information in the header, the header element including a child element providing at least a pseudonym type and the pseudonym;

resolving the pseudonym type and the pseudonym as a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) pointing to an XML element;

extracting the pseudonym from the XML element pointed to by the URI;

resolving the pseudonym to an address of the target mobile terminal unknown to the service consumer; and

forwarding the information message from the pseudonymity proxy to the address of the target mobile terminal.

28. An apparatus comprising:

a computing system and memory coupled to the computing system, the memory having instructions that cause the computing system to;

parse a message received from a service consumer within a mobile network, the message including an information a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) message including a pseudonym identifying a target mobile terminal via a header of the SOAP message;

determine a header element of the header that includes a SOAP attribute identifying a targeted recipient of information in the header, the header element including a child element providing at least a pseudonym type and the pseudonym;

resolve the pseudonym type and the pseudonym as a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) pointing to an XML element;

extract the pseudonym from the XML element pointed to by the URI;

resolve the pseudonym to an address of the target mobile terminal unknown to the service consumer; and

forward the information message to the address of the target mobile terminal.